Donald Emerson Curtiss Jr., 18, vanished after a November 8, 1969 trip into the Catalina Mountains near Tucson. He and a friend, Brian McNamara, had gone to prospect for gold and planned to return the same day. They were staying at the local YMCA and carried modest gear including a metal detector; Donald may have had an inhaler.

On November 15, McNamara emerged alone from Upper Sabino Canyon with torn clothes and injured feet. He said a sudden winter storm on Mount Lemmon left them lost, that Donald suffered severe leg cramps and could not walk, and that McNamara left to seek help promising to return. A six-day search turned up no trace of Donald. The Phoenix Police Department has not suspected foul play; it is generally believed he succumbed to exposure, but no remains or definitive evidence have been found.

Does anyone who knew Donald or who hunted or prospected in the Catalina Mountains around 1969 have information that could shed light on his disappearance?