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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In this installment of Sasquatch Tracks, the after opening news that focuses on tales of "swamp beasts" in rural America and also massive reptiles invading the Florida Everglades, the team is joined by John Hickenbottom, the naturalist at Ohio's Salt Fork State Park.

A longtime outdoorsman whose interest in wildlife includes snakes and reptiles indigenous to his home state, as well as Ohio's archaeology and much more, Hickenbottom has worked professionally as a park naturalist for many years. John was born in southeast Ohio, where he also has heard several personal accounts of alleged sightings of Sasquatch in the Buckeye State, as well as having studied the early history of such reports in the region.

John joins the Sasquatch Tracks team to discuss his own interest in the topic and his efforts in educating the public, as well as the unique story of how he came to know the team resulting from a Public Records Act Request his department received one day a few years ago.

Stories and other links discussed in this episode:

• Salt Fork State Park Official Website
• Salt Fork State Park on YouTube

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'Tis the season... and so joining the Sasquatch Tracks team for their 2023 holiday installment of the program is Mister Sam Shearon, artist extraordinaire and dealer in knowledge of all things esoteric and hominological.

Along with his impressive horror art, Sam Shearon is known for his work in the field of cryptozoology, most notably for cryptozoology book covers, film posters and compiling artists impressions of cryptids from eyewitness accounts. His work can be found in publications of the Fortean Times, Paranormality Magazine as well as the cover artwork for Vesuvian Media, IDW publishing, Boom Studios, Stan Lee’s Pow! Entertainment, Clive Barker’s Seraphim, and also for horror magazine Fangoria’s ‘Trinity of Terrors’. He has created album artwork and merchandise for bands including: Slayer, Ministry, Rob Zombie, Rammstein, Filter, KISS, Iron Maiden, Jason Charles Miller, American Head Charge, Powerman 5000, HIM and many more.

Sam spends some time in this episode discussing everything from Sasquatch, to mysterious wolflike cryptids, and much more in a conversation curated especially for the Halloween season.

Stories and other links discussed in this episode:

• Mister Sam Shearon – Official Website

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During the summer of 1924, a team of gold seekers alleged that they were attacked by giant, ape-like creatures, measuring about 7 feet tall, who hurled boulders at them. Their story recounts an encounter with these beings in a remote area, where a member of their group shot at one of the creatures, hitting it thrice, resulting in it falling off a cliff into an unreachable canyon. Allegedly, these ape-like entities retaliated later by pelting their cabin with sizable rocks and leaving behind enormous footprints, in a series of events now remembered as the Ape Canyon incident.

The story of the Ape Canyon incident remains one of the most well known stories in the history of Sasquatch studies, as well as one of its most controversial... but now, additional evidence may help corroborate it. Joining us in this episode is a return guest, researcher Marc Myrsell, along with Braden and Jared Mitchell, two of the descendants of one of the miners who lived through the incredible experience on Mt. Saint Helens in 1924 who also managed to rediscover the long-lost Vanderwhite mine their ancestor and his friends had been mining when the incident occurred.

Stories and other links discussed in this episode:

• Marc Myrsell on Facebook

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In this second part in a special two-part installment of Sasquatch Tracks, veteran researcher Matt Pruitt returns to the podcast to discuss his new book The Phenomenal Sasquatch: Seeking the Natural Origins of a Cultural Icon, a tour-de-force of intellectual exploration in the study of the relict hominoid mystery,

In the new book, Pruitt explores the possibility that sasquatches are simply large, rare primates, and delves into the psychological factors that may be at play during people’s encounters with these creatures. Alternatively, he considers the hypothesis that the sasquatch is merely a construct of the human mind that exists only in stories and art. In this thought-provoking work, Pruitt presents a balanced and rigorous analysis, providing readers with an in-depth look into the search for the natural origins of this cultural icon.

Along with his own written works and other contributions, Matt is the producer and editor of the podcast Bigfoot & Beyond with Cliff and Bobo. For more detailed information about previous research, affiliations, public outreach, and production work, visit the links below where you can find his new book on Amazon.com, and visit his personal website.

Stories and other links discussed in this episode:

• Matt Pruitt's personal website
• The Phenomenal Sasquatch: Seeking the Natural Origins of a Cultural Icon

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Have you seen an animal you can't identify? Submit a report here.

In this first in a two-part installment of Sasquatch Tracks, veteran researcher Matt Pruitt returns to the podcast to discuss his new book The Phenomenal Sasquatch: Seeking the Natural Origins of a Cultural Icon, a tour-de-force of intellectual exploration in the study of the relict hominoid mystery.

Matt Pruitt has dedicated nearly two decades to investigating the Sasquatch phenomenon. He has gained extensive knowledge of the topic through a combination of conceptual analysis and practical fieldwork. As an engaging public speaker, he has been invited to share his insights on various media outlets and platforms. In 2023, he published The Phenomenal Sasquatch: Seeking the Natural Origins of a Cultural Icon, a book that demonstrates his dedication to unraveling the truth behind this intriguing mystery.

In the new book, Pruitt takes a multidisciplinary approach to this question, drawing on insights from biology, psychology, anthropology, and other fields. Examining the fossil record, indigenous knowledge, historical records, eyewitness accounts, and physical evidence, Pruitt takes the reader on a journey into the heart of the Sasquatch phenomenon.

Stories and other links discussed in this episode:

• Matt Pruitt's personal website
• The Phenomenal Sasquatch: Seeking the Natural Origins of a Cultural Icon

Follow Sasquatch Tracks on Twitter.

Got a news tip or story to share? Send us an Email.

Have you seen an animal you can't identify? Submit a report here.