David Robert Sampson was 21 and a University of Washington student when he vanished from Seattle on March 1, 1977. Friends and family said he had recently undergone a noticeable personality change tied to an intense religious conversion. When he left, he carried a packboard with a green pack, a light blue sleeping bag, extensive survival gear, a Bible and other religious materials. He wore a dark blue or green ski jacket, blue jeans and hiking boots, but left behind identification and money.

Described as a white male, 6 feet tall and about 140 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes and small moles on his upper lip and chin, Sampson had interests in botany, alpine survival hiking and environmental issues. The King County Sheriff’s Office investigation has not produced definitive answers, and his family from the Bakersfield, California area continues to seek information.

Did anyone in the Seattle area or the hiking community have contact with David around late February or early March 1977?