In 1969, when a young boy vanished in a matter of minutes in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, his case set off a series of events that forever changed the way search and rescue operations in the United States and around the world are conducted. The mystery surrounding the disappearance of Dennis Martin is as baffling today as it was all those decades ago.
Dennis Martin (Photo Source) 5. The Jackson Sun
William Martin (Photo Source) The Knoxville News-Sentinel
Violet Martin (Photo Source) The Knoxville News-Sentinel
William Martin searching for Dennis (Photo Source) The Knoxville News-Sentinal
Search crews looking for Dennis Martin (Photo Source) The Knoxville News-Sentinel
Reward Poster for Dennis Martin (Photo Source) National Park Service: Dennis Lloyd Martin Disappearance Case File
Map of Search Grid (Photo Source) The Commercial Appeal
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Image (Photo Source) Tennessee River Valley Great Smoky Mountains National Park | Tennessee River Valley
Spence Field Map (Photo Source) Google Maps
Age progressed image of Dennis Martin (Photo Source) NCMEC
Episode Source Material
- Kingsport Times: Mountain ‘Smoke’ defeats searchers By: Staff via newspapers.com
- The Knoxville News-Sentinal: Trace of Missing Boy, footprints found in Carolina By: Carson Brewer via newspapers.com
- Bristol Herald Courier: Search widens for boy By: Staff via newspapers.com
- The Daily News-Journal: Little boy still missing, One small clue found; bloodhounds added By: Carl A. Vines via newspapers.com
- The Jackson Sun: Boy’s mother says God helping By: Staff via newspapers.com
- The Commercial Appeal: Foliage and pests hamper hunt for boy in mountains By: Charles Thornton via newspapers.com
- The Daily News-Journal: Searchers hope to give Dennis happy birthday By: Glenn Stephens via newspapers.com
- The Commercial Appeal: Fog, foul weather cloud chances of lost boy By: Charles Thornton via newspapers.com
- Kingsport Times: Smokies searchers mystery: psychology of a 7-year-old By: Staff via newspapers.com
- The Daily News-Journal: Dennis, lost 11 days, may fear those seeking him By: Carl A.Vines via newspapers.com
- The Knoxville News-Sentinal: Search for boy cut as hope fades By: Staff via newspapers.com
- The Jackson Sun: Search for Dennis Martin scaled down By: Staff via newspapers.com
- The Memphis Press-Scimatar: So many things could have happened to little Dennis Martin lost in the “friendly” smokies By: J.Z. Howard via newspapers.com
- The Knoxville News-Sentinel: Hope for Dennis vanishing, but many concerned By: Carson Brewer via newspapers.com
- Kingsport Times-News: Does anyone know where Dennis is? By: Staff via newspapers.com
- The Knoxville News-Sentinel: Scream was heard in sea branch area By: Carson Brewer via newspapers.com (1)
- The Knoxville News-Sentinel: Scream was heard in sea branch area By: Carson Brewer via newspapers.com (2)
- Kingsport Times: Many secrets locked in great smoky mountains By: Staff via newspapers.com
- The Knoxville News-Sentinel: No trace has ever been found, Dennis was lost one year ago By: Carson Brewer via newspapers.com
- The Tennessean: Smokies Keep Their Secret By: Escar Thompson via newspapers.com
- The Jackson Sun: Smoky forests hide mystery of Dennis Martin By: Staff via newspapers.com
- The Leaf-Chronicle: Case of boy lost decades ago in Smokies still a mystery By: Bob Hodge via newspapers.com
- Elizabethton Star: 3 who got lost decades ago in Smokies never found By: Staff via newspapers.com
- The Knoxville News-Sentinel: Search in Smokies for lost boy produces lessons in future investigations By: Jim Balloch via newspapers.com (1)
- The Knoxville News-Sentinel: Search in Smokies for lost boy produces lessons in future investigations By: Jim Balloch via newspapers.com (2)
- Knox News: Timeline: Dennis Martin Mystery, the 1969 search in the Smokies By: Matt Lakin via knoxnews.com
- The Knoxville News-Sentinel: Search for Dennis Martin haunts Smokies 50 years after he vanished, Martin lessons live on in search methods By: Matt Lakin via newspapers.com (1)
- The Knoxville News-Sentinel: Search for Dennis Martin haunts Smokies 50 years after he vanished, Martin lessons live on in search methods By: Matt Lakin via newspapers.com (2)
- The Knoxville News-Sentinel: Search for Dennis Martin haunts Smokies 50 years after he vanished, Martin lessons live on in search methods By: Matt Lakin via newspapers.com (3)
- The Knoxville News-Sentinel: Search for Dennis Martin haunts Smokies 50 years after he vanished, Martin lessons live on in search methods By: Matt Lakin via newspapers.com (4)
- WBIR 10 news: The Vanished | Dennis Martin and the biggest national park search of all time By: Katelyn Keenehan via wbir.com
- National Park Service: Dennis Lloyd Martin Disappearance Case File By: Staff via nps.gov
- Federal Bureau of Investigation: Dennis Martin Case File. 133 Pages. via vault.fbi.gov
- Out There: Crimes of the Paranormal. Season 1, Episode 7. Smoky Mountain Nightmare Via hulu and Disney+
- NCMEC Missing child poster and age-progressed image