Jacob Gray, Olympic National Park
A 22-year-old cyclist whose bike and gear were found beside the Sol Duc road in April 2017; his remains were found high in the park in August 2018.
2017 CE · 47.97, -123.86 · status: explained
The account
Jacob Gray of Port Townsend left home on 5 April 2017; his loaded bicycle was found the next day by the Sol Duc River, and a search found no trace. His father searched for him for over a year, including far from the park. On 10 and 11 August 2018 a field crew of marmot researchers and park rangers found his equipment, clothing and skeletal remains in a remote part of the Daniel J. Evans Wilderness near Hoh Lake, about 5,300 feet up. Dental records confirmed the identity; investigators believed he probably died of natural causes such as hypothermia.
The sceptical view
He had climbed far from the road into steep wilderness; exposure is the likely cause.