On Father's Day Weekend in 1969, six-year-old Dennis Martin was camping with his family near Spence Field in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park when he vanished without a trace, leading to one of the largest searches in the history of the National Park Service. Tragically, he was never found, and the disappearance of Dennis Lloyd Martin remains unresolved after more than half a century.

In recent years, renewed interest in the case has led to speculations about a possible kidnapping, as well as theories that an "Appalachian wild man" akin to Sasquatch may have been involved. Such theories focus on the testimony provided by the late Harold Key and his family, who observed an individual in the park under odd circumstances that unfolded on the same day as the disappearance of Dennis Lloyd Martin.

In this special episode of Sasquatch Tracks, the team takes a deep dive into the details of the disappearance, discussing a recent Hulu series that discusses the kidnapping theory and its possible relevance to what some witnesses liken to wild men or even "apelike" creatures inhabiting the remotest portions of our National Parks. We examine the evidence for this, along with several alternative explanations for the disappearance, and what U.S. government documents and independent research into the landmark search and rescue case reveal.

Stories and other links discussed in this episode:

• Dennis Lloyd Martin: 50 Years Ago, This Boy Vanished in the Great Smoky Mountains
• Cold Cases - Investigative Services (U.S. National Park Service)
• Watch OUT THERE: Crimes of the Paranormal Streaming On Hulu

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In this episode of Sasquatch Tracks, the team is joined by Gary Opit, an Australian expert on the continent's indigenous fauna, and a longtime researcher of Australian cryptozoology.

Opit is an environmental consultant and scientific member of the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales for 48 years. He is also a radio broadcaster, teacher, and author of books that include Australian Cryptozoology. Opit has created courses and lectured to university, TAFE and high school students on ecology, botany, zoology, biogeography, anthropology, geography, microbiology, evolution, Australian prehistoric plants and animals, Aboriginal ecology, permaculture, and much more.

Gary has appeared in several North American produced cryptozoological documentaries on Yowies, Thylacines and Giant Goannas, including Monster Quest, Finding Bigfoot and Bogyman. He was also the first person to be interviewed on Yowies by Dean Harrison, and since February 1997 he has undertaken a citizen science wildlife study using a weekly live-to-air wildlife identification radio program, now in its 27th year. The broadcast is entitled ‘Wildlife Weekend’ and can be heard every Saturday morning at 6.50 am on Australian Broadcasting Corporation North Coast New South Wales Radio 94.5 FM and on their internet site. More about Gary and his work can be found in the links below.

Stories and other links discussed in this episode:

• Australian Cryptozoology Gary Opit
• Australian Cryptozoology at Amazon.com

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In the summer of 1978, a strange series of events began to unfold for rural residents of northeastern Ohio. While enjoying a quiet evening at their rural home near Minerva, the Cayton family and their grandchildren witnessed a large, hairy, bipedal creature peering through their kitchen window. This creature, described as standing over 7 feet tall with glowing red eyes, sparked fear and curiosity, prompting the family to report their sightings to local authorities.

Following the Cayton family's report, the Minerva area became a hotbed of Bigfoot research and investigation. Numerous additional sightings were reported in the surrounding woods and hills, with various tracks and other physical evidence purportedly found. However, that isn't all that this "classic" case appears to have entailed, as a deeper look into the story reveals sightings of mysterious large cats alongside "gorillas" in Ohio's history, as well as alleged connections to UFO sightings made by some area residents, and much more.

In this special installment of Sasquatch Tracks, the team takes a deep dive into the story of the Minverva Monsters, which we affectionately refer to in the plural since, according to eyewitness reports, there appeared to be more than one of the creatures observed by the Caytons... but what were they, and what can we uncover about the case after all these years?

Stories and other links discussed in this episode:

• The Akron Beacon Journal: Thu, Aug 24, 1978 ·Page 1
• What was it? Man talks about ‘Minerva Monster’ mystery 40 years later

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