- il y a 2 mois
Depuis des décennies, dans la banlieue de Louisville, au Kentucky, des adolescents avides de sensations fortes se défient les uns les autres en empruntant le pont ferroviaire branlant de Pope Lick, dans l'espoir d'apercevoir un homme-chèvre maléfique. Mais les habitants sont horrifiés lorsque le nombre de morts de la créature devient réel.
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Court métrageTranscription
00:30When I was growing up as a kid, I heard about the Dennis Martin case.
00:47We would sit around the fire, and I would hear my uncle say,
00:50well, you know what happened to the little boy.
00:57And it would scare me to death.
01:00It was 1969.
01:06That's when Dennis Martin went missing.
01:12Dennis and a couple of boys were playing in the woods.
01:17When the game was over, Dennis never come back.
01:21And they feared the worst for him at that point, that he would never be found.
01:29A number of rumors are making the rounds, some of them more popular than others.
01:42Most of them based on far-fetched theory.
01:45I heard a lot of stories about the Tennessee wild man.
01:51Them being seven, eight feet tall, just hairy.
01:55If you get off the trails in the Great Smoky Mountains,
02:01you'll find out where you stand with these things, because you probably won't be coming back.
02:08On this day, 50 years ago, six-year-old Dennis Martin went missing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
02:30So, obviously, there are endless theories of what could have happened to Dennis.
02:35So, to this day, there is no evidence or any answers to what happened to Dennis.
02:40It was a long time ago.
02:46I haven't been here in probably 10 or 15 years.
02:52But if it's something that holds a place in your head and heart that big,
02:56and then you stand there and look at it, it brings it all back.
03:10It's just as pretty as I remembered it.
03:15It hasn't changed much over the years.
03:19I'm Doug Martin, and I was at Spence Field when Dennis disappeared.
03:29My motivation to do this is for Dennis and his family to honor Dennis.
03:36A lot's been written about it and theorized about it over the years,
03:42and that certainly got recharged via the Internet.
03:47So, I thought it was important to tell exactly what happened.
03:51And you've never spoken to anyone else about this before, publicly?
03:56No. No.
04:00It was Father's Day weekend, 1969.
04:06I was nine years old, and my brother, Carter Martin, was about to be 11.
04:12This was the first true backpacking trip that we had gone on.
04:19We started in Cades Cove and hiked five miles uphill to Russell Field the first night.
04:26And that's when we met the Martins from Knoxville,
04:31a family which I thought was very much like ours and even had the same name
04:37and a son the same age with the same name as me.
04:41And Dennis was a couple years younger.
04:46Dennis' dad and grandfather were there, too.
04:49The next morning, we made the short hike to Spencefield
04:54and got there with plenty of time to play.
05:00We decided to then do a little game of sneak back up on the parents.
05:06And that's when Dennis got separated from us.
05:10We said, Dennis, since you have a red T-shirt on,
05:15you just walk back to the parents,
05:17and we're going to go along the edge of the woods and sneak up on them.
05:27When we arrived, we then said, where's Dennis?
05:31And they said, we don't know.
05:33Yeah, of course I think about it.
05:50I barely knew Dennis,
05:52but the emotional impact is never going to go away.
06:03I think that a lot of people who were really close to this case,
06:06they are haunted by it.
06:09I know I am, and I wasn't even there.
06:13I was a freelance writer and independent researcher for a number of years,
06:17including certain missing person cases like this.
06:23I decided a number of years ago
06:25to retrace the steps of the Martin family at that location.
06:29And I walked away with the same question that so many people have.
06:35Where could that child have gone?
06:36There's just nowhere for this child to have vanished,
06:39and yet he did.
06:40The more time that went on,
06:59the more worried everyone got.
07:02William Martin, Dennis' dad, was frantic.
07:05Clyde Martin, the grandfather, hikes back down the mountain,
07:10and he notifies park rangers that there's a child missing.
07:14At this point, Dennis has been missing for approximately four hours.
07:21And to make matters worse,
07:24as darkness started coming,
07:26it started raining that night pretty dramatically.
07:29And I remember that vividly.
07:33It was a profound storm.
07:36And so they weren't able to really get the official search effort underway
07:41until the following morning.
07:48Dennis' dad and my dad
07:50were still up on top of the mountain looking
07:52as other searchers started pouring in.
07:58Search and rescue crews arrived that morning.
08:02And also a lot of volunteers.
08:05But still no sign of Dennis.
08:08It's almost like he just vanishes into thin air.
08:11So many people know about the Dennis Martin case,
08:18and they want to know what really happened
08:21that day in the Smoky Mountains.
08:24My name is South Force 10.
08:27I started a YouTube channel back about three years ago.
08:31I thought, well, I will tell my story.
08:35I will tell the part that's being left out for Dennis Martin.
08:38As you can tell, I'm on the outskirts
08:42of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
08:45just a little ways there.
08:48But I'm going to tell you a little story
08:49while we walk here,
08:50do a little unedited video about Dennis Martin.
08:55I've had a few harassing phone calls.
08:58People tell me I need to shut my big mouth.
09:02I have a family,
09:03and that's why I'm staying anonymous.
09:04But I felt the story needed to be out there.
09:10I know there was another family
09:12that seen one of these things running.
09:15They could describe what they saw.
09:24Harold Key's family was over on Rowan Creek
09:27trying to look for Bear.
09:29and then they heard a scream
09:34and they don't know
09:37who did the scream actually come from.
09:41And then supposedly his son said,
09:44look, Dad, is that a bear?
09:46It was no bear.
09:50Harold said, I looked over
09:51and I didn't see what looked like a bear.
09:53There was a man coming out of the forest.
09:55Different versions of this story
09:58sound almost like this individual
10:00was monstrous in appearance.
10:03And the individual
10:04might have been carrying something
10:06over his shoulder.
10:09I think Harold Key's story
10:10has been changed,
10:12manipulated over the years.
10:16There's things back in those woods.
10:19I've heard them called boogers,
10:21the booger man,
10:23hairy demons,
10:24or the Tennessee wild man.
10:27And I was told
10:28by two park rangers
10:30that one of these wild men
10:32had taken Dennis Martin.
10:40Woo!
10:44Woo!
10:48We got dogs.
10:51My name is Randy Hutchings.
10:52I'm from McMinnville, Tennessee,
10:54and I'm a paranormal field investigator.
11:00The Tennessee wild man
11:01is the head cryptid
11:03as far as Tennessee folklore goes.
11:06Basically a feralish,
11:08usually tall,
11:09hairy, man-like beast.
11:14Harold Key's was several miles away
11:16from where Dennis was taken,
11:17where he heard a scream
11:18and purportedly saw something large
11:21with a child over his shoulder.
11:24And a lot of people will say
11:26that there's no way
11:26that that could possibly be
11:28the same instance
11:28because of the distance.
11:31But I would say
11:32that if it was a Tennessee wild man
11:34that took Dennis,
11:35that distance is nothing.
11:38One of the local names
11:39that they call these things
11:40are ridge runners.
11:41And it's because you will see them
11:42at a distance
11:43just booking it
11:44across the ridges.
11:45I'm not a superstitious person.
11:52I'm very science-minded.
11:54I don't believe in things
11:55if I don't see them.
11:58I've had four encounters
11:59with Tennessee wild man
12:00over the years.
12:03But I didn't have a sighting
12:04until 2011.
12:05I was with a friend of mine
12:12by the riverside
12:13and we heard snaps and cracks
12:15off to the left of us.
12:17And as we turned,
12:19there's this thing.
12:23It was hairy
12:25and very muscular,
12:27but lean.
12:30And I'm a big guy.
12:32I'm 6'4".
12:32The guy was with me
12:34about 6'5".
12:35This was taller
12:35than both of us.
12:36It was at least
12:377' or bigger.
12:41And it stopped
12:42for just a split second,
12:43turned and looked at us.
12:44And we just started
12:45screaming like girls.
12:46I'm not going to lie.
12:47Both of us did.
12:54As a father,
12:56I don't want to think
12:56that Dennis Martin
12:58could have been taken
12:59by a wild man.
12:59but there's a history
13:02of strange disappearances
13:03in that region
13:03and there's no
13:05reasonable explanation.
13:09Dennis Martin,
13:10he wasn't the first
13:11to be taken.
13:13Kids went missing
13:14the turn of the century.
13:17There was some
13:17that went missing
13:18in the 20s
13:20and the 30s.
13:21So I always try
13:25to stay on the trail
13:26because it would be
13:28a Smoky Mountain nightmare
13:29to be lost up there
13:31and then you start
13:34hearing something
13:34behind you.
13:41The Dennis Martin case
13:43remains a haunting mystery
13:45for this entire region,
13:46but in many ways,
13:47apart from the Martin family
13:48themselves,
13:49I don't think anybody
13:50was as haunted
13:51as Dwight McCarter,
13:52who had been directly
13:53involved with the search effort.
13:56One of the top man trackers
13:58in the nation,
13:58McCarter has assisted
13:59in more than 100 searches
14:01in the Smokies.
14:03And Dwight kept a journal.
14:04He kept a log
14:05of his involvement.
14:06When you're a ranger,
14:07you want to try
14:08to record as much
14:10as you can.
14:11And...
14:11June the 15th,
14:151969,
14:17day two,
14:18All trails
14:25on both sides
14:26of Spence Field
14:27were walked
14:28and re-walked.
14:30There is no sign
14:31of Dennis.
14:33We encounter
14:34several dog teams
14:35returning
14:36without contact
14:37with Dennis.
14:40He seems to have
14:42dropped off
14:42the face of the earth
14:43without a sign.
14:45The second day,
14:47of course,
14:48it's more concerning
14:48because after the first day,
14:50if that person
14:50hasn't been found,
14:52anyone involved
14:53in a search like this
14:54knows that
14:54with every passing day,
14:56really with every
14:57passing hour,
14:58the likelihood
14:59that the person
15:00is going to be found
15:01and be safe
15:03decreases,
15:04and sometimes exponentially.
15:05time is literally
15:07of the essence.
15:09For a six-and-a-half-year-old
15:11lost,
15:12spending the night
15:12in the wilderness,
15:14this was dire.
15:17I mean,
15:18I knew that
15:18even as a nine-year-old.
15:22By Monday,
15:23the third day
15:23of the search,
15:24there were more than
15:25300 people involved.
15:26a helipad
15:30had been established.
15:32They were bringing
15:33in Green Berets.
15:39Dennis' father
15:40says it seems
15:41like a dream
15:42that a child
15:43could disappear
15:44so quickly.
15:47William Martin
15:48was flying up
15:49in the helicopter.
15:51He actually had
15:52a loudspeaker.
15:52He was calling
15:53to his son.
15:56and then the media
15:58begins to arrive
15:59in the park.
16:01I returned to Spencefield
16:02with Martin,
16:03his father,
16:04and his nine-year-old son.
16:06Spencefield is the site
16:07where Martin's
16:07seven-year-old son,
16:08Dennis,
16:09became lost.
16:10At the time,
16:12this was the lead story.
16:14This was national news.
16:16President Nixon
16:17was even being briefed on it.
16:21The entire country
16:23was captivated
16:24by the story
16:24of the little boy
16:25who vanished.
16:26My name's Robert Kester.
16:37What I do for a living
16:38is search and rescue
16:39research,
16:40publications,
16:41and training.
16:44I feel a little bit
16:46of an affinity
16:47to the Dennis Martin search
16:49because Dennis was born
16:51the same year
16:52I was born.
16:52There wasn't really
16:58that many
16:59significant clues.
17:02On the fourth day,
17:04there was
17:06a footprint
17:06detected.
17:09That print was found
17:10a mile
17:11from where he was
17:12last seen
17:13at Spencefield.
17:14It appeared to be
17:16a footprint
17:16of a shoe
17:18and a bare foot.
17:21And it seemed
17:22to have the stride
17:23of a child.
17:25That was pretty much
17:26the only print
17:26that was found
17:28that could be associated
17:29with the search.
17:30The fact that
17:32there were no clues
17:34or Dennis
17:36was ever found
17:36sets the stage
17:38for all these theories
17:40to come up,
17:41one of which
17:43was a kidnapping theory.
17:47Because Harold
17:48described a very
17:49rough-looking individual
17:51running away,
17:53was there
17:54a potential
17:55of a kidnapping.
18:01Day five,
18:02the FBI
18:03somewhat grudgingly
18:04did become involved.
18:07Dennis' father,
18:08William Martin,
18:09he'd even written
18:09directly to J. Edgar Hoover.
18:12Although there was
18:13really no evidence
18:13of this at the time,
18:15the FBI
18:15looked into the possibility
18:17that a kidnapping
18:17might have occurred.
18:20And the FBI
18:21asked my dad
18:22and my brother
18:23and I
18:23to come back
18:24to Spencefield
18:25to reenact
18:27the disappearance.
18:37The FBI
18:38documented
18:39how long
18:40it took
18:41to walk from here
18:42and the route
18:42and placement
18:43and time
18:45line of sight
18:46of the little game.
18:49That's when
18:50we came
18:52to the conclusion
18:53of how much time
18:54Dennis was
18:55theoretically
18:56out of eyesight
18:57of the parents.
19:00It just seemed
19:01like he never
19:02was out of sight.
19:05You know,
19:06I was still,
19:07even at age nine,
19:08in a state of shock
19:09about the whole thing.
19:11Just couldn't get
19:12the obvious
19:13out of my head
19:14that he may not
19:16ever be found.
19:16and I was willing
19:20to do anything
19:21to,
19:22that I could
19:23to help.
19:26It may have given
19:27me some kind
19:28of hope
19:28that there was
19:29still hope.
19:35So many researchers
19:36were interested
19:36in seeing
19:37what the FBI's
19:39file on the
19:40Dennis Martin case
19:40would reveal.
19:41in early 2022,
19:44a colleague and I
19:45were able to obtain
19:46those FBI files.
19:48I have read
19:49some of the FBI
19:50case files.
19:53The FBI claimed
19:54they would not
19:55investigate
19:55the Dennis Martin case
19:57unless there was
19:58evidence of a
19:59kidnapping.
20:01Well, how are you
20:02going to find
20:02evidence of a
20:03kidnapping
20:04if you don't
20:04investigate?
20:05I think there's
20:08136 pages
20:10and a lot
20:11of them
20:12are just
20:13fully redacted.
20:16Why redact
20:17anything?
20:17It's been
20:18over 50 years
20:19ago.
20:20What are you hiding?
20:22The sighting
20:23by Harold Key
20:24and his family,
20:25that rough-looking
20:25guy down there
20:26at Rowan's Creek,
20:27was definitely
20:28noteworthy
20:29and it certainly
20:29aroused
20:30public suspicions
20:31that there might
20:31have been
20:32a kidnapping.
20:33And Harold Key
20:34was interviewed
20:34by FBI agent
20:36Jim Reich
20:36out of the
20:37Knoxville branch.
20:39If you follow
20:40Harold Key's
20:41story a little bit,
20:42you learn that
20:43at first,
20:45he claimed to
20:45see something
20:46on its back.
20:49Then later on,
20:50he just saw
20:51a man standing
20:52by a car.
20:54So the stories
20:55kind of start
20:56changing and you
20:57wonder why?
20:58Why are you
20:59changing your story?
21:03I think the
21:04park was aware
21:05that one of
21:06these things
21:07had taken
21:07Dennis.
21:08We can't tell
21:09our tourist
21:10that brings
21:11billions and
21:11billions of
21:12dollars to
21:13these Smoky
21:13Mountains every
21:14year that wild
21:15men took their
21:17children.
21:17in the park.
21:24Harold Key many
21:25years later came
21:26out and said
21:27he had received
21:28phone calls
21:29late at night
21:29from a kind
21:30of hushed
21:30voice that
21:31said,
21:31stop talking
21:32about what
21:33you saw
21:33in the park
21:34that day.
21:38And although
21:39this really
21:39is tantalizing
21:40information,
21:41I suspect
21:42that what
21:42was happening
21:43there is that
21:43the FBI was
21:44very concerned
21:44about people
21:45going to the
21:46press and
21:47really kind
21:48of giving
21:48rise to
21:49speculation
21:49about what
21:50could have
21:51happened to
21:51Dennis.
21:52But we
21:52can't rule
21:53out the
21:54potential of
21:55some sort
21:55of a
21:55kidnapping.
21:58That may
21:59have been
21:59helped along
22:00by the
22:00knowledge that
22:01some had
22:02at the time
22:02that there
22:02were wild
22:04people living
22:05in the Great
22:05Smoky Mountains
22:06National Park
22:06at that time.
22:07I can
22:26speak for
22:27Great Smoky Mountains
22:28National Park
22:29because it's
22:29where I live.
22:30There are
22:31feral people
22:32that, like,
22:33wild people
22:33that live
22:34out in the
22:34parks.
22:35and
22:36they're
22:37cannibalistic.
22:45The last
22:46theory is
22:47that
22:48cannibalistic
22:49feral people
22:50who live
22:51in our
22:51national parks
22:52attacked him.
22:58What do
22:59you think
22:59happened to
23:00Dennis Martin?
23:01Comment to
23:01let me know.
23:05my name is
23:09Ted Olson.
23:10I teach
23:11Appalachian
23:11studies.
23:13I also
23:13formerly
23:14was a
23:14park ranger
23:15in Great
23:16Smoky Mountains
23:16National Park.
23:18And so I've
23:19called Appalachia
23:20home for
23:2040-plus years
23:22now.
23:22Over the years
23:24there's been
23:24rumors that
23:25Dennis
23:26led him
23:26taken by
23:27feral people
23:28living in the
23:28National Park.
23:30What do you make
23:30of that?
23:30I think it's
23:32you know
23:32it's a time
23:34honored
23:34tradition
23:35of legend
23:37telling.
23:40If somebody
23:41comes to the
23:41Great Smoky
23:42Mountains
23:42National Park
23:43today
23:43it's a
23:44sanctuary
23:45for nature.
23:48But before
23:50the park
23:50was created
23:51there once
23:52were people
23:53here
23:53and they're
23:54gone now.
23:54and so
23:58there's a
23:58presence of
23:59people on
23:59the landscape
24:00still.
24:04The Cherokee
24:04were the
24:05true natives
24:06of the
24:07Smokies.
24:09And of
24:09course in
24:10the 1830s
24:11the Cherokee
24:12were displaced
24:13by the
24:13U.S.
24:14military
24:14forced by
24:17the end
24:17of a
24:18bayonet
24:18basically
24:18to walk
24:19what was
24:20known as
24:20the Trail
24:21of Tears
24:21into
24:22Oklahoma.
24:24People
24:30came into
24:30these mountains
24:31200 years
24:31ago
24:32and they
24:32were
24:32Scotch
24:33and Irish
24:33and English
24:34and they
24:35were looking
24:35for freedom
24:36and independence.
24:38And the
24:39Martins
24:39they were
24:41from right
24:41here.
24:42Clyde
24:43Dennis'
24:44grandfather
24:44he was
24:45old enough
24:46that he
24:46was here
24:47before the
24:47national park
24:48was.
24:50He told
24:51us firsthand
24:51stories of
24:53the farmers
24:54who would
24:55take
24:55cattle
24:56up
24:56on
24:57Spencefield
24:57and leave
24:58them there
24:58for the
24:59summer
24:59to
24:59graze.
25:04Big industry
25:05began to
25:06move in.
25:07The railroads,
25:09coal companies,
25:11the timber
25:11companies,
25:13most of the
25:13mountains now
25:14are owned
25:14by big
25:16business
25:16and by the
25:19federal
25:20government.
25:23So some
25:23of the
25:23locals who
25:24actually existed
25:25within what
25:25is now
25:25national park
25:26land were
25:28of course
25:28removed.
25:30And people
25:30could be more
25:31easily disenfranchised
25:33if the outside
25:34world portrayed
25:36them as
25:36hill folk
25:37and less
25:38than civilized.
25:39over the
25:44years there
25:45have been
25:45notions of
25:46people living
25:48so close to
25:48nature that
25:49they almost
25:51developed
25:51bestial kind
25:53of qualities
25:53and maybe
25:55potentially
25:55violent.
25:59Just a couple
26:00of years
26:00after Dennis
26:01went missing
26:02a park
26:02ranger had
26:03been attacked
26:03by a wild
26:05man.
26:05but again
26:07when I say
26:07wild man
26:08let's be
26:08very clear
26:09we're talking
26:10about men
26:10living off
26:12the grid
26:12in nature.
26:14Dwight
26:15McCarter
26:15has said
26:16over the
26:16years that
26:16he knew
26:17of some
26:17men who
26:18had chose
26:18to live
26:19away from
26:19civilization.
26:21Could you
26:22tell me
26:22about the
26:23wild man
26:23of Chattahooch
26:24that you're
26:24telling me
26:25about?
26:26Oh
26:26Cataloochie.
26:28Was he
26:29living out
26:29in the woods
26:30at the time?
26:31Yeah
26:31mostly.
26:33He
26:33would be
26:34deep
26:35inside
26:35the park
26:36there.
26:38So
26:39officials
26:39there
26:40in the
26:40Great
26:40Smokies
26:40were aware
26:41of some
26:41people
26:42vagrants
26:43or wild
26:43men
26:44as they
26:44called
26:44them
26:44who
26:45were
26:45living
26:45up
26:45there
26:45in
26:45the
26:45park
26:46at
26:46that
26:46time
26:46and
26:48that's
26:48been
26:48one
26:48of
26:48those
26:48factors
26:49that's
26:49really
26:49led
26:50to a lot
26:50of
26:50sort
26:51of
26:51speculation
26:51and
26:52the
26:52myth
26:52building
26:53around
26:53Dennis'
26:53disappearance.
27:00What do I
27:01think
27:01happened
27:01to
27:01Dennis?
27:03I think
27:04he was
27:04abducted.
27:05not necessarily
27:08by a
27:09Tennessee wild
27:09man
27:10but by
27:10someone.
27:13Hang on
27:13just one
27:14minute.
27:14There are my
27:14mirrors over
27:15here.
27:16The mirror?
27:17Oh, you're
27:17checking.
27:17Oh, yeah, yeah.
27:19So that I don't
27:20look like a
27:21wild woman.
27:23Have I ever seen
27:24Wild Men and the
27:25Great Smoky Man?
27:26Yes, many.
27:28Many.
27:29I know that, you
27:33know, people
27:34questioned about
27:35Dennis Martin
27:36for years.
27:41Looking back, I
27:43don't know what
27:43to think.
27:44I've questioned
27:45it myself.
27:47Did the Tennessee
27:48Wild American
27:49carry them off?
27:50Possible.
27:52I've trained
27:53search and rescue
27:54dogs.
27:54Most dogs
27:56will pick up
27:57the scent and
27:57they will track
27:58it to a source.
28:00These dogs
28:01didn't.
28:04That says to me
28:05that that child
28:06was carried
28:07out of the area
28:08of Spencerfield.
28:08If a wild man
28:15took Dennis,
28:17the first thing
28:17I'd do is
28:19look for signs
28:20that they're
28:21in the area.
28:27This is my
28:27hunting partner,
28:29Catman Seraphim
28:30Hero, better
28:31known as Gato.
28:32He's been hunting
28:33with me for,
28:34what, five years
28:35now?
28:37Five, five or six.
28:37Five, six years.
28:39See, normally
28:40as we'd be walking
28:41we'd be looking
28:42for signs?
28:43Yeah.
28:48So we found
28:49a foot print
28:50or at least
28:50what it looks
28:51like.
28:52A ditch in the air.
28:55You can see
28:56where the toes
28:57that foot is
29:00far larger
29:01than mine
29:01and I'll wear
29:0112.
29:06Just like
29:06with us,
29:07what do we
29:08need?
29:08we need
29:09a food source,
29:10we need water,
29:11we need shelter.
29:13They will use
29:14caves, caverns.
29:20Nice.
29:21I know, right?
29:22They're up there.
29:36The minute you walk
29:38out this door,
29:39you're in their territory.
29:40I've never seen a wild man
29:49myself,
29:50but I have felt
29:52that I was being watched.
29:55A lot of people
29:56want to think
29:57when you are talking
29:58about a wild man
30:00or a feral person
30:01that you're actually
30:02talking about someone
30:03who went off the grid,
30:06dead, but these things
30:08have never been
30:09in a community.
30:11They're not exactly
30:12hominid.
30:15Nobody knows
30:16what they are,
30:18but they are
30:19very dangerous.
30:22They don't just live
30:23off of berries
30:23and leaves,
30:24you know.
30:25They have to eat
30:26just like we do.
30:27My uncles
30:31and my kinfolk,
30:32they would frown
30:33at me very heavily
30:34right now
30:35that I am sitting here
30:36telling a story.
30:40Before the park
30:41ever came in here,
30:43I had a few uncles
30:44who would be approached
30:46by, let's just say,
30:49federal men,
30:50and they were paid
30:52to go out in the woods
30:53and do some hunting.
30:57There was other families
31:04up and through the holler
31:05that done the very
31:06same thing.
31:08And it even continued
31:09until the early 60s
31:11when there was so many
31:12people coming into the park
31:14that you couldn't
31:15do this anymore.
31:18And then in 1969,
31:20one of these things
31:21had taken Dennis
31:22and the park was afraid
31:24if it takes one,
31:27it will take more.
31:29So the Green Berets
31:31were sent in
31:31to finish the job.
31:35By day five,
31:37we have special forces
31:38arriving in the park.
31:41There's been a lot
31:42of focus on the presence
31:43of the Green Berets
31:44who were involved
31:46in the search.
31:46of the Green Berets.
31:49The Green Berets
31:49are trained to kill.
31:52They didn't come in here
31:53to help search
31:54for that boy at all.
31:56Their job
31:56was to exterminate
31:57these people.
32:01And I get a lot of flack.
32:02People say,
32:03well, I don't see
32:04any weapons
32:05on the Green Berets.
32:06Well, just because
32:07you don't see them
32:08don't mean they're not there.
32:09I guess now
32:13the next question is,
32:15well, did they kill
32:15them all?
32:18Well.
32:25I think it's pretty clear
32:27why the Green Berets
32:27were there.
32:29Time is of the essence.
32:31Bringing in
32:31trained professionals
32:32who had outdoor experience
32:34and who were able
32:34to withstand
32:35the more remote portions
32:36of the National Park
32:37seemed like a very good
32:38idea at the time.
32:41They were brought
32:42in to help.
32:43I don't think
32:44they were there
32:44booger hunting.
32:48Whether they were
32:49in the National Guard
32:50or they were
32:50townspeople here
32:51in Townsend
32:52or Knoxville
32:53or Atlanta
32:54or Alabama,
32:56it was a lot
32:57of enthusiasm
32:58by a lot of people
33:00who wanted to find
33:01Dennis alive.
33:04Our family
33:05kept up with it
33:06the best we could
33:07in a pre-internet era.
33:10My parents
33:11were very
33:11emotionally supportive
33:13of me
33:14and my brother
33:14and took great care
33:18to make sure
33:19it wasn't tormenting us.
33:22But,
33:22sure,
33:23I thought about it
33:24a lot.
33:27As a nine-year-old,
33:28it seemed incomprehensible
33:29that they wouldn't find
33:30anything with how many
33:31searchers
33:32for as many days
33:34as they searched.
33:36The magnitude
33:38of the search
33:38was like
33:39nothing I'd ever
33:41imagined.
33:45With the Dennis Martin
33:47case,
33:47people say,
33:48look at all the effort
33:49that went into
33:51that search.
33:53How could he not
33:54be found?
33:55There were several obstacles.
34:05First of all
34:06is the weather.
34:08Having 2.5 inches
34:10of rain
34:11just destroys
34:12your footprints
34:13and your clues.
34:14many of the days
34:21it was more
34:22than 300 searchers
34:23and it was 600
34:25and it was 700
34:27and then it was
34:281,400.
34:31That's some
34:32pretty incredible
34:33growth,
34:34especially when
34:35you consider
34:36the logistics
34:37of just trying
34:38to get people
34:38up to the search area.
34:40And you've got
34:40to be careful.
34:41You can only drive
34:42so far up
34:43to the mountain,
34:44you know.
34:49The search area
34:50is about
34:51as remote
34:52as you can be
34:53in the park.
34:58I go back
34:59to the vastness
35:00of that wilderness
35:00and it is
35:02just that.
35:03And even
35:04with searchers
35:05for day after
35:06day after day,
35:08it's conceivable
35:10that you could
35:10never find Dennis.
35:12The search area
35:27has expanded
35:27as the days
35:28stretch into
35:28a full week
35:29since the youngster
35:30was reported missing.
35:35As more days
35:36continue,
35:37the hopes
35:38of finding Dennis
35:39alive quickly
35:40diminish.
35:40The seventh day
35:49of the search
35:49happens to be
35:50the seventh birthday
35:51of Dennis Lloyd Martin.
35:55And whether he was
35:56alive on his birthday,
35:58we'll never know.
36:00Happy birthday,
36:02Dennis,
36:03wherever you are.
36:04Friday, June 27th,
36:10day 14.
36:14This is the last day
36:16I will be involved
36:17in the search.
36:19A great sense
36:20of failure
36:21and disappointment
36:22overwhelms me.
36:23as the days
36:28we are on,
36:29the Martin family
36:30holds out hope
36:30that there are
36:31some circumstances
36:32that will allow
36:33for their child
36:34to be alive.
36:38The family
36:39of the boys
36:40seems to favor
36:41the idea
36:42of Dennis
36:43having been kidnapped.
36:47The FBI
36:48never found
36:48any evidence
36:49that was even
36:50suggestive of
36:50a kidnapping.
36:51but these sorts
36:54of ideas
36:54conform to the hope
36:56among family members
36:57that that person
36:58is still alive.
37:02The whole story
37:04of the missing child
37:05is, you know,
37:07a parent's nightmare
37:08and
37:09I'm a parent.
37:13If I was
37:14in the same situation
37:14and there was
37:16a little shred
37:17of hope
37:17I'd latch
37:19onto it
37:19like a lobster.
37:23I do have
37:24a child.
37:27I mean,
37:27if your child
37:28goes missing
37:29in the woods
37:30I would be desperate
37:31too
37:31and I sure
37:32would be losing it
37:33no doubt about it.
37:35On the psychology
37:36of that
37:37it's only natural.
37:39So,
37:40in search and rescue
37:41there is what is known
37:42as the day three theory.
37:47Day three theory
37:48is when
37:49less likely
37:50hypotheses
37:51start getting tossed out.
37:54These become
37:55much more prevalent
37:56on day three.
37:59If the search
38:00isn't providing
38:01the explanation
38:02we have to come up
38:04with an alternative
38:05reason
38:06that why didn't
38:07the search
38:08find them.
38:10It's been a kidnapping
38:11or UFOs
38:13have run off
38:14with them.
38:16Humans
38:17need an explanation.
38:20We have to have
38:21the mystery solved.
38:23It's very much
38:23human nature
38:24to speculate
38:25in the absence
38:26of a complete data set.
38:28That's what's happened
38:29a lot
38:29with the Dennis Martin case.
38:35But the theory
38:36of a wild man
38:38taking Dennis
38:39is going to be
38:41in the absence.
38:42I do not
38:43know why
38:44people
38:45find
38:46that
38:47helpful.
38:53You know,
38:54I'd like to know
38:55exactly what happened.
38:57But I think
38:58at this point
38:5950 years
38:59later
39:00the likelihood
39:02of that is
39:03not zero
39:04but it's
39:04pretty close.
39:05closure
39:11is kind
39:12of a
39:13loose term.
39:15I did write
39:16Doug Martin
39:17a letter
39:18four or five years
39:19ago.
39:19Did not get
39:20a response.
39:23It's possible
39:24I had the wrong
39:24address
39:25or
39:25that
39:28he didn't
39:29want to
39:29engage
39:30talking about
39:31it again.
39:32and so
39:33I understand
39:34both of those.
39:37I was one
39:38of the four
39:38people there
39:39when he
39:40disappeared.
39:41So
39:41that was
39:42probably
39:42the impetus
39:43for me
39:44trying to
39:44reach out
39:45to Doug
39:45just to
39:47make the
39:49connection
39:50after that
39:51many years
39:51and
39:51not sure
39:53exactly
39:54what I was
39:54looking for
39:55but
39:55it
39:57is what
39:58it is.
39:59it's
40:06really
40:06difficult
40:07to say
40:08we may
40:09never solve
40:10this mystery
40:10that is
40:11not a
40:12satisfying
40:13ending
40:13but I
40:15think it's
40:15the ending
40:16we have.
40:22In my view
40:23we'll never
40:24know
40:24what happened
40:25to Dennis
40:26Martin
40:26but we
40:28can learn
40:29a lot
40:29from this
40:30case.
40:33The
40:33Dennis
40:34Martin
40:34search
40:35had a
40:35huge
40:36impact
40:36on the
40:37field
40:37of
40:38search
40:38and
40:38rescue.
40:40Shortly
40:40after the
40:41National Park
40:42Service
40:42said
40:42we've
40:43got
40:43to do
40:44better.
40:47It's
40:47discussed
40:48at the
40:49beginning
40:49of most
40:50search
40:50management
40:50courses
40:51as
40:51what
40:52can
40:52we
40:52learn
40:52from
40:53this.
40:53time
40:55is so
40:55important
40:55because
40:56the
40:56longer
40:56it
40:56goes
40:57the
40:57likelihood
40:57of
40:58finding
40:58this
40:58missing
40:58person
40:59alive
40:59drops
40:59dramatically.
41:00We would
41:01have a
41:01higher
41:02sense
41:02of
41:03urgency
41:03so we
41:05would
41:05put
41:05the
41:05bulk
41:06of our
41:06searches
41:07in
41:07the
41:08very
41:08first
41:08night
41:08the
41:09very
41:09first
41:09day.
41:11That's
41:11where you
41:12have
41:12the
41:12best
41:12chances
41:13of
41:13finding
41:14the
41:14subject
41:15alive.
41:17They
41:18got
41:18overrun
41:19by
41:20volunteers
41:20so it's
41:22far
41:22better
41:23to
41:23have
41:24trained
41:25resources
41:26that you
41:26can use
41:27in the
41:27initial
41:27part
41:28of
41:28the
41:29search.
41:30The
41:31fact
41:32that
41:32they
41:33really
41:34searched
41:34the
41:34first
41:35one-mile
41:36radius
41:36I
41:37think
41:38he
41:38probably
41:38got
41:39further
41:39than
41:40a
41:41mile
41:41from
41:42Spence
41:42Field.
41:45Nowadays
41:45we would
41:46set up
41:47a
41:47containment.
41:48Let's
41:49make
41:49sure
41:49he
41:49can't
41:49get
41:50any
41:50further
41:50than
41:51these
41:51known
41:52distances.
41:57Dennis
41:57wasn't
41:58saved
41:59and his
42:00family
42:00grieves
42:01but
42:02from
42:02that
42:02effort
42:03it
42:03has
42:03been
42:04estimated
42:04that
42:05thousands
42:06and
42:06thousands
42:07of
42:07people
42:07have
42:08been
42:08saved
42:08because
42:09of
42:09Dennis.
42:128206
42:12I
42:13got
42:13him
42:13I
42:13got
42:14him
42:14good
42:15job
42:15buddy
42:15we
42:16made
42:16it
42:16huh
42:16we
42:21have
42:21not
42:22found
42:23Dennis
42:24Martin
42:24and
42:28it
42:28saddens
42:29me
42:29you know
42:29to
42:30not
42:31know
42:32where
42:32he's
42:32at
42:32but
42:36you
42:36gotta
42:36live
42:37with
42:37some
42:37of
42:38it
42:38you
42:38know
42:38you
42:38can't
42:39help
42:41it
42:42you
42:42know
42:42three
42:49or
42:49four
42:49years
42:50after
42:50the
42:50disappearance
42:51our
42:52whole
42:52family
42:53had
42:53backpacked
42:54up
42:54to
42:55Spencefield
42:56as
42:59we
42:59were
42:59coming
43:00down
43:00from
43:00that
43:01trip
43:01we
43:02ran
43:02into
43:02the
43:02grandfather
43:03Clyde
43:04he
43:08was
43:08just
43:09walking
43:09the
43:09Anthony
43:10Creek
43:10trail
43:10he
43:12said
43:12he
43:12does
43:12it
43:12every
43:13weekend
43:13to
43:13look
43:14for
43:14Dennis
43:14you
43:23asked
43:23about
43:24the
43:24lack
43:24of
43:24closure
43:25and
43:25it
43:26it
43:27is
43:27just
43:27that
43:28because
43:31he
43:31was
43:31never
43:31found
43:32it's
43:32it
43:34doesn't
43:34have
43:35closure
43:35for
43:35anybody
43:36obviously
43:38that's
43:39going to
43:39be with
43:39me
43:39my whole
43:40life
43:40the
44:03great
44:03smoky
44:03mountains
44:04it's a
44:05beautiful place
44:05to bring
44:06your family
44:07and vacation
44:08have a lot
44:10of recreational
44:10fun
44:11as long
44:15as you
44:16respect
44:16the dangers
44:18that are
44:18out there
44:19there are
44:22a lot
44:23of other
44:23things out
44:24there
44:24besides
44:25the Tennessee
44:25wild man
44:26it's
44:28frightening
44:29believe it
44:30or don't
44:30believe it
44:31but they
44:32are real
44:33i want
44:37people
44:38when they
44:38come to
44:39this
44:39area
44:39to
44:39enjoy
44:40the
44:41park
44:41but i
44:45also
44:45want
44:46them
44:46to
44:46realize
44:47behind
44:48the
44:48trails
44:48are
44:49unseen
44:49things
44:50and i
44:53dang
44:53sure
44:53wouldn't
44:53go
44:54into
44:54these
44:54woods
44:54by
44:55myself
44:55because
44:58these
44:59hills
44:59do
44:59have
44:59eyes
45:00yeah
45:02i
45:02i
45:02i
45:05i
45:05i
45:06i
45:08i
45:10didn'T
45:12i
45:12can't
45:13go
45:13like
45:13me
45:13they
45:13i
45:25i
45:25can't
45:26you
45:27they
45:27I
45:28I
45:28I
45:28i
45:29i
45:29i
45:29i
Recommandations
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