In the summer of 2016, a father and daughter embarked on what should have been a memorable cross-country adventure, driving through the majestic wilderness of Montana in their vintage Volkswagen camper van.
Derek Hollandbeck, a 42-year-old high school history teacher from Cedar Falls, Iowa, had planned this trip for months as a way to bond with his 16-year-old daughter Kloe before she started her junior year.
It was meant to be their special time together, exploring national parks, camping under starlet skies, and creating memories that would last a lifetime.
Instead, they vanished without a trace somewhere along the remote mountain roads of northwestern Montana, leaving behind only questions and the desperate search efforts of their loved ones.
For seven long years, their fate remained one of the most baffling missing person’s cases in Montana history.
No distress calls, no abandoned vehicle, no witnesses who remembered seeing them.
They had simply disappeared into the vast wilderness as completely as if the earth had swallowed them whole.
Then in July 2023, a group of forestry workers conducting a routine survey in the remote Bearrass Valley discovered something that would finally provide answers, though not the kind anyone had hoped for.
Hidden beneath years of overgrowth and rust, partially concealed by fallen logs and thick vegetation, sat the familiar blue and white Volkswagen van that had carried the Hollandbecks into the Montana wilderness 7 years earlier.
What really happened to Derek and Khloe Hollandbeck during those final days of summer 2016? Let me know where you’re watching from in the comments down below.
I always love seeing how far these stories reach.
Derek Hollandbeck was the kind of father every child deserved.
Colleagues at Roosevelt High School in Cedar Falls described him as passionate, dedicated, and endlessly patient with his students.
He coached the debate team in his spare time and spent countless hours helping struggling students understand the complexities of American history.
But Dererick’s greatest joy wasn’t found in the classroom.
It was in the time he spent with his daughter, Kloe.
After his divorce from Khloe’s mother three years earlier, Derek had thrown himself into being the best single father he could be.
Every other weekend, holidays, and summer vacations were sacred time for the two of them.
Khloe Hollandbeck was everything Dererick had hoped she would become.
Intelligent, curious, and adventurous.
At 16, she was an honor student with a particular love for environmental science and photography.
She dreamed of studying marine biology at the University of California despite growing up in landlocked Iowa.
Her teachers remember her as quietly confident, always ready with a thoughtful question or observation that showed she was really listening.
She had her father’s analytical mind, but her own unique way of seeing the world through the lens of her camera.
Derrick often joked to friends that Kloe was already smarter than he was, and he couldn’t wait to see what she would accomplish.
The summer road trip had been Khloe’s idea originally.
She had always been fascinated by the American West, particularly the national parks with their diverse ecosystems and wildlife.
Derek, recognizing an opportunity to combine his love of history with Khloe’s passion for nature, began planning an educational adventure that would take them through some of the most beautiful and historically significant areas of the western United States.
They would visit battlefields, national parks, and small towns that embodied the spirit of the frontier.
For Derek, it was a chance to share his passion for American history outside the confines of a classroom.
For Chloe, it was the perfect opportunity to practice her photography while exploring the landscapes she had only seen in textbooks and documentaries.
The planning for their cross-country adventure had consumed much of the spring of 2016.
Derek meticulously researched routes, campgrounds, and historical sites, creating detailed itineraries that balanced education with recreation.
He had purchased the 1978 Volkswagen Westfailia camper van the previous winter from a retired couple in De Moine, spending months restoring it to roadworthy condition.
The van, painted in classic blue and white, became Dererick’s weekend project and Khloe’s favorite place to plan their upcoming journey.
They nicknamed it the Explorer and spent countless hours outfitting it with camping gear, photography equipment, and enough supplies for 3 weeks on the road.
Chloe had convinced her father to install a small dark room setup in the van so she could develop some of her film photographs during the trip.
Derek had initially hesitated, worried about the chemicals and workspace limitations, but Khloe’s enthusiasm eventually won him over.
She researched portable development techniques and convinced him that learning to process film in various conditions would be an invaluable skill for her future studies.
Their planned route would take them through South Dakota to see Mount Rushmore and the Badlands, then northwest through Wyoming to visit Yellowstone National Park, and finally into Montana to explore Glacier National Park before beginning their journey home through North Dakota.
Derek had reserved campground spaces at several locations, but had deliberately left portions of their itinerary flexible, wanting to maintain the spirit of adventure and discovery that had inspired the trip in the original concept.
The night before their departure, Dererick’s ex-wife, Linda, later told investigators Khloe had called her mother excitedly to go over their planned stops one more time.
She was particularly looking forward to photographing wildlife in Yellowstone and the glacier carved landscapes of Montana.
Linda remembered that Khloe seemed more animated than she had been in months.
Truly excited about the adventure ahead and the prospect of spending uninterrupted time with her father.
On July 15th, 2016, Derek and Khloe Hollandbeck loaded their final supplies into the Explorer and began what they believed would be a 3-week journey of discovery and bonding.
Neighbors later recalled seeing them pull out of Dererick’s driveway around 8:30 that morning.
Khloe waving enthusiastically from the passenger window while Dererick honked the van’s distinctive horn.
A playful touch he had installed specifically for the trip.
Their first destination was the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota.
A somewhat kitschy roadside attraction that Dererick thought would provide a light-hearted start to their adventure.
They made excellent time that first day, stopping for lunch in a small Iowa town where Dererick posted a photo on Facebook of Khloe standing next to the explorer.
Both of them grinning widely.
The caption read, “Day one of the great Hollandbeck adventure destination everywhere.
” For the next 10 days, their journey unfolded exactly as planned.
Dererick maintained an active social media presence, posting photos and updates about their stops at Mount Rushmore, where Khloe posed with her camera equipment and the other worldly landscapes of Badlands National Park.
Friends and family followed along virtually, commenting on the beautiful photographs Khloe had taken and the obvious joy both father and daughter were experiencing.
Their posts showed them hiking, exploring visitor centers, and camping under spectacular western skies.
Derek’s history teacher instincts were evident in his detailed captions about the historical significance of various locations, while Khloe’s artistic eye was apparent in the composition and creativity of their photographs.
On July 24th, they entered Yellowstone National Park where they spent 3 days exploring geysers, hot springs, and wildlife viewing areas.
Their final social media post uploaded from their campground near Old Faithful showed Kloe kneeling beside a small creek with her camera, completely absorbed in photographing what appeared to be a family of deer in the distance.
Dererick’s caption was simple but telling.
Watching my daughter discover her passion never gets old.
Tomorrow we head to Montana and Glacier National Park, the part of the trip she’s most excited about.
July 27th, 2016 began like any other day of their adventure.
Derek and Khloe packed up their campsite at Yellowstone.
Said goodbye to fellow campers they had befriended over the previous 3 days and headed north toward Montana.
According to their itinerary, they planned to drive through Bosezeman and then northwest toward Glacier National Park, where Dererick had reserved a campsite for three nights.
The drive should have taken approximately 4 hours, plenty of time to reach their destination, set up camp, and perhaps do some preliminary exploring before dark.
Park rangers at Yellowstone later confirmed that the blue and white Volkswagen van had passed through the north entrance around 10:15 a.
m.
with both occupants appearing relaxed and happy.
A gas station attendant in Livingston, Montana, remembered serving them around noon, noting that Khloe had purchased postcards and Dererick had bought a detailed map of Glacier National Park.
The attendant later told investigators that Dererick had asked about scenic routes to the park, mentioning that his daughter was a photographer and they were hoping to find some lesserk known viewpoints for her pictures.
Security camera footage from the gas station showed the explorer pulling away at 12:23 p.
m.
heading northwest on Highway 89 toward their destination.
That grainy footage would be the last confirmed sighting of Derek and Khloe Hollandbeck alive.
Sometime during the afternoon of July 27th as they traveled the winding mountain roads between Livingston and Glacier National Park, father and daughter encountered something that changed the course of their adventure forever.
Whether it was mechanical failure, an accident, or something far more sinister, no one knows.
What is certain is that they never reached their reserved campsite that evening, though their absence wouldn’t be noticed for another 2 days.
Dererick had told the campground staff that their arrival time was flexible and with no cell phone coverage in much of the area, their failure to check in initially raised no alarms.
The first sign that something was wrong came on July 29th when Dererick failed to call his ex-wife Linda as scheduled.
Dererick was meticulous about maintaining contact during his trips with Kloe, partly due to a custody agreement that required regular check-ins, but mostly because he knew Linda worried when Khloe was away.
When he didn’t call by noon on the 29th, Linda tried reaching his cell phone repeatedly only to hear that the number was unavailable.
Dererick had told her that cell coverage would be spotty in some areas, so she initially wasn’t alarmed.
However, when there was still no contact by evening, and when Dererick missed a planned video call with Khloe’s grandmother on July 30th, Linda knew something was seriously wrong, she immediately contacted the campground at Glacier National Park, where staff confirmed that the Hollandbecks had never checked in despite having reservations.
Linda then called the Montana State Police, officially reporting Derek and Khloe missing on July 31st for days after their last confirmed sighting.
The initial search focused on the most direct route between Livingston and Glacier National Park, primarily Highway 89 North through Wilsol and White Sulfur Springs.
Search and rescue teams scoured the highway and surrounding areas looking for any sign of the explorer or its occupants.
Helicopter crews flew grid patterns over the mountainous terrain while ground teams checked every rest area, scenic overlook, and potential camping spot along the route.
Local law enforcement reached out to gas stations, restaurants, and lodges throughout the region, asking staff to review security footage and search their memories for any sign of the missing father and daughter.
Despite these extensive efforts, the search teams found nothing.
No skid marks on mountain roads, no reports of accidents, no abandoned vehicle, no witnesses who remembered seeing the distinctive Volkswagen van after the Livingston gas station.
It was as if Derek and Khloe had driven into the Montana wilderness and simply vanished.
As days turned into weeks, the search for Derek and Khloe Hollandbeck expanded exponentially.
The FBI joined the investigation, bringing additional resources and expertise to what was now being treated as a potential kidnapping case.
Agents interviewed everyone Derek and Khloe had encountered during their trip, from fellow campers in Yellowstone to gas station attendance across three states.
They analyzed Derrick’s financial records, social media activity, and personal relationships, looking for any indication that he might have planned to disappear voluntarily.
However, every piece of evidence painted the picture of a devoted father on a legitimate vacation with his beloved daughter.
There were no unusual financial transactions, no concerning social media activity, and no personal conflicts that might have motivated Derek to vanish intentionally.
Khloe’s mother, Linda, became the public face of the search effort, appearing on local and national news programs to keep the case in the public eye.
She organized volunteer search parties, distributed flyers throughout Montana, and maintained a social media campaign designed to keep Derek and Khloe’s story alive.
Linda’s message was always the same.
They were a loving father and daughter who had been excited about their adventure, and something terrible had happened to them somewhere in the Montana wilderness.
The investigation expanded to include areas far beyond the direct route to Glacier National Park.
Search teams explored remote logging roads, abandoned mining areas, and backcountry camping spots throughout northwestern Montana.
They followed up on every tip, no matter how unlikely, including reported sightings of the van or its occupants in places as distant as Alaska and Mexico.
Psychics, dowsers, and amateur investigators all offered their theories and assistance, but none of their leads proved fruitful.
As autumn turned to winter, the active search was scaled back.
Though the case remained open, and investigators continued to follow up on any new leads, the Hollandbeck disappearance had become one of Montana’s most perplexing missing person’s cases.
A mystery that seemed to have no logical explanation or resolution.
Months became years and the case of Derek and Khloe Hollandbeck gradually faded from public attention.
Though it never left the minds of their loved ones or the investigators who had worked so hard to find them.
Linda Hollandbeck never gave up hope, continuing to organize annual searches and maintaining a website dedicated to keeping their story alive.
Every summer on the anniversary of their disappearance, volunteers would gather to search new areas of the Montana wilderness.
Always hoping that this would be the year they finally found answers.
Derek’s colleagues at Roosevelt High School established a scholarship in his name, while Khloe’s classmates created a memorial garden at their school where they gathered each year to remember their missing friend.
The passage of time brought new investigators to the case, each bringing fresh perspectives and updated technology to the search for answers.
Ground penetrating radar was used to search areas that had been previously examined only on foot.
Advanced satellite imagery was analyzed to look for any trace of the explorer in remote locations.
Cold case specialists reviewed every piece of evidence, every witness statement, and every possible lead.
But the mystery remained as impenetrable as ever.
In 2019, 3 years after the disappearance, Montana authorities officially reclassified the case as a homicide investigation, acknowledging that Derek and Khloe were most likely deceased.
This change in status brought new resources to the investigation, but it also represented the crushing of Linda’s last hopes that her daughter and ex-husband might somehow still be alive.
The reclassification meant that investigators now focused their efforts on determining how Derek and Kloe had died and who might have been responsible rather than searching for them as missing persons.
However, even with this shift in approach, the case remained frustratingly cold.
There were simply no solid leads, no credible suspects, and no clear theory about what had happened to the missing father and daughter.
The breakthrough that everyone had been hoping for came on July 18th, 2023, exactly 7 years and 9 days after Derek and Khloe Hollandbeck had last been seen alive.
A crew from the Montana Department of Natural Resources was conducting a routine forest health survey in the remote Bearrass Valley, approximately 40 mi southeast of Glacier National Park, when they stumbled upon something that would finally provide answers to one of the state’s most enduring mysteries.
Hidden in a dense grove of pine trees, almost completely obscured by seven years of forest growth, sat the rusted remains of a blue and white Volkswagen van.
The vehicle was so overgrown with vegetation and so thoroughly integrated into the forest landscape that the survey crew almost missed it entirely.
Only the distinctive curve of the van’s roof, barely visible through the canopy of branches that had grown around and over it, caught the attention of forestry worker Marcus Brennan as he was marking trees for potential removal.
Brennan initially thought he had discovered an old abandoned hunting cabin or storage shed.
But as he pushed through the thick undergrowth to get a closer look, he realized he was looking at a vehicle that had been sitting in this remote location for many years.
The van’s blue and white paint was barely visible beneath layers of rust, moss, and accumulated forest debris.
Vines had grown through broken windows and around the bumpers, while small trees had sprouted near the wheels, their roots beginning to claim the vehicle as part of the forest floor.
Brennan immediately contacted his supervisor, who in turn notified local law enforcement.
Within hours, investigators from the Montana State Police, the FBI, and the local sheriff’s department had converged on the remote site.
As they carefully documented the scene and began the delicate process of examining the vehicle, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that they had finally found the Explorer, the missing Volkswagen van that had carried Derek and Khloe Hollandbeck into the Montana wilderness 7 years earlier.
The location where the explorer was discovered raised immediate questions about how the van had ended up in such a remote and inaccessible area.
Bearrass Valley was not on any of the routes Derek and Khloe would have taken to reach Glacier National Park.
Nor was it near any established roads or popular camping areas.
The nearest maintained road was more than 3 mi away, connected to the discovery site only by old logging trails that were barely passable even with four-wheel drive vehicles.
For a 1978 Volkswagen van to have reached this location, it would have had to navigate extremely challenging terrain, raising questions about whether Dererick had driven there voluntarily or if the vehicle had been moved there by someone else.
As investigators carefully processed the scene, they made several disturbing discoveries that deepened the mystery rather than resolving it.
The van’s doors were found unlocked, and there was no immediate evidence of Derek or Kloe inside the vehicle.
However, their personal belongings were scattered throughout the interior, including Khloe’s photography equipment, Dererick’s carefully maintained travel journal, and camping supplies that appeared to have been disturbed or searched through.
Most puzzling of all was the presence of Derrick’s wallet containing his driver’s license, credit cards, and $127 in cash sitting on the dashboard as if it had been deliberately placed there.
Khloe’s camera bag was found in the back of the van, but her expensive digital camera was missing along with several rolls of undeveloped film that she had been carefully preserving for processing at home.
The van’s keys were discovered on the front seat, but there was no sign of the systematic packing that Dererick was known for, suggesting that whatever had happened, it had occurred suddenly and unexpectedly.
Outside the vehicle, investigators found what appeared to be the remnants of a hastily abandoned campsite, including a partially collapsed tent, scattered cooking supplies, and the cold remains of a fire pit that had clearly been extinguished many years earlier.
The forensic examination of the explorer and the surrounding area revealed evidence that was both illuminating and deeply troubling.
While the passage of seven years and exposure to the elements had compromised much of the potential evidence, investigators were able to piece together some crucial details about the final days of Derek and Khloe Hollandbeck.
Inside the van, they discovered Derek’s travel journal.
Its pages yellowed and damaged by moisture, but still partially readable.
The final entry dated July 27th, 2016 described their departure from Yellowstone and their excitement about reaching Glacier National Park.
However, there was also a troubling notation that Dererick had written about wrong turn and strange man offering help.
The handwriting became increasingly erratic toward the end of the entry, suggesting that Derrick had been writing under stress or in difficult conditions.
Forensic Botanists determined that the vegetation growth patterns around the van indicated it had been in this location for approximately 7 years, consistent with the timeline of the disappearance.
However, soil analysis revealed disturbing traces of accelerant near the fire pit, suggesting that someone had attempted to burn evidence at the campsite.
Most significantly, cadaavver dogs brought to the scene alerted to several areas around the campsite, indicating the likely presence of human remains at some point, though no bones or other physical evidence were recovered.
The pattern of the alerts suggested that bodies had been present at the site, but had subsequently been moved or removed.
This discovery transformed the investigation from a missing person’s case into a confirmed double homicide, though the location of Derek and Khloe’s remains remained unknown.
DNA analysis of items found in the van confirmed that both father and daughter had been at the site, but also revealed the presence of unknown DNA profiles, indicating that at least one other person had been in the vehicle after the Hollandbeck’s arrival.
The revelation that Derek and Khloe Hollandbeck had likely been murdered sent shock waves through the communities that had followed their case for 7 years.
Linda Hollandbeck, who had never stopped believing that her daughter and ex-husband would be found alive, was devastated by the confirmation that they had been killed.
However, she also expressed relief that the family finally had some answers and could begin the process of grieving properly.
The discovery of the explorer launched the most intensive criminal investigation in Montana’s recent history, with federal and state authorities working together to identify the person or persons responsible for the murders.
Investigators began by analyzing the DNA evidence found in the van, running the unknown profiles through national databases in hopes of finding a match.
They also expanded their investigation to include any crimes with similar patterns in the Montana area, looking for connections to other disappearances or attacks on travelers in remote areas.
The location of the campsite provided important clues about the killer’s local knowledge and familiarity with the area.
Bear Grass Valley was not a place that someone would stumble upon accidentally.
Reaching the site required specific knowledge of local logging roads and forest access points.
This suggested that the perpetrator was either a local resident or someone with extensive experience in the Montana back country.
Investigators began interviewing local residents, hunters, loggers, and anyone else who might have knowledge of the remote area.
They also reviewed historical crime data for the region, looking for any patterns of violence against tourists or travelers.
The investigation revealed several disturbing incidents in the years surrounding Derek and Khloe’s disappearance, including reports of a man approaching campers and offering unsolicited assistance, then becoming aggressive when his help was declined.
While none of these incidents had resulted in violence, they fit a pattern that investigators found deeply concerning when considered alongside the notation in Derrick’s journal about a strange man offering help.
After months of intensive investigation, authorities made a breakthrough that would finally bring justice for Derek and Khloe Hollandbeck.
The unknown DNA profile found in the explorer matched a man named Raymond Cartwright, a 48-year-old local resident with a history of violence and an intimate knowledge of the Montana wilderness.
Cartwright had been living in a remote cabin approximately 15 mi from where the van was discovered.
Supporting himself through seasonal logging work and illegal hunting.
When investigators obtained a warrant to search his property, they found a cache of items that had clearly been taken from travelers over the years, including Khloe’s missing digital camera and several pieces of camping equipment that match descriptions of gear the Hollandbecks had packed for their trip.
Most damning of all was a collection of photographs that Cartwright had apparently taken as trophies, including several that showed Derek and Khloe at their campsite in the hours before their deaths.
The images revealed the terror and desperation in their faces, providing a horrific glimpse into their final moments.
Cartwright was arrested at his cabin without incident, though he initially refused to cooperate with investigators or provide any explanation for his actions.
However, faced with overwhelming physical evidence, he eventually confessed to encountering Derek and Khloe on a logging road near Bearrass Valley, where they had apparently taken a wrong turn while trying to find a scenic route to Glacier National Park.
According to his confession, Cartwright had approached them offering to help with directions.
But when Dererick became suspicious and tried to leave, Cartwright had forced them at gunpoint to drive to his remote campsite.
Over the course of several hours, he had terrorized the father and daughter, stealing their belongings and ultimately killing them both.
He claimed to have disposed of their bodies in a remote mine shaft that he refused to reveal the location of, even when offered reduced charges in exchange for leading authorities to Derek and Khloe’s remains.
The arrest and conviction of Raymond Cartwright brought a measure of justice for Derek and Khloe Hollandbeck.
Though their family and friends were left to grapple with the senseless nature of their deaths, Cartwright was ultimately sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the double murder, bringing closure to a case that had haunted Montana for 7 years.
However, his refusal to reveal the location of Derek and Khloe’s remains meant that their loved ones were denied the comfort of laying them to rest properly.
Linda Hollandbeck established a foundation in memory of her daughter and ex-husband focused on improving safety for travelers in remote areas and supporting families of missing persons.
The case led to increased awareness about the dangers that can face tourists and travelers in isolated areas and prompted discussions about better communication systems and safety protocols for those venturing into wilderness areas.
Dererick’s colleagues at Roosevelt High School created a permanent memorial in his classroom where a plaque reminds students and staff of his dedication to education and his love for his daughter.
Khloe’s environmental science teacher started an annual photography contest in her memory, encouraging students to explore and document the natural world that she had been so passionate about capturing through her camera lens.
The discovery of the explorer in Bargrass Valley also led to renewed searches for other missing persons in the Montana area with investigators wondering if Cartwright might have been responsible for additional crimes that had never been solved.
While no definitive connections were established, the case highlighted the vulnerability of travelers in remote areas and the importance of maintaining vigilance even during recreational activities.
The story of Derek and Khloe Hollandbeck serves as a tragic reminder that evil can lurk in even the most beautiful and seemingly peaceful places and that a moment’s kindness from a stranger can sometimes lead to unimaginable horror.
What theories do you have about how Derek and Kloe might have ended up so far from their intended route? Could there have been other victims that we still don’t know about? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
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