On the afternoon of August 26, 1971, 13-year-old Kevin Conner and his 10-year-old friend Mark Peal left their families’ campsite at Agate-Crescent Beach Recreational Area in Port Angeles, Washington to explore nearby abandoned World War II bunkers. They were last seen that day and never returned.

A large search followed. A volunteer force of about 450 GIs from Fort Lewis joined searchers. Investigators found two sets of shoe prints that the boys’ parents said matched the footwear their sons wore. A sheriff’s department bloodhound followed a scent trail from the boys’ tent to a log that extended over the water on the peninsula between the two beaches, and divers searched nearby kelp beds, but no trace of Kevin or Mark was found. Authorities did not find evidence of foul play but did not rule out the possibility. A memorial was held in September 1971.

The prevailing view in reports is that the boys may have become lost or injured while exploring the unstable bunkers, but the case remains unsolved. Does anyone who grew up in Clallam County remember that summer or have information that could help explain what happened?