The Disturbing Truth About Yellowstone National Park

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Lock in for kickoff, because everyone and everything is on PrizePix. What you want? Download the app today and use code SPOTIFY to get $150 instantly in lineups if you win your first $5 lineup. PrizePix. Run your game. Star Wars, The Mandalorian and Grogu is now streaming on Disney+. What are you waiting for? Hop on. The must-see galactic adventure comes home on Disney+. This is the way. Our only chance is to work together. I like this kid. Always wear your seatbelt. Star Wars, The Mandalorian and Grogu now streaming on Disney+. Rated PG-13. Star Wars, The Mandalorian and Grogu. Today, I'm going to tell you the truth about what's going on in Yellowstone National Park. I've compiled numerous stories from the park that have left behind some truly disturbing unanswered questions. Then we're heading to the Grand Canyon, where one singular man turned one of America's most famous national parks into the scene of a massive manhunt. Two parks, two very different kinds of danger. But first, if you're enjoying the show, please leave us a five-star review and hit that follow button as well. I have a goal of reaching 1,000 five-star reviews and we're getting really close, so please help us out. And also, by hitting the follow button, you're going to be helping our standing with Spotify. And so without further ado, I am Kyle Hates Hiking. Listen on if you dare. All across Yellowstone National Park, people are disappearing or disappearing and then turning up dead. And the most disturbing part is that this has been going on for years. Yellowstone is one of the most dangerous national parks that we have. And in August of 2022, a park employee learned this reality the hard way. On August 16th, 2022, a park employee was notified that something strange was floating in the 181 degree Fahrenheit water of the Abyss Pool hot spring. At first, it looked like someone had like carelessly dropped some trash into the water. But when the employee crouched down to get a closer look, he could see that it was clearly shaped like a shoe. And that immediately raised a red flag because one of his co-workers had actually, found some pieces of a hiking shoe floating in that very same pool just one week earlier. And so maybe this new floating object was part of that same mysterious pair of shoes. Either way, the park employee was determined to fish this object out of the water. And so he grabbed a tool and was able to like reach out from the boardwalk, scoop it up, and then dump it out on land. After he did this, he realized that his original guess had basically been spot on. He had pulled out yet another shoe from the Abyss Pool. But there was something very off about this particular shoe. So when the park employee finally picked up this weird shoe, it felt heavier than he'd expected, right? And so he cautiously looked inside and you'll never guess what he found. You probably do actually know what he found inside the shoe. I'm sure the park employee actually knew as well. Turns out it was a human foot, which like, I mean, that's pretty much the last thing anyone would ever want to find in a national park. But before we figure out exactly how this whole nightmare started, I think we have to back up to just a few weeks earlier on the morning of July 31st, and we need to meet a 70 year old Korean man from Los Angeles named Il-hun Roh. Il-hun was on a solo trip to Yosemite and had just stayed the night at a place called the Canyon Lodge and Cabins. The lodge is located deep inside the park and it's surrounded by miles of forest and the steaming geothermal basins that have helped keep it alive. It's one of the few places that make Yellowstone such a famous and dangerous tourist attraction. Il-hun had just stayed one night and as he checked out that morning, he packed his belongings into his gray Kia SUV and he drove away, heading south through the park's winding roads. Nearly an hour later, he pulled into the parking area near the steaming pools of the West Thumb Geyser Basin. The basin is one of the many spots throughout the park where boiling springs and geysers sit, along with wooden boardwalks that visitors can use to walk out on and explore these gorgeous pools. Now, I've never been to Yellowstone, but I've seen a lot of photos. I'm sure you have too. And it looks incredible and super beautiful, colorful. And I've also read that these hot springs themselves legitimately stink. If you've been there, let me know if this is the case in the comments. I know there's a scientific explanation for why they smell so bad, but I still don't tend to go on vacation to places that smell so much like rotten eggs. So that'll be a fun one. It'll be a first for me when I do eventually make it out there. But regardless of the smell or the danger, Il-Hun stepped out of his car at West Thumb Geyser Basin, ventured out into the area, and that's when things in this story started to get extremely fuzzy. And I say that because no one reported seeing him on the trails that day. Like, no one remembers passing him on the boardwalks and his car just kind of sat there, abandoned in the parking lot. Il-Hun Rowe had silently vanished into Yellowstone National Park. Information on this story was very hard to find, but as far as I can tell, no one actually notified the police that he was missing. Like, his family didn't call wondering where he was, and I guess no one thought it was weird that his car was just sitting in the same parking spot for a long time. I mean, this is very unusual because in so many of these mysteries, the authorities are notified quickly, they jump right into action, they start chasing down theories. But in this case, no one was searching for Il-Hun for days and days. Over two weeks later, on August 16th, a park tour driver pulled over near the basin after a visitor kind of waved him down, begging him to stop. The visitor was clearly very upset, and he asked the driver to look at something strange he had found floating in one of the steaming pools. The driver, the visitor, and then a few park rangers started to gather at the edge of the abyss pool, which is a deep, glassy hot spring that simmers around 181 degrees Fahrenheit, again. And at first, they thought that this mysterious object could have just been like some debris. It was dark and drifting slowly through the bright blue water, but as they carefully fished it out, the shape became clearer, and they knew this wasn't just some random trash or driftwood. And that's when they realized that it was a human foot. And to make things even crazier, the foot was still inside of a black hiking shoe, like, ugh, size 8.5, in case you were curious. The shoe was still laced up tight, but the rest of the butt and the body was nowhere to be found. And so authorities were left scratching their heads. I mean, what the hell could have possibly happened here? Why did they only find a foot? And so they started to wonder if maybe it was foul play. I mean, maybe the foot, this is gross, but you good? Okay, maybe the foot was like cut off and then dumped into the hot spring. I don't know. I mean, that seems unlikely since the park is extremely popular and not really like an ideal secret dumping spot. An animal attack was announced, another possibility, but the remains showed no clear bite marks and no visitors had reported aggressive bears or animals in the area. And so the other chilling and very painful theory would be that the foot was actually boiled off by the extremely hot water, ugh. Now, if that is in fact what happened, I think, I mean, that would have to be one of the most gruesome stories that I've ever read. Like, I don't even want to think about it anymore. Authorities searched the rest of the abyss pool carefully using unmanned aerosols. Aerial drones with cameras, specialized tools to like fish for debris from the boardwalks and even sonar technology to like scan the bottom, right? They did all of this, but they could not find any other remains. However, they were able to find something else that somehow might be even more upsetting than finding a foot. Throughout the search, investigators reported finding what they described as, okay, this is warning. This is even grosser. They described them as fatty deposits on the surface of the water, which they believed could be evidence that more human tissue had been boiled and broken down over time within the hot spring. I'm not trying to gross you out. I just don't know how else to tell this story. And so despite mostly coming up empty on the rest of their search, they use the existing evidence and DNA analysis to answer the question that everyone was wondering about, which was whose foot did they find in the abyss? So let's take a look at this pool. - Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile with your summer price forecast. Now, unfortunately, we're seeing rising costs across the country with possibility that big wireless hates you 100%. Now over here at Mint Mobile, we're seeing sunny skies and dropping prices. Every plan to just $15 a month. Give it a try at mintmobile.com/switch. - Upfront payment of $45 for three months, $90 for six months, or $180 for 12 month plan required. $15 per month equivalent, taxes and fees extra. New customer offer for initial plan term only, See terms show button here. Football is. finally back and prize picks is going crazy with the deals to start the season giving out promos every day in september on prize picks you can make all the picks you want all in the same app and now prize picks is available nationwide so what are you waiting for lock in for kickoff because everyone and everything is on prize picks what you want download the app today and use code spotify to get 150 instantly in lineups if you win your first five dollar lineup prize picks run your game i'm not giving up i am selling the building the final season of fx is the bear the restaurant is flooded everything's either gonna be okay or not we are outgunned and we are outmanned but we have each other ah fx is the bear the final season all episodes now streaming on disney plus tam regularly hauls stuff to her kids at college that's why she shops at bj's wholesale club saving up to 25 off grocery store prices beef jerky microwave meals laundry pods even they can't screw up have you met my kids and with bj's gas she gets there for less they call me the road warrior this is your home road warrior mom home of the save join for just 20 at bjs.com slash mesquite and save 10 cents per gallon for six months open soon limited time offer new members only bj's home of the save this episode is brought to you by txu energy for the first time ever texans have an energy plan that combines free nights all year with daytime summer savings it's called free nights and cool summer you get free nights every night all year long plus a 25 bonus toward your daytime use all summer it's a first of its kind plan created for how texans actually use energy discover how much more you could save with free nights and cool summer txu energy energy for everything visit txu.com for more information rep number one zero zero zero four after all that searching and diligent testing authorities were able to identify that the foot belonged to none other than eel hun roe but the biggest mystery still wasn't solved they were able to connect with one of his relatives to like reconfirm the dna results but they still had no idea how a 70 year old man ended up in a boiling hot spring in the first place with no witnesses and so that's when park rangers started paying attention to the nearby parking lot they noticed that the gray kia suv was on the road and they were able to identify the man who was on the road and they were able to identify the man who was on the road and they were able to identify the man who was on the road from exposure was extremely high. And officials also had to consider that the snow and ice could have caused him to fall, you know, which could have happened while he was climbing a rocky cliff or simply walking down even like a non-technical trail. They knew that he had made it to the top of Eagle Peak because they had his voicemail as proof, but they had no clue where he could have ended up after that. They were basically at a total loss, but before winter fully sealed off the area, searchers did manage to uncover one of the most important clues in this entire case. Crews were starting to get pretty desperate, but a smaller group was combing through the upper Howell Creek area when one of the volunteers noticed something strange that stood out in the white snow. The object was right off the side of the trail, and so they stepped over to investigate it. I mean, was this the big break that they'd all been hoping to find, right? After taking a few steps through the thick snow, they realized that they had somehow stumbled upon an abandoned campsite. They dug through the gear, and that's when one of the crew members opened up a backpack and pulled out something that made it clear that this gear had indeed belonged to Austin King. They found the letter that he had written at the top of Eagle Peak. Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile with your summer price forecast. Now, over here at Mint Mobile, we're seeing sunny skies and dropping prices. Upfront payment of $45 for three months, $90 for six months, or $180 for 12-month plan required. New customer offer for initial plan term only greater than 50 gigabytes may slow when network is busy. See terms. Show button here. Football is finally back, and PrizePix is going crazy with the deals to start the season, giving out promos every day in September. What you want? PrizePix, run your game. I'm not giving up. I am shelling the building. The final season of FX is the bear. The restaurant is flooded. Everything's either going to be okay. Nope. Or not. We are outgunned. And we are outmanned. But we have each other. FX is the bear. The final season. All episodes now streaming on Disney+. Tammy regularly hauls stuff to her kids at college. That's why she shops at BJ's Wholesale Club, saving up to 25% off grocery store prices. Beef jerky, microwave meals, laundry pods, even they can't screw up. Have you met my kids? And with BJ's gas, she gets there for less. They call me the road warrior. This is your home, road warrior mom. Home of the save. Join for just $20 at BJ's.com slash mesquite and save 10 cents per gallon for six months. Open soon. Limited time offer, new members only. BJ's, home of the save. This episode is brought to you by TXU Energy. For the first time ever, Texans have an energy plan that combines free nights all year with daytime summer savings. It's called Free Nights in Cool Summer. You get free nights every night, all year long. Plus, a 25% bonus toward your daytime use all summer. It's a first of its kind plan, created for how Texans actually use energy. Discover how much more you could save with Free Nights in Cool Summer. TXU Energy. Energy for everything. Visit TXU.com for more information. Rep number 10004. The campsite, as well as the letter itself, helped Cruz confirm that Austin had traveled through that particular section of the backcountry, but there was no other sign of him anywhere else. The snow had long since covered any terrain. The tracks he might have made and there was nothing else in his gear that explains where he had gone or what had happened to him. And so the discovery of the campsite seemed like a super promising clue, but ultimately it only deepened the mystery. As months passed and a full Yellowstone winter settled over the landscape, the nature of the search for Austin began to change. Officials weren't able to find any additional clues after the campsite, which forced them to acknowledge the harsh reality that they were no longer running. A true rescue operation. Given the extreme conditions of Yellowstone National Park, the likelihood that Austin survived the winter was basically zero, you know? And so the focus was now fully on recovering his body and bringing some closure to his family. But just as they began the tough process of accepting that truth, officials talked to one of Austin's co-workers from the park and uncovered information that could have changed everything. This co-worker told them that Austin had prepared for every possible outcome on the mountain and that he mentioned an alternate descent route, just in case he had to like bail out for any reason, right? And that potential alternate route would have led towards the U.S. Forest Service trailhead at Eagle Creek Campground, an area with partial glacial sections and very dense forest. This fresh lead gave search crews an entirely new area to comb through, and in August of 2025, a 20-person private search team returned to the mountain with the hope that they could finally close out this Yellowstone mystery. They searched the alternate route with helicopters, drones, and volunteer ground crews that even included Austin's father, by the way. But in the end, that search came up empty too. To this day, Austin King is still missing, and his family is left with that one final voicemail and the chilling letter that he wrote while standing at the top of Yellowstone National Park. And I'd like to think that Austin unknowingly left all of us with some wise words at the end of that letter. Again, he wrote, Life is beautiful. Go out and live it. But not every Yellowstone mystery has such an inspiring message. Like one time when a man went deep into the woods in search of fallen elk horns, but instead he ended up becoming the centerpiece of a sheriff corruption investigation, one that sparked a massive lawsuit and spawned yet another one of the biggest mysteries in the history of the park. On April 6th, 1991, Daniel Lynn Campbell was dropped off by some friends at the Hell Roaring Creek Trailhead in Yellowstone National Park. He had brought along a light backpack and his loyal Australian shepherd. Now, Daniel had worked as a logger, and so he was no stranger to the woods, to the outdoors. He understood the weather, he understood the terrain, and he had a ton of confidence, which can both be a blessing and sometimes a curse for people. The reason he was heading into the backcountry was to collect shed antlers to then sell for profit. And in case you don't know, I didn't know much about this before research for this video, shed hunting is the practice of going out to find antlers that are naturally shed by deer and elk in the winter and early spring. And since removing these antlers apparently disturbs the natural environment, shed hunting is an illegal activity in many wild places, and it's definitely illegal in a natural park like Yellowstone. Daniel planned to spend two days collecting antlers and then meet up with his girlfriend right outside of the park in a small town in Montana. Aside from the legal problem, this was supposed to be a fairly simple trip into a wilderness that Daniel knew extremely well. And that's one of the things that I've learned from covering these stories over these last few years. You can know the wilderness your entire life, but it still only takes one bad moment to flip what was supposed to be a simple trip completely. Upside down, Daniel and his dog started down the trail that morning, but they had no idea the hellscape that they were walking into because just a few hours later, heavy spring snow storms rolled across the Yellowstone high country, the mountains and steep canyons throughout the park suddenly vanished without warning beneath a layer of snow trails, blurred tracks disappeared and hell roaring Creek trail was buried too. And so it's safe to say that if Daniel had known this kind of devastating storm was coming, he might have packed some different gear. He might not have brought his dog along, or he might not have even stepped foot on the trail in the first place. He was an experienced outdoorsman after all, but he was not prepared for weather like this. The snow continued to blanket the park. And after a few days passed, Daniel was supposed to finally meet up with his girlfriend. There was no doubt that Daniel and his dog would be cold and wet and truly exhausted by the time they reached the pickup spot. And so his girlfriend prepared to help. In any way she could, but as she waited and waited, Daniel didn't appear. It was starting to become clear that something had gone terribly wrong. Daniel was nowhere to be found. And that's when he was reported missing on April 9th, three days after he and his dog wandered towards this unknown snowy hell search crews moved in to scan the snow covered area from the air and on foot and theories quickly started forming initially authorities wondered if Daniel may have. Disappeared in order to escape some debts that he had recently accrued. Uh, maybe he thought that he could outrun his financial troubles. However, his family soon came forward and disputed that theory very heavily. They didn't think that Daniel would simply vanish on purpose. And they also said that Daniel was just about to collect a significant legal settlement in a court case. I couldn't find any more information on this alleged settlement payout, but if Daniel's family was so sure that he didn't vanish on purpose, then, well, that's enough for me. to doubt this particular theory and plus if he was really trying to run away Why would he have told his girlfriend to meet up with him? And even if he like really, really loved his dog, wouldn't bringing the dog along just make his escape even harder than it was already going to be? I personally don't think Daniel disappeared on purpose. And that makes me wonder if maybe someone else was involved. And I'm not the only one that feels that way. By the way, Daniel's brother suspected foul play as well. They pointed towards reports from other hunters in the area that claimed to have heard some gunshots around the time that Daniel was missing. They also focused on an incident in nearby Park County, Montana, where police confiscated gear from another pair of local hunters who were illegally shed gathering. When those Park County hunters were searched, authorities found ammunition, some spent cartridges, possibly even a firearm. And this was highly suspicious since those horn hunters were already breaking the law, but the equipment was eventually returned and they were cleared of any further suspicion surrounding Daniel's disappearance. But Daniel's family didn't. Like how that case was handled whatsoever. And they eventually decided to take the authorities to court. They filed a federal lawsuit against former Park County Sheriff Charlie Johnson, alleging that he mishandled the investigation and failed to properly consider the possibility of murder or foul play when it came to Daniel's disappearance. According to the lawsuit, the brothers believed that Daniel could have been hurt during a dispute with other antler hunters. And when those Park County hunters were searched, the police said, apparently failed to properly fingerprint or do any other like customary forensic testing. The brothers argued that by failing to preserve and properly test that evidence, any potential homicide investigation was compromised pretty much from the start. They also wondered if even more evidence could have been lost or disposed of entirely. But the sheriff's department insisted that this was a missing persons case, and there was no proof that Daniel was murdered or that he was even in Park County at all. Where the ammunition and weapons had been found. But the brothers obviously saw things differently. They thought the police failed to do their jobs and that it caused them to lose precious time in the search for Daniel. But authorities searched all that they could. They looked for evidence of some kind of animal attack or some sign that Daniel had suffered from exposure. But throughout all of this, they kept coming up empty. They found no gear, no clothing, no remains. And sadly, they couldn't even find Daniel's sweet dog either. And to this day, over three decades later, Daniel has still never been found. And through all of the uncertainty of his disappearance, his family has never even held a memorial service. Instead, they've chosen to seek justice in court and hope that one day they'll get some kind of answer. And man, I really hope they do. Cause like, I can't even imagine crazy things wash up on the shores of lakes and rivers all the time. You know, sometimes it's just driftwood, sometimes it's trash, but in 2021 the shoreline of one of Yellowstone, most popular lakes became a living nightmare that park rangers would never forget. Do you hear that? That sound right? Every plan, including unlimited is $15 a month. Upfront payment of $45 for three months, $90 for six months or $180 for 12 month plan, required $15 per month equivalent taxes and fees. Extra new customer offer for initial plan term only greater than 50 gigabytes may slow when network is busy. See terms. Show button here. Football is finally back and PrizePix is going crazy with the deals to start the season, giving out promos every day in September. On PrizePix, you can make all the picks you want all in the same app. And now PrizePix is available nationwide. Lock in for kickoff because everyone and everything is on PrizePix. What you want? Download the app today and use code Spotify to get $150 instantly in lineups if you win your first $5 line up. Hop on. This is the way. I like this kid. Now streaming on Disney+. Rated PG-13. Home of the save. Join for just $20 at bjs.com slash mesquite and save $10. Cents per gallon for six months. Open soon. Limited time offer. New members only. You get free nights every night all year long, plus a 25% bonus toward your daytime use all summer. It's a first-of-its-kind plan created for how Texans actually use energy. TXU Energy. Rep number 10004. But before we get to all of that, let me tell you about a 74-year-old Utah man named Kim Crumbo and his stepbrother, Mark O'Neill. On September 15th, 2021, Kim and Mark went out into the wilderness together on a four-night backcountry canoeing trip to Shoshone Lake, which is the second largest lake in Yellowstone. The two men were both pretty experienced outdoorsmen. Hell, Mark was even a former. park ranger at Grand Canyon and Olympic National Parks, and so they were just looking forward to some classic quiet adventuring out on the water. This was the kind of trip that you and your buddies probably always talk about going on, but then the plans inevitably end up falling through year after year. The only difference here is that Kim and Mark were actually making this dream trip happen. The brothers were expected to return from their trip on Sunday, September 19th, but when that day came around, their family members hadn't seen or heard from them whatsoever. And at first, the family assumed that the pair had simply been a little bit delayed, which happens on backcountry trips like this. That's not unusual whatsoever. But as the hours stretched later and later into the evening, and their car remained parked at the trailhead, the complete silence became impossible to ignore. And so by the next morning, park officials were called and notified of the terrifying news that these two men were missing. Search teams were quickly mobilized and began focusing on the remote waters of Shoshone Lake. The surrounding wilderness as well. Rangers launched boats into the lake. They scanned the shorelines and they checked every possible campsite that the brothers might have used during their trip. They also searched from the skies, using helicopters to scan the forest while ground crews began working their way through miles of trail. Sonar equipment was even used. You know, they're like probing the depths of the lake, looking for any sign of the missing men. Yellowstone Rangers were joined by teams from other national parks, even local agencies partnering. The search and rescue organizations. I'm saying all this because I want to illustrate that this search was like the definition of all hands on deck. Investigators considered several possibilities, including the theory that the brothers were in a canoeing accident. I mean, that sounds like the most logical thing when you don't know anything, right? Shoshone Lake is very large. It's cold and it can turn rough without warning. Strong afternoon winds can create choppy water capable of capsizing even the most experienced paddlers. And, you know, if you do capsize, you're going to get a lot of water. Then the freezing water could quickly drain a person's strength and coordination. It's also a possibility that the two men may have become separated at some point during the trip. I mean, if one of them had been injured or stranded somehow, the other one might have gone to try and find help, leaving both of them alone and way more vulnerable than before. The backcountry around Shoshone Lake can be extremely thick, making navigation difficult, especially if you were all by yourself in this hypothetical situation. A medical emergency is. Another possibility. I mean, you have to mention both men were older and could have suffered a heart attack or some serious health event, you know, far away from help. And then, of course, anytime you're talking about Yellowstone, you have to wonder if maybe animals were involved. There's grizzly bears there, black bears, wolves, mountain lions, moose, a lot of large animals. And so these animals can be a threat and you have to prepare accordingly. With that said, though, officials didn't find any tracks or blood. Or any clear signs that wildlife was involved. They explored all of these different theories, but without witnesses or any evidence, the search was running up against more and more dead ends. But then a member of the search crew spotted something bizarre on the shoreline that would go on to change this case forever. It didn't look like driftwood or any type of rock that he'd ever seen. And so he pulled the boat right alongside of it to get a better look. The rest of the crew also took immediate interest. And as they got closer and closer, to this mysterious object, they realized what it was. And you probably realize what it is, too. They found a human body. Authorities immediately tried to identify this body. And since they had been working with so much identifying information about both brothers, like their clothing and facial features, stuff like that, they were quickly able to determine that they had found the body of Mark O'Neill. This gruesome discovery had finally answered one question about what happened, but it also revealed that Mark O'Neill was the body of Mark O'Neill. raised a lot more questions, right? Like, what might have happened that caused Mark to end up in this exact spot? And also, where the hell was Kim? I mean, they had miraculously found one brother, but somehow the other brother was still missing, still nowhere to be found, and they were left with even more questions than they had before. At this point, all of the previous theories were still on the table. Maybe he too had drowned in the lake, or maybe gotten attacked by an animal, or had a health event of some kind. Whatever had happened, one thing was for sure, and that was that Kim had clearly been separated from his brother on the adventure, and that meant that even if crews were able to retrace Mark's path perfectly, it still wouldn't tell them the full story. The search continued, but by this point, helicopters had already flown countless hours over the region, boats had crisscrossed the lake over and over again, and search teams had combed through miles of wilderness. Despite this relentless effort, the search still hadn't produced any new clues after three weeks of the search. Park officials had officially hit their dead end, and they heartbreakingly announced that the active search for Kim would be scaled back. To this day, park officials have declined to release additional details about what may have occurred, and the mystery of what happened to the brothers remains unanswered. Guys, please go leave a comment right now showing some love to these brothers and the rest of the victims that we talked about in this story, as well as the searchers, the park rangers, everyone who worked so hard on these cases. It always warms my heart when I read comments from you guys, just being so respectful to the victims, and so thank you so much for watching. So far in this episode, the danger has been quiet. A missed step, a bad storm, a clue that shows up far too late, things like that. But in our next story, the danger had a name, and it had a face. If you tell this story to a park ranger, an FBI agent, or just anyone in law enforcement, you're probably going to make their blood boil. In September of 1990, a California fisherman felt a tug on his line. His heart raced as he reeled in what he thought was his big catch. But nope, he hadn't hooked a record-setting fish or anything like that. Instead, he pulled out a mysteriously heavy trash bag. And as he opened up that bag, his heart sank, his stomach churned, and his nose burned from the stench that rushed out of it. He was shocked to realize that he had just reeled in much more than he bargained for. Inside the bag, this fisherman found a human leg. And then, more than two years later, an Arizona prisoner dressed up in a stolen white lab coat, he stole an ID card from one of the guards, and then he simply walked out the front door of a maximum security prison. And after this, he began making his way directly to Grand Canyon National Park. I need to introduce you. To a man who was nicknamed the, quote, real life Rambo, or in our case, we'll call him the National Park Rambo. His name is Danny Ray Horning. Danny was born in California around the year 1959 or 1960. And his early life remains largely unaccounted for. But by adulthood, he was a man living on the edge of society, you know, committing petty crimes and just kind of floating around. Basically, that one kid we all remember from high school who went, you know, down the wrong path, except much, much worse. In the late 1980s, Danny would end up working on a catfish farm in California's Central Valley near the city of Stockton. And that might sound like an insignificant detail right now, but I promise you, if you continue watching, by the end of this story, this random catfish farm is going to become very important. So Danny obviously had a checkered past and tons of run-ins with law enforcement throughout his life, including in 1991 when he robbed a bank, in Winslow, Arizona. During the robbery, he tried to escape by taking a hostage. And then as the police kind of closed in on him, he began to shoot at them. The shootout went on, but Danny was eventually captured. And he actually later bragged that he had nearly killed an officer that day. And I mean, that story alone should tell you just what kind of man we're dealing with here, right? I mean, Danny Ray Horning was bad to the bone. And I don't mean that in like a cool way, right? I mean, he's a criminal that would hurt people. And then laugh about it. And as you're about to see, he really didn't seem to believe in the words, "I give up." Danny was convicted of armed robbery, kidnapping, and aggravated assault, which landed him in Arizona's Florence State Prison to serve four consecutive life terms. The prison that they sent him to was known for housing some of the most dangerous inmates in all of the Southwest. I mean, it truly sounds like a brutal place to spend the rest of your life. I mean, that's crazy. And Danny must have agreed with that sentiment because he was not planning on staying there very long at all. In fact, when he was being sentenced, he actually dared the judge to give him the maximum sentence possible and that should start to give some idea about the kind of, I mean, this feels weird to say, but the kind of guts that this guy had like from the very start. And on top of that, he literally promised to escape, even if locked down under maximum security. He also bragged that he would be out within months, no matter how long his sentence was. Show button here, football is finally back and PrizePix is going crazy with the deals to start the season, giving out promos every day in September. What you want? Download the app today and use code Spotify to get $100 off your prize pick. Get your $50 instantly in lineups if you win your first $5 line up. Do you hear that? That sound, right? Upfront payment of $45 for three months, $90 for six months, or $180 for 12 months. One plan required, $15 per month equivalent, taxes and fees extra. See terms. I'm not giving up. I am selling the building. No, stop. Or not. We are outgunned and we are outmanned. FX is the bear. We have each other. FX is the bear, the final season. Home of the save. Join for just $20 at bjs.com/mesquite and save 10 cents per gallon for six months. Open soon. Limited time offer. New members only. It's a first of its kind plan created for how Texans actually use energy. TXU Energy. Rep number 10004. At least on the surface, Danny Ray Horning feared absolutely nobody, and he clearly wanted everyone to know that. While he was at Florence, Danny lived under the prison's maximum security unit. However, he would end up getting a job as a janitor, which meant he regularly cleaned the infirmary as well as the kitchen, and it also meant that he was often left alone or with other inmates to do his job. It was likely a mistake, because it sure gave him a lot of time and space to come up with some wild ideas about getting the hell out of Florence. While working in the kitchen, Danny would end up acquiring a pair of white pants from another inmate, and then he went on to steal a white lab coat from the infirmary. He also managed to steal an employee ID that had been left out in the open, and all of a sudden, as if it was a scene from a movie or something, Danny had everything he needed. He had everything he needed. He had everything. He had everything. He had everything he needed to make his big move, right? I mean, you know what I'm saying here. He was going to break out of prison. On the afternoon of May 12, 1992, while he was working, Danny Ray Horning put on his disguise. His heart was obviously racing, but he kept his cool long enough to casually stroll by each security checkpoint, every armed guard, and through the tall gates and fences. Soon enough, he looked up and realized that he had been caught. Danny had miraculously walked out of a maximum security prison. I mean, that's insane. He had gone completely unnoticed, and just like that, he was a free man once again. Now, this was obviously a bold move, but Danny was all about making bold moves, right? And so, after escaping, he kind of just vanished into the Arizona desert. Authorities quickly launched a statewide manhunt. The manhunt was a big one. were deployed to try to find Danny. The terrain in this area was extremely rugged, which might've been a problem for Danny, but he was also able to use pretty much every inch of it to his advantage. You see, Danny Ray Horning had spent nearly a year in the army and he claimed to have undergone reconnaissance training. His brother did later deny that claim and told reporters that Danny was no more than a tank mechanic and received no special training in survival or deception. But whether or not that was true, Danny sure operated like a seasoned survivalist. He would travel almost exclusively at night. He'd sometimes walk barefoot to avoid leaving footprints. He'd double back or walk in massive circles in order to confuse the tracking dogs. And he lived off the land by eating cactus fruit, wild berries, and just other edible plants that he could find. And when his foraging diet wasn't enough, he would break into backcountry cabins, stealing canned food, and warm clothing and other supplies for the chilly desert nights. And to top it all off, it wasn't enough for Danny to simply steal from folks. Nope. He had to make sure that he left an impression. At one cabin, he took a shotgun and some shells and then he left a note behind that said, A different message he left said, A different message he left said, Danny was obviously feeling very confident at this point. And hell, I would probably feel the same way if I was in his shoes and I hadn't been caught yet. I mean, he had just walked out of prison with very little resistance. And now he's jumping from house to house, getting more and more supplies and rubbing it in the face of the police using these little funny sarcastic notes. If he was at all tired or even worried about getting captured, he sure wasn't showing it. At least not yet. So at this point, Danny Ray Hornet, had been on the run for quite a long time and officers began referring to him as, quote, Rambo, which is obviously a reference to Sylvester Stallone's badass action movie character from the 80s. Both Danny and Rambo, like the actual Rambo, were able to constantly evade capture and outsmart their pursuers while managing to survive in some of the harshest and most mountainous wilderness. And though this nickname was given to Danny in jest, obviously, I imagine by this point, enforcement were starting to get pretty pissed off that they hadn't found him. Especially when you consider those taunting notes that Danny was leaving. I mean, wouldn't that piss you off too if you were trying to capture him? And honestly, maybe Danny was getting a little too cocky with all these notes, but he was living life on the edge and it seemed like he was having a lot of fun while doing it. Danny was days into his life on the run at this point and he was one step ahead of the authorities at pretty much every turn. And by now, the whole state of Arizona had been kind of, hooked on his story. This real life drama that his manhunt had created. On May 15th, deputies from the Penal County Sheriff's Department responded to a reported burglary at a rural farmhouse about 15 miles west of Florence. That property owner told officers that someone had stolen clothing, food, a pair of binoculars, and most concerningly, a loaded.44 Magnum revolver. Deputies quickly found Danny's fingerprints at the crime scene and so now, they knew in no uncertain terms that their fugitive had a gun. Danny hitched a ride south to Tucson as authorities focused on the territory further to the north. They were working day and night to try and anticipate Danny's next move, right? They didn't want the public to think that any criminal could just simply walk out the door of one of their maximum security prisons and then get away with it, especially not if he was armed at this point. I'm certainly not trying to sound critical of the brave men and women who were killed in this crime. I'm certainly not trying to sound critical of the brave men and women who worked tirelessly to try to capture Danny. But at this point, by capturing him, they weren't just trying to protect the public. They were trying to protect their reputation, right? And so again, you can probably understand why they were getting pretty fed up with the fact that they hadn't caught him. On May 19th, Danny robbed the Tucson branch of the same exact bank that he had initially robbed before he was sent to prison. He made his daring escape from that robbery on a bicycle and then he pretty much dropped off the map for another two weeks. By the first week, he was basically a ghost moving through Arizona's forests, canyons, and small mountain towns. The helicopters circled, the canine units combed the dirt, park rangers, FBI, and border patrol all set roadblocks all over the state, but the manhunt for Danny Ray Horning just kept coming up empty-handed over and over. The FBI tried to anticipate his next move, but the longer he was out there, Danny became Arizona's modern outlaw. Um, and to some, he even became something of like a folk anti-hero. The whole state was obsessed with his story as each day went by. They got a nightly update on the local news of the latest cabin that was left in disarray and the latest snarky note that Danny had left for the police. His face was all over the papers and just plastered everywhere for that matter. Um, every Arizonan worried if they would end up being Danny Ray Horning's next victim. At this point in the story, Danny was still kind of in Southern Arizona, near Tucson, but the FBI expected that he would inevitably make his way back up to Northern Arizona, which was an area that he was much more familiar with. And, um, they were right. That's exactly what Danny did. He used his stolen money to pay a stranger $200 to drive him closer and closer to the area surrounding Grand Canyon National Park. On June 3rd, Danny was trekking on foot through the woods, not far from the town of Sedona. Sedona, Arizona. Suddenly, a U.S. Forest Service ranger spotted him from a distance and began calling for backup. Um, but Danny spotted the ranger as well and he wasn't about to let all of his dramatic escapes end here. He rushed into some thick brush and he vanished long before the officer or the backup could catch him. And to top it all off, uh, the same sequence would happen multiple times over the next few weeks as Danny made his way further and further north. Someone would spot him, they'd try to, like, chase him down, and then he'd inevitably get away. Park rangers and the police were calling him Rambo, but, I mean, I swear this guy was more like Houdini with all these insane disappearing acts. So a few weeks would go by before the next time Danny was spotted. Um, he somehow made it all the way to the town of Flagstaff, Arizona, and he was kind of just there searching for his next opportunity. And as he was very boldly, I must add, uh, just walking down the streets of the town, he noticed that Danny noticed a local police officer looking at him just a little bit too long. I mean, at this point, I think I've made it clear, like, every single member of law enforcement in the state of Arizona were on high alert and had spent every single day studying Danny's headshot. This story was a massive, massive deal. And so Danny had to be careful. The police were looking for him, the news wouldn't stop talking about him, and average citizens were very aware that a dangerous fugitive was walking among them. All it would take was one run and a strong move, and all of Danny's running would be wasted. And so as this cop kind of did a double take at Danny, he needed a diversion more than anything. Danny was determined that this would not be the end of his run. And while he's kind of processing all of this, you know, it all happened so fast, suddenly he saw puffs of smoke pouring out of a nearby building. Now, to a normal person, this was very obviously a random and dangerous fire, but to Danny, this was the opportunity that he had been hoping for. He rushed into a nearby building, and told the front desk to call 911. And once that local cop was distracted by the sirens and the fact that there was a burning building in front of him, Danny was able to slip back out onto the street, and he got away once again. This guy has nine lives, I swear. I mean, he just keeps getting away. But it is worth noting that by this point, he had clearly grown exhausted from all of this running, and he was just desperate to get out of town. He needed a car, and in order to get out to do that, he knew he had to take things a lot further. Right from the start of all this, right from the prison escape, Danny was very, very cocky. But as his days on the run turned into weeks, he started to go even more crazy than he already was, and there was no telling what dangerous thing he'd do next in order to avoid getting captured. On June 25th, Danny stalked out the parking lot of a clothing store in Flagstaff, and, yeah, he just kind of waited. And it was only a few minutes later when he watched a middle-aged couple whose first names were Andrew and Catherine exit the store and climb into their car. This is chilling, but Danny then jumped in the backseat right behind them and pointed his stolen firearm at the unsuspecting couple. And now that he could officially add kidnapping to his long list of crimes, he told the couple to drive west out of town. And sure enough, it wouldn't be long before they entered Grand Canyon National Park. Danny would end up making them pull over into the woods near the rim of the canyon itself. He got out of the car and he started digging until he pulled a buried shotgun out of the ground. I mean, he had clearly hidden it there weeks earlier, seemingly thinking ahead to the exact moment where he'd have a car and hostages to bargain with. So that night, Andrew, Cathy, and, of course, Danny, all checked into a hotel near the Grand Canyon Canyon. Tourists were around snapping photos and watching the majestic sunset and all the while danny ray horning walked among them with two terrified hostages by his side the very next morning danny forced andrew and kathy to withdraw cash for him and then he told them the next part of his chilling plan he told the couple that he was going to go find a different set of hostages and this time it was going to be a rich family in return he planned on demanding one million dollars and the release of his brother from prison he even recorded a tape outlining his ransom demands and quoting from that if my demands are not met i'll blow away half the hostages and then go on from there later that very same day in a parking lot in grand canyon national park danny spotted a fancy travel trailer that he thought would fit perfectly with his new plan in his uproar he was able to get a copy of the trailer and he was able to get a copy of the trailer and he was able to get a copy of the trailer and he was able to get a copy of the trailer Catching this man over and over again just for him to squeak away at the last minute. every single time. Two days later, on July 6th, a Sedona woman looked out her window on an otherwise still and peaceful evening. Everything seemed normal. That is, until her eyes drifted over to her garden hose on the side of her house. And when this happened, her face went ghost white. For a second, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. I mean, maybe she was just tired and she was just seeing things or whatever. Maybe she'd been watching too much TV, but she took a deep breath. And in this moment, she knew deep down that her deepest fears and the pain of her entire community had somehow made its way to her front doorstep. Right there was Danny Ray Horning. And at this point, he looked like a shell of his former self. I mean, when he first broke out of prison, he was basically like one part comedian and one part fugitive. He was brash, cocky, and invincible, at least in his own mind. But now, he was filthy. He was wild looking. He was tired. And most importantly, he was thirsty. He had decided to stop at this woman's garden hose to get himself a drink of water. He was clearly desperate, but also felt comfortable enough to take a moment to rest. At this point, he'd been on the run for almost two months. And as it turns out, even the real life Rambo is going to need a water break. This woman, the homeowner, well, she acted quietly and quickly, and she grabbed her phone and she dialed 911. The police also acted quickly, and they showed up with their canine units ready for yet another crazy chase. They obviously knew by now that when it comes to Danny Ray Horning, nothing is ever going to be easy. But as they began to search the area around the house, the dogs zeroed in on the back deck. The cops approached slowly, and they demanded that Danny step out of the house. Danny said, I'm not going to let you in. I'm not going to let you in. I'm not going to let you out. And they fully expected that he could come out either firing or running once again. But that's not what happened this time. Danny was a broken man. He'd had enough. He didn't have one last daring escape or one more snarky note to leave behind for the cops to find this time. He simply just couldn't take any more of this life on the run. And so much to the surprise of the police, Danny stepped out and he faced them. He didn't fight this time. He didn't run. He certainly didn't fire his gun. Instead, he looked at the officers with a slight smile, and he said, quote, it was a really fun chase. Danny finally gave up, and he was brought into custody. And law enforcement all over the state of Arizona were finally able to breathe a massive sigh of relief. And though this may have been the end of the manhunt for Danny Ray Horning, this is not the end of the story. There was a few things I learned at the very beginning of the video that you might have even forgotten about at this point, like that catfish farm or the garbage bag the fishermen pulled out of the river. Yeah, we need to get into some of that stuff. And so after 54 days on the run, Danny now faced dozens of new charges, obviously, you know, kidnapping, armed robbery, attempted murder for firing at the cops and stuff, auto theft. And honestly, it's a little crazy to think that with all of the reckless crimes he had committed, his final capture, you know, under that deck or whatever, was relatively uneventful. I mean, think about this. Like, they couldn't keep him in prison. He escaped. They couldn't stop him in a gunfight. They couldn't even contain him within Grand Canyon National Park. And they definitely couldn't catch him after he crashed his car at 100 miles per hour. Nope. At the end of the day, Danny was just tired and thirsty enough to get a little bit stupid, and he picked the wrong house to stop at for a drink. And so now we're going to leave Arizona, and we're going to return to California, and the San Joaquin River. And this is where we first met that seriously unlucky fisherman at the beginning of the video, a man named Mark Lawson. So after he had reeled in that freshly severed leg in the garbage bag, he immediately alerted the authorities and police searched the river, finding more and more body parts that were stuffed into plastic bags and even weighted down with cinder blocks. After further police investigation, the authorities recovered several items, including a pair of pants, a pair of pants, a pair of pants, and a pair of pants. And then, a wallet and a steak knife. And when they found that steak knife, they began to wonder, could that have been the tool this mysterious killer used to, you know, dismember the victim? I'm just going to say it. Police also found a local witness that had seen a white Jeep Cherokee traveling back and forth to the banks of the river. And the witness just couldn't shake the feeling that the driver of that car was up to no good that night. He didn't know the details, but, um, once again, this gut feeling was correct. Ultimately, the police were able to analyze all the evidence and identify the victim as a man named Sammy McCullough. McCullough was a local marijuana dealer and a catfish farmer. And, uh, that's a notable detail because you might also remember that Danny Ray Horning worked on a California catfish farm at one point in time earlier in his life. And not to totally derail us here at this really important part of the story. But I'm from the Northeast and I'm already not super familiar with like normal farms. And so the idea of a catfish farm just immediately makes me think of some like old McDonald looking farmer in a straw hat, milking a giant catfish, the size of a cow. Like I know that's obviously not what a catfish farm is like, but the image in my head is just so crazy that I had to share that here. Uh, should we cut this out? I don't know. Anyway, so evidence found at McCullough's home and along the riverbank suggests that he had been killed at his residence. And after the scene of the crime was thoroughly cleaned, the killer had actually driven McCullough's own white Jeep to dispose of him in the river. Investigators combed through McCullough's past and found a history of conflict between himself and two former employees of his at the catfish farm named Stephen and Danny Ray Horning. Apparently Danny's brother, Stephen had previously been arrested for robbing McCullough. These three guys already had quite the history. McCullough pressed charges against Stephen, which of course landed Stephen in prison. And that didn't go over very well for our real life Rambo. Danny vowed to kill McCullough as payback. Um, but it, but it wasn't until over two years later after his chaotic two months in grand Canyon national park that he finally faced extradition to California where he stood trial for the 1990 murder of Sammy McCullough. Prosecutors had enough evidence. And on top of all of his charges for his Arizona antics, Danny Ray Horning was convicted and he was sentenced to death. As far as I'm aware, he still remains on death row at San Quentin state prison, but in Arizona, his legend still lingers. Um, Danny Ray Horning wasn't just a criminal mastermind, but he was a survivalist. Um, and he was also one of the most cocky and most reckless criminals that I've ever covered on this channel. And he showed how dangerous just one man can become, especially when he's desperate and has nothing to lose. Now I talked a lot about the frustration and anger that law enforcement experienced during this story. Um, I hope that didn't come across like I was criticizing them because ultimately they did their job and they brought Danny Ray Horning to justice. And so I would really appreciate if all of you could show your respect for the brave Rangers and police officers who made that happen in the comments below. © transcript Emily Beynon