A girl went missing in the woods. Her name was Mary Silverton. She was twenty two years old. We looked for months and only ever found one of her boots. With her left foot inside.
I was part of the first search for her. Leading us was the Senior Park Ranger, Nathan Crooks. Everyone said he was a great guy and after I met him I had to agree with them.
It had been 2 months since her foot had been found. Even Mary’s parents had lost any hope of finding her. I overheard the two discussing if there was anything left for them to keep searching for.
The search had been called off early due to heavy rain and Nathan asked if I wanted to come over for a drink. I said yes.
We had gotten along well the past several months. When you spend hours searching the woods together everyday you find ways to make conversation.
After two or three hours and several more drinks he confided in me. He told me he had been at this park for twenty years and had never failed to find anyone, alive at that.
He told me people went missing for a few days. Maybe a week. Hikers that had taken the wrong trail or stayed out too late and lost the trail in the dark. They get home safe in the end and he puts up a few more signs.
He told me he felt like he was responsible for what happened to Mary. He had tears in his eyes. I comforted him. I told him that it wasn’t his fault. That sometimes accidents happen and people go missing to never be seen again.
He went silent. So did I. We sat and drank in silence for awhile and then he asked me a question. I can still hear it clearly now.
He asked me if I really thought Mary would never be seen again. If I thought we wouldn’t find her. I said yes. I wish I could be glad that I was wrong that night.
Three days later Mary’s parents called off the search. It had only been them, myself and Nathan for several weeks so I wasn’t surprised. Then life went on. I never spoke to Nathan much after that. Fourteen years went by.
One day at work I got asked to do a welfare check on a 58 year old Nathan Crooks. Nobody had seen him in town or heard from him in over a week. I drove over to a familiar one story home and knocked on the door. No reply.
I knocked again and called out. No reply again. I checked the handle to find the door unlocked. I knocked a last time and prayed for a reply. Once none came I opened the door and stepped inside as the pit in the stomach grew.
I saw Nathan lying face down on the kitchen floor. He was dead. Stroke. No foul play involved. Completley ordinary. The only thing odd was I heard a faint banging coming from upstairs. I looked while i waited for an ambulance to arrive but I couldn’t find the source of the noise. I never noticed the hatch to the attic.
It was several weeks later that the body of Marry Silverton was found in the attic of Nathan Crooks home. She was now thirty six years old. She had only been dead a few days. Starvation. Her mouth was gagged. she was missing her left foot.
More: I looked for a girl missing in the woods. This case still haunts me. Here’s an interesting post from https://reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/1shh9kr/i_looked_for_a_girl_missing_in_the_woods_this/: A girl went missing in the woods. Her name was Mary Silverton. She was twenty two years old. We looked for months and only ever found one of her boots. With her left foot inside. I was part of the first search for her. Leading us was the Senior Park Ranger, Nathan Crooks. Everyone said More here: I looked for a girl missing in the woods. This case still haunts me.