WA WA - Samantha Sayers, 28, Vesper Peak, North Cascades, 1 August 2018

[i'm someone]

I thought they said someone did see her on the way back. Maybe I misunderstood.

There is a witness who claims she was going back down on the other side of the ridge, which is in the wrong direction. No one else seems to have seen her doing that, even an entire group of boy scouts.

 

[SoCalSleuth]

I meant on the trail on the way back meaning the actual trail she should have taken back. As far as the witness who claims he saw her descending the opposite direction...His sighting is suspect, initially he said he saw her at 1 and when video proved otherwise he changed it to 3. And who eats lunch at 3?

 

[i'm someone]

I meant on the trail on the way back meaning the actual trail she should have taken back. As far as the witness who claims he saw her descending the opposite direction...His sighting is suspect, initially he said he saw her at 1 and when video proved otherwise he changed it to 3. And who eats lunch at 3?

Also, according to one report, the LE won't give the family the witness's name or let them talk to him. That may have changed by now though.

 

[kgreg2529]

Also, according to one report, the LE won't give the family the witness's name or let them talk to him. That may have changed by now though.

My husband is a LEO and he said most cases they won’t release that info to family, same as if they are investigating someone specifically .. especially with a family this heavily involved. They want to avoid vigilante-type behavior.

The lack of any trace is so weird. And soon it’s gonna start the rainy season for the next ten months out in that area (if that part of Washington is similar to the way Oregon was from about Sept to May).

 

[i'm someone]

Here is the most recent interview in the paper, from yesterday, Sam's Mom:
'Miracles happen every day:' Missing hiker's family, friends launch own search to find her

 

[Suglo]

I noticed that the FB page cautions any searchers to be careful of avalanches and such. I also noticed that one of the pings is in an area of snow. Maybe she got caught in an avalanche and is buried under snow or is that not possible?

 

[Phantasma2624]

Also, since she was not dressed for the elements, there is always a possibility of hypothermia. I think she might have been skilled enough to avoid that though. It's also possible she did send out an SOS. I've watched all of the drone footage, and if she did fall into a crevasse or the lake, or down a hill, her mom's video report said they have not found any of her gear, no poles, no backpack, no clothing, etc. Even if she slipped and fell, you'd think something like that would be laying out somewhere.

In one of the updates, they said that no SOS signal had been received by her phone. Of course, this doesn't mean she didn't send it and had no reception, which was what happened in the case of Lisanne Froon and Kris Kremers, who got lost and perished in a jungle in Panama.

It is suspicious to me too that they haven't found any gear at all. If she had fallen from being just slightly off the trail, it would seem someone would have found something by now. It makes me wonder if the eyewitness is correct in that he saw her by the lake. Even though the family says that she wouldn't do something like that, it would make more sense to me that maybe she decided to take an alternate path with less people or less foot traffic for whatever reason, and then may have fallen. This could explain why they haven't found any gear. It's also possible she was the victim of a rock slide wherever she was, and was buried with any gear she had.

 

[Phantasma2624]

I noticed that the FB page cautions any searchers to be careful of avalanches and such. I also noticed that one of the pings is in an area of snow. Maybe she got caught in an avalanche and is buried under snow or is that not possible?

I think this is possible, but I would think that if a rock slide or avalanche happened on one of the trails, they would know about it and would search there. It would seem more likely that she was off of the known trails and then was victim to a rock slide or avalanche.

 

[Phantasma2624]

I meant on the trail on the way back meaning the actual trail she should have taken back. As far as the witness who claims he saw her descending the opposite direction...His sighting is suspect, initially he said he saw her at 1 and when video proved otherwise he changed it to 3. And who eats lunch at 3?

He could be wrong about seeing her, or have the times mixed up, but I would also point out that the police department admitted they were mistaken about his version of events the first time in which he said that he saw her while he was eating lunch, but they said that they ate lunch together. As for eating lunch at 3, I don't think that's odd at all. I often don't sit down for lunch until 3 or sometimes 4. If he was planning on eating once he reached the summit, maybe that's why he was eating so late. We also don't really know what lunch means. Did he mean lunch as in a meal that he has always around 3, or did he mean, "I stopped to eat a sandwich, because I had just reached the top and was hungry"?

Also, according to one report, the LE won't give the family the witness's name or let them talk to him. That may have changed by now though.

My husband is a LEO and he said most cases they won’t release that info to family, same as if they are investigating someone specifically .. especially with a family this heavily involved. They want to avoid vigilante-type behavior.

I think the police made the right call here. It's clear to me from the mother's videos that she rightfully or wrongfully believes that this man is lying. Given that over 20,000 people are members of that page, it would be a mistake to give them his name, even his first name. I don't think her mother would actively encourage people to do any kind of physical harm to the witness, but I could see something like a request for information getting way out of control with 20,000 people. They could dox him, show up at his work, call him incessantly, etc. This sort of furor has happened on that Facebook page before when the family said that the police department wasn't using all of their resources, and encouraged them to call the police station, the governor's office, and post to the Snohomish Sheriff Department Facebook page. As such, I don't see what can be gained from the family by having his name. He has given his story to the police, and whether it is right or not will only be decided if other eye witnesses come forward or Sam is found and she is able to testify or there is other evidence. The police are right to use caution here.

 

[UltraViolet4545]

I wonder if the boyfriend/family has tried to access her Facebook account? If she had her Facebook location enabled, they would be able to access her stored location history... little maps for each day, with precise time stamped locations. Much more exact than “phone pings.”

 

[Phantasma2624]

I wonder if the boyfriend/family has tried to access her Facebook account? If she had her Facebook location enabled, they would be able to access her stored location history... little maps for each day, with precise time stamped locations. Much more exact than “phone pings.”

They've made mention on the Facebook page and on their official page that they have people trying to go through her apps and websites. I think the issues is that the phone is not active (either broken or dead) and likely has been inactive since shortly after the last ping. Therefore, even if they get into the phone apps, it's unlikely that there will be any new information. If it were on, the cell phone company would have been able to ping it by now for a location, and they haven't been able to do that since day one.

 

[zencompass]

The SAR team said they have searched all trails she would have possibly taken, and nearby areas. I think it is safe to say that after 3+ weeks of continual searching by family, friends and professionals, she is most likely in a very difficult to reach or not easily visible area. No signs of even a single piece of her gear or clothing has turned up yet indicating that she is not easily able to leave signs to be noticed, like some have talked about. What happened to the dog scenting on something or someone on the southern side of the mountain. Did they ever run that to ground with additional dogs or searches? The phone pings and the video footage have given the best leads and yet no answers.
It saddens me to think of anyone alone for this amount of time with limited supplies stuck in a cave, cavern, mine, crevasse, underbrush or any other difficult spot to see. On one hand I find it hard to believe that if she is on the mountain there has been no confirmed trace yet been found. How is that even possible? Yes she could have been injured and disoriented. She could also have been attacked by someone on the mountain who then covered their trail. There are a hundred different scenarios but the one solid fact that shines more than any other is that this young lady, Samantha Sayers is very loved by her bf, her friends and her family. This much love, tenacity and determination gives me confidence that she will be found and soon home with loved ones surrounding her. Let’s keep searching video, keep searching the mountain and posting finds here. Together we stand for Sam

Dear Melanie G. FRENCH,

Thank you for your exemplary and deeply moving post.

 

[UltraViolet4545]

I guess one thought I had is that if she does have Facebook location history, they could look at the routes she previously traveled on that hike to see if it gives any new ideas. The data is stored on Facebook, not the phone itself.

Anyone curious, check yourself out by going to “settings and privacy” and then “privacy shortcuts” and then manage your location settings” and then “view your location history.” Best viewed on a laptop rather than cell phone.

 

[claptrap]

There are some really good photos and drone images being shared in the facebook group today. There's 1 of a purple object and another that looks very much like a phone.

While I think it's awesome that things are being spotted, I can't image being in the families shoes and realizing that finding what potentially could be her phone but still no sign of Sam, isn't a good indicator that she's still alive & well.

 

[Grit-Bull]

I haven't followed the mother's videos---what exactly does she say with regards to the eyewitness who lunched near her or possibly with her?

 

[Phantasma2624]

I haven't followed the mother's videos---what exactly does she say with regards to the eyewitness who lunched near her or possibly with her?

She mostly repeats what the police have said, but in her tone, attitude, and word choice, she tends to show that she is doubting the witness. One common element is that she says "the so-called eyewitness" when referring to him. In a video update last night, she repeated this and then hinted that Sam may have left the trail because someone creepy was following her. I took it to mean that she thinks that there is more to this witness than what the police are sharing or have found out. I haven't seen too much frustration on her part about not knowing who the man is.

One of her family members intimated that the man changed his story about eating lunch with her, but the police told that same family member that it was them who were incorrect. The witness had not changed his story, and had said that he was eating lunch when he saw her, not eating lunch with her.

Mostly, I think the frustration and doubt comes from the fact that he was the last person to see her by all accounts, and what he said doesn't really connect with what the family believes. For example, he said that she was heading in the wrong direction and saw her by the lake. This statement has never made sense to the family, as that means she was descending in the wrong direction. Initially, this made me very suspicious of him too, but given that she hasn't been found yet, and with such extensive coverage, I think maybe she did go off the main trails.

I'm also not too sure about the mother's claim that maybe she left the trail because someone was following her. This seems like a very irrational thing to do. The trail has people on it, and while perilous, it seems like she would have been able to escape faster on the trail than off of it. If someone else chased her off the trail, I would imagine that there would have been traces left behind of such an attack.

 

[Phantasma2624]

There are some really good photos and drone images being shared in the facebook group today. There's 1 of a purple object and another that looks very much like a phone.

I saw that picture of the phone, but it looks like the back of a white or gold iPhone to me, not the Samsung that Sam is said to have. That being said, if that is her phone, it could be a good lead.

 

[carbuff]

The most common reason for leaving the trail is that you need to find a place to pee. Not sure if the rules are the same for western mountains, but in the northeast you're supposed to go 25 yards off the trail and I think it's 50 yards from any water source.

I have had trouble finding my way back to the trail after such an excursion. Not sure what would have happened if Mr. Carbuff didn't hear my whistle and blow his whistle in response so I could locate the trail. I was going totally the wrong way.

 

[i'm someone]

Just watched a video posted by someone on Aug 1 who was there that day. It looks all the world to me like she is following another hiker, who has what looks like a lot of gear up the mountain. No one has said if this is someone she knows, or if it's just a coincidence that she is behind someone who looks like they are on more than a day hike. Very odd video, and with 10 or more people there that day, no one saw them reach the peak.

 

[DexterMorgan]

The most common reason for leaving the trail is that you need to find a place to pee. Not sure if the rules are the same for western mountains, but in the northeast you're supposed to go 25 yards off the trail and I think it's 50 yards from any water source.

I have had trouble finding my way back to the trail after such an excursion. Not sure what would have happened if Mr. Carbuff didn't hear my whistle and blow his whistle in response so I could locate the trail. I was going totally the wrong way.

Wow. Scarey moment sometimes.