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Since the National Park Service was founded in 1916, over 1,000 people in the United States have vanished in our national parks and forests. There are close to 85 million acres of land for the national parks alone, and these cases where people have disappeared are equally frightening and heartbreaking. One case is the disappearance of Jared Negrete.
He was only 12 years old when he went missing in 1991, and he has not been seen since. Part 1: The Hike On July 18, 1991, Linda Negrete dropped off her son Jared for a trip to the San Bernardino National Forest with his Boy Scout troop. This area is located some 80 to 90 miles east of Los Angeles.
Linda was a bit nervous since it was Jared's first big outing where he would be away from home for a few days. The Boy Scouts of El Monte, Troop 538, were scheduled to stay at Camp Takwitz in the San Bernardino National Forest and hike the San Bernardino Mountains. The plan was to hike to the summit of San Gorgonio, the highest peak of the mountains, stay the night, and return home after descending the mountain.
Linda shared her memories of July 18th with a reporter from the Sacramento Bee. She said, "He was so proud. He was with his friends and I didn't want to embarrass him. So mouthed, 'I love you' and 'Be careful.'" Linda then recalled that Jared looked at her and mouthed that he loved her and that he would be careful. It was the last time Linda saw her son alive.
The troop consisted of 6 to 14 scouts, including Jared and a scout leader. The number of total scouts has varied in various articles. It was reported that not one of the parents or another scout leader was invited on this trip. This was in violation of an important Boy Scout rule where you would need a "too deep" requirement for adult supervision of scouts.
To get a better perspective of the hike, the summit for San Gorgonio mountain is 11,500 feet high. This was no easy feat, but Troop 538 was up to the challenge. The troop left for Camp Taquitz on July 18, 1991. According to the scout leader, they did an overnight hike on July 18 and camped at a place called Dry Lake. On the morning of July 19, they made their way to San Gorgonio.
They were to follow a hiking trail to reach the summit. The troop walked for a mile and left their packs at a designated spot. From there, they were to complete a five-mile hike to the summit. At the time, Jared was 5 feet 2 inches and weighed 150 pounds. He was an eighth grader known for being a kind boy. Jared was overweight but had gone on short hikes in the past with his family and enjoyed playing basketball.
For the July 1991 hike, Jared had a backpack, a two-quart canteen of water, and a camera. At some point during the trek to San Gorgonio, Jared fell behind. Jared's uncle would later tell reporters that Jared fell behind because some of the other scouts wanted to race to the top of the mountain. Apparently, Jared could not keep up with the others and lost contact with the group.
The Scout Leader later informed the press that Jared simply lagged behind the rest of the group during the hike. A witness that was on the trail on July 19th said that they told the Scout Leader Jared was down the trail a ways from the troop. The witness later stated that the Scout Leader told them he would get Jared on their way down the mountain. This meant the Scout Leader would not turn around and find Jared.
It was theorized in the papers that the troop was close to the summit and Jared was believed to not be that far behind the others. A witness claimed they saw Jared lagging behind the troop around 5:00 PM on July 19, 1991. This witness said that Jared appeared to be heading off the trail, but the witness told Jared to stay on the main trail because it was marked. It was not reported if this witness was the same one that spoke with the scout leader on the same day.
When the Scout Leader and Troop 538 made it to the summit, they noticed that Jared was missing. The Scout Leader tracked some 12 miles back to report Jared missing. Part 2: The Search A search and rescue operation began at 7 a.m. on July 20, 1991.
Some walked the trail, while a helicopter was used to locate Jared. In all, there were a reported 50 to 100 people involved in the search for the missing boy. They covered an area that was 130 square miles and extremely rugged. Searchers and law enforcement were concerned for Jared's safety. They believed Jared did not have adequate food or water. Plus, he was not dressed for the colder temperatures one would face at night.
It was reported that Jared would have had access to water and fish in the San Bernardino National Forest. This all depended on Jared finding these resources and getting the food and water he needed for survival. Jared possessed some experiences as a hiker, and it was not reported what survival skills he had learned in the Boy Scouts. It was reported that he could read a map and a compass, but nobody knew if Jared had those on him when he was on the hike.
Temperatures in the region were as high as 80 degrees and low as 30 degrees. Jared was exposed to the heat and cold. He did not have the proper equipment to keep himself shaded or warm. One of Jared's cousins was concerned about his survival in the wilderness. The cousin told the press at the time, "Jared's idea of a good workout was to shoot 10 layups at the basket in the backyard, then go inside for some Doritos and punch.
But others that knew Jared said he was a positive young man who refused to give up when things got tough. Classmates of Jared's at the time recalled they had read a story about teens lost in the wilderness. They remembered Jared being part of the class discussion about what he would have done in that type of situation.
It was reported on July 22, 1991, that footprints that matched the shoes Jared was wearing on the trip were discovered on the High Creek Trail leading up to San Gorgonio. These prints were some 10,000 feet up in elevation. There was hope that Jared was alive and well somewhere in the area. Rescuers just needed to get to him in time. The terrain leading up to the summit was rough and incredibly dangerous.
Those who knew the area said dangers included loose rocks and slippery slopes. There was a fear that if Jared decided to venture off the main path, he could have stepped on loose ground and been carried down a steep ravine by a rock slide. Days after Jared went missing, his camera was found. Also found were wrappers for beef jerky and candy. When the film was processed, there were 12 images.
Eleven were of the landscape, but the last was an eerie image of Jared taken at night. The camera was pointed at his face, and it shows the eyes and nose of Jared. It is not known if it was taken accidentally or on purpose. The flash on his camera might have been used to light up the area because Jared heard a noise that was unsettling. Some of the wildlife in the area includes black bears, deer, mountain lions, and coyotes.
One searcher said Jared would have dealt with deer in the area instead of the other animals. This discovery was promising, but Jared was nowhere to be found. Time was running out according to search and rescue teams because there was a window of survival for Jared, and it was closing quickly as days became weeks. More volunteers joined the search, and a local unit of Marines was called in with tracking dogs.
Investigators sent the Scout leader and some of the Scouts back to the area where Jared went missing to reenact the hike on July 19th. They wanted to get as much information as possible regarding the circumstances that led to his disappearance. A psychic was asked to help with the case at the time, but they could not provide any answers for the family. At one point, Jared's mother, Linda, was sent up in a helicopter over the search area.
There was a loudspeaker attached to the helicopter, and Linda called out for her son. It seemed to be a last-ditch effort to find the missing boy. It was around August 6, 1991, when investigators and searchers were of the opinion that Jared had perished in the San Bernardino Mountains. The window of the opportunity to find him alive had closed in their opinion. It was just a matter of time when someone would somehow stumble upon his remains.
The total amount of time they searched for Jared was 16 days. An estimated $400,000 to $1 million was spent on the search and rescue operation.
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Part 3. Aftermath
A memorial service for Jared was held in September 1991. Jared's family, his fellow troop members, and the community gathered for the service. One person who was not at the service was the scout leader for Jared's troop. It was November 1991 when a private detective told the California press that Jared Negrete might have been kidnapped back in July when he went missing. The private detective said at the time that they had uncovered some information that they would not share publicly.
What the detective did share was information about a young boy and a man that were kidnapped at the San Bernardino forest weeks before Jared vanished. The detective was adamant that it was a kidnapping because nothing of Jared's was found in the search area. No clothes, no remains, and nothing else he was carrying during the hike.
Also, the detective stated that there was nothing in the way of the smell of human decomposition or buzzards flying around a location where someone or something had died. The family and friends of Jared Negrete struggled with his disappearance. Jared's father was hospitalized multiple times in 1991 due to the stress of the case. Many are of the opinion he died in the mountains and that his remains would be found one day.
After the search was called off, it was discovered that the scout leader for Troop 538 failed to schedule the hike with the local Boy Scout council in California. Another issue was that the scout leader and Troop 538 failed to follow the rule of "the slowest hiker sets the pace." The scout leader supposedly had 15 years of hiking and scouting experience, but was relieved of duties after the incident involving Jared Negrete.
It was also reported that the scout leader had been Troop 538's leader for less than five months when Jared vanished. The trek up San Gorgonio is not a simple hike. A website called Hiking Guy estimated that the walk from the Vivian Creek Trail is roughly 18 miles and takes somewhere in the ballpark of 9 to 11 hours to complete. Also, it has an elevation gain of over 5,000 feet.
This is what the Scouts and Jared faced back in 1991 when they went on their outing. Were the parents aware of this difficult trip? The disappearance of Jared Negrete is an incredibly devastating story. However, there are some questions that remain. There seemed to be an opportunity for the Scout Leader to stop and wait for Jared. Why did the Scout Leader not wait for Jared?
Their plan was to find him when they descended from the mountain. Also, why were parents not invited on this trip to assist as chaperones? What's also a bit fascinating is the fact that the scout leader walked 12 miles by himself to report Jared missing. If this scout leader walked by himself for help, then who watched the other scouts? Did he leave them alone at a campsite? If he feared Jared was possibly abducted, then this move to walk alone seems very suspicious.
There seems to be some issues with the information that was reported about the disappearance of Jared Negrete on July 19, 1991. Conclusion The last interview with the parents of Jared Negrete was printed in 2001, when a 16-year-old boy was lost in the same area where Jared disappeared. The Negrete family was heartbroken for the family of the 16-year-old, and they understood their pain. Jared and the 16-year-old were not rare cases.
It was reported in the 2001 article that people have vanished in that area in the past. Some of those who were lost were able to find their way back to civilization. Others were not as fortunate. To this day, the case of Jared Negrete remains an unsolved mystery.
