Thomas Messick, 82, vanished on November 15, 2015, while on a group hunting trip in the Lake George Wild Forest near Lily Pond in Horicon. A former 82nd Airborne paratrooper and experienced woodsman who taught survival skills, Messick was assigned to remain stationary as a watcher. He was last seen about 10:00 AM wearing a camouflage jacket and pants, a red and black checkered hat, and carrying a rifle and walkie-talkie. The party planned to meet at 2:00 PM; when he did not arrive his companions began searching and alerted forest rangers by 4:30 PM.

What followed was one of the region’s largest searches: more than 300 searchers from state and federal agencies covered roughly 29 square miles using helicopters, K-9 teams and divers, logging over 10,000 hours. Caves, crevices and old mine remnants were checked. No footprints, no discarded clothing or equipment, and no sign of his rifle or walkie-talkie were ever found. Some searchers reported hearing a metallic snapping sound in the woods during early searches.

The official effort was later downgraded, though limited searches and training exercises have continued. Messick’s disappearance remains unsolved and baffling given his skills and the thoroughness of the search. Did anyone in the Lake George area that day see an extra vehicle, unusual activity, or signs that might explain how an experienced hunter could vanish without a trace?