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On September 12th, 2015, 31-year-old forest engineer Bert Holloway and his 29-year-old fiance, social worker Tessa Morgan, set out on a 3-day hike in the Cascades Mountain Range in Oregon.

Their Subaru Outback car was found near the beginning of the Cinder Cone Loop Trail a week after they disappeared.

The car is locked, backpacks in the back seat, tank full, no sign of a struggle.

On May 8th, 2016, eight months later, a Timber Valley logging company logging crew was clearing debris from a mudslide near Three Sisters Mountain.

They discovered a wooden coffin, double carved from the solid trunk of a red cedar tree.

Inside lay the bodies of Bert Holloway and Tessa Morgan.

Brigadier Ronald Keefe called the Dashuites County Sheriff’s Office at 11 hours and 43 minutes in the morning.

He said the object was initially mistaken for a fallen tree covered with soil.

Only upon closer inspection was it clear it was a man-made structure 7 ft long, 3 and 1/2 ft wide.

The lid was tightly fitted, pinned down with rocks.

Deputy Marcus Drake was the first to arrive.

He described the coffin as a professionallymade carpentry object with smooth walls and precise fitting of the elements.

The lid was removed at [music] 12 hours and 17 minutes.

Drake immediately called forensics and the medical examiner.

The bodies were placed side by side.

Bert in a clean flannel shirt and jeans.

Tessa in a [music] white blouse and gray slacks.

[snorts] Arms folded across her chest.

Fingers intertwined.

Face turned upward.

No signs of decomposition.

Skin waxy, almost mummified.

Facial features are calm.

Forensics found an inscription on the inside wall of the coffin.

The letters are scorched with hot metal.

Uniform.

Uniform in [music] size.

Strictly centered.

Four words.

They stayed together.

Dashes County Medical Examiner Dr.

Ela Crosby arrived at 13 hours and 5 minutes.

The examination took 40 minutes.

No visible injuries.

Tissue preservation is unusual.

There is a peculiar odor, not of decay, but of beeswax and [music] pine needles.

The temperature inside the coffin is 4° below ambient.

Identification was made from dental records and fingerprints.

Bert Holloway and Tessa Morgan have been missing since September 17th, 2015.

The search was called off on November 23rd for lack of leads.

Relatives were notified on May 9th [music] at 6:00 in the morning.

Tessa’s brother, Kyle Morgan, 34 years old, testified.

Sister planned to marry on October 25th, 2015.

Together for over 3 years, no conflicts, no debts, no threats.

Bert’s mother, Janice Holloway, 62, recalled her son called the camping trip one last vacation before the wedding.

He wanted to show Tessa his favorite places.

The route was simple.

Bert knew the trails by heart.

Transportation of the bodies to the morg began at 15 hours and 20 minutes.

The coffin was seized as evidence.

Forensics photographed it from 64 angles.

They took samples of wood, wax, soil.

FBI detective Nathan Ortega arrived from Portland on May 10th.

He was assigned to the investigation at the request of the district attorney.

Circumstances pointed to a possible serial crime.

In his first report, Ortega documented three questions.

One, why the bodies hadn’t decomposed in 8 months.

Two, who made a coffin of such quality.

Three, what the inscription meant, a confession or a message? An analysis of the search route revealed a fine spot 6 mi northwest of the operation area.

A debris flow on April 9th, 2016 displaced 200 tons of soil.

An area of old growth forest previously inaccessible was opened up.

The probability of accidental discovery before the mudslide is close to zero.

At a May 11th press conference, Dashuites County Sheriff David Coleman stated, “We are treating this death as a homicide.

The investigation is in the active phase.

Motives are being determined.

” The Oregon Mountains kept the [music] mystery alive for 8 months.

Now it has become a case.

Bert Holloway and Tessa Morgan had been renting an apartment on Newport Avenue in Bend since July 2012.

Land lady Martha Silvers described them as [music] quiet, punctual tenants.

Bert would leave for work at 7:00 in the morning.

Tessa would return around 6:00 in the evening.

On weekends, they took walks or worked in the daycare center.

Bert worked as a forest engineer for the regional office of the US Forest Service.

Supervisor Roger Kilmer characterized him as a disciplined professional with a deep knowledge of the local ecosystem.

7 years seniority annual income $48,000.

Tessa was a social worker at the Dashuites County [music] Teen Center.

Director Lisa Harper remembered her as an empathic professional.

Four years experience.

Annual income $36,000.

Wedding planned for October 25th, 2015.

A modest ceremony, 32 guests, a simple dress, banquet at the Pine Tavern restaurant, budget of $5,000, 8 months in the making.

On September 11th, a Friday, Bert left the office at 4:00 in the afternoon.

Colleague Daniel Warner saw him loading tents and gear into the Subaru.

According to him, Holloway seemed animated.

Talked about the lakes [music] at Triisters Mountain.

Tessa finished her shift at 5:00.

The last entry in the cent’s log was 16 hours and 43 minutes.

Colleague Andrea Blake noted Tessa was in high spirits.

In the evening, the couple had dinner at home.

On the morning of September 12th, they left the apartment at 6:30.

Neighbor Jason Craig heard them coming down the stairs.

Tessa laughed.

Silence at last and no phones.

The sister’s general store video camera recorded the Subaru at 7 hours and 10 minutes.

A man in a dark jacket and a woman in a blue down jacket got out of the car.

The recording lasts 4 minutes and 20 seconds.

Cashier Sharon Delaney, 47 years old, described the visitors.

The young woman was cheerful, talkative, asked about batteries for a flashlight, took four packs.

The man was studying maps.

They bought water, jerky, candy bars, matches, and a topographical map of the Cascades.

The amount was $43.

80.

Payment on Bert’s card at 713.

Tessa smiled.

We want to spend a few days without civilization.

Delaney replied.

The weather promises to be nice.

The exterior camera video shows the exit.

Bert is carrying a bag.

Tessa adjusts her backpack.

They walk to the car.

Bert stops, turns around, looks at the far edge of the parking lot.

A black Ford F-150 pickup truck is parked there.

The license plate [music] isn’t visible.

Bert says something to Tessa.

She looks at the pickup, too.

Then they get into the Subaru [music] and drive away.

Delaney didn’t notice anything unusual.

The store owner did not review the [music] records until after the police request on September 19th.

The black pickup truck was in the parking [music] lot for 15 minutes.

The driver didn’t get out.

Left 3 minutes after Bert and Tessa.

Same direction to the trail head.

Cinder Cone Loop trail head is 18 [music] mi north of Sisters.

Parking lot for 20 cars.

The Forest Service [music] recommends registration in the visitor log.

Forest Ranger Kevin Horton was on duty on September 12th.

Holloway and Morgan arrived at 9:20.

According to Horton’s report, I recognized Bert.

We worked together 2 years ago.

He introduced his fianceé, said they’d be on the Three Sisters Loop Trail for 3 days.

I warned him about the 40° nighttime temperature.

He nodded, said, “Ready to go.

Bert’s handwritten note.

Handwriting forensics confirmed it.

Time is 9:22.

Names: Bert Holloway, Tessa Morgan.

Routt, Triisters Loop.

Return September 15th evening.

Contact number is given.

Horton escorted them out with a look.

They walked down the trail holding hands.

Tessa was talking.

Bert was laughing.

Just an ordinary couple on an ordinary hike.

I didn’t think I’d ever see them again.

The last official check-in of living people.

9 hours and 22 minutes.

September 12th, 2015.

Cascades National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon.

They were never [music] seen again.

15th September, 2015.

Tuesday, Bert Holloway [music] and Tessa Morgan planned to return that evening.

Forest Ranger Kevin Horton finished duty at 18:00.

The parking lot was empty.

The Subaru missing Horton paid no mind.

Tourists were often late.

Tessa’s brother, Kyle Morgan, called his sister at 19:30.

Voicemail.

Second call at 21:00.

Mail again.

Text message.

Everything okay? No answer.

Bert’s mother, Janice Holloway, called at 22 hours.

Same result.

In a deposition, she recalled.

I told myself they were staying another night.

Bert knew the mountains, but something inside was stirring.

September 16th, Wednesday, Kyle Morgan called Tessa’s work at 8:15.

Principal Lisa Harper reported in.

Morgan didn’t come out and gave no warning.

Uncharacteristic.

Kyle called the Forest Service.

Bert’s coworker confirmed Holloway didn’t show [music] up either.

The 9:00 a.

m.

meeting was blown.

At 1340, Kyle Morgan called the Dashes County Sheriff’s Department.

A missing person’s report was filed.

At 1343, Detective Robert Finch received the case at 14 hours.

The standard required a 48 hour wait, but Finch considered factors.

Wilderness, both out of contact at the same time.

He classified the case [music] as requiring an immediate response.

Finch contacted the wildlife refuge.

Chief Ranger Thomas Barrow confirmed the [music] September 12th registration.

Try sisters loop route 23 mi.

Medium difficulty.

There have been no missing persons [music] on this trail in 5 years.

Caller records have been requested.

Bert’s last phone signal September 12th 11:15.

Tessa’s [music] cell phone 11:18.

Same tower.

After that, silence.

September 17th, Thursday.

The search operation begins.

Coordinator Margaret Collins assembled 12 volunteers and four rangers.

Base camp in the parking lot at 7 in the morning.

Two groups of six started at 7:30.

The weather is favorable, 58°.

The sky is clear.

The first group traveled 5 m in 3 [music] hours.

No sign of them.

The second group surveyed the offshoots.

Same result.

September 18th, Friday, Forest Horton arrived at the parking lot at 6:40.

A silvercoled Subaru, license plate number HLW4729, was parked in the same spot.

Horton immediately contacted the operation center.

Detective Finch and CSI Anna Peterson arrived at 7:20.

The car is locked, windows intact, no damage.

Autopsy authorization from the next of kin.

Door was opened at 8002.

[music] Interior search was videotaped.

Two backpacks in the back seat zipped up.

In the glove compartment, documents, passports, wallets with money and cards.

On the console, Canon camera, charger, glasses.

Under the passenger seat is a Garmin in reach satellite beacon, a device for emergency communication out of range.

Checks show the beacon’s off.

Button is in the off position.

Battery is fully charged.

Last activity, September 12th, 10:37.

Manually deactivated.

Contents of [music] backpacks, clothing, first aid kit, flashlights, tools.

Topographical map from store inside pocket.

The map has not been used.

Folds are clean.

Fuel level 82%.

Last trip 18 m.

Corresponds to the distance from sisters to the parking lot.

At 9:30, the canine unit was activated.

Instructor Jennifer Row with two blood hounds.

The dog sniffed clothes from the backpacks.

Dog Rex picked up the trail at 947.

[music] The trail followed a 3 and 1/2mm route.

The dog was moving steadily.

At White Branch [music] Creek, the trail turned sharply north, leaving the trail.

A group of four rangers and finch followed the dog.

The terrain was rugged, undergrowth, fallen trunks.

After half a mile, [music] the trail led to a creek 12 ft wide, 2 ft deep.

The current is moderate.

The bottom was smooth stones.

The dog stopped at a rapid where the creek passed into a 4ft high waterfall.

The trail was lost.

A second dog confirmed that the trail ends here.

Surveyed both banks for half a mile.

11 men combed until dusk.

No trace of tent, fire, things.

Ranger Andrew Simmons surveyed the bank a 100 yards downstream.

At 14:15, found a piece of cloth [music] on the roots of bushes size 9 by3 in material dense, [music] water repellent, dark green.

Simmons placed the find in an evidence bag.

CSI Peterson examined the fabric.

The edges are torn.

The material didn’t come from the couple’s gear.

The texture indicates industrial production.

The sample was sent to the lab.

Results came back on September 21st.

Expert Robert Cheng’s report.

Polyurethane coated veterinary tarp used in military tents, transportation covers.

Manufacturer, Miltech Industries, [music] Portland.

Batch, January May 2014.

primary customer, Cascade Logistics, a private logistics company.

Finch requested data on Cascade Logistics activities in the reserve area.

On September 22nd, the company confirmed from April 2014 to August 2015, there was a temporary equipment warehouse 6 mi northwest of the trail head.

The warehouse was dismantled in August.

There are no current operations.

The search continued through September 27th.

42 participants, 23 square miles surveyed.

Result, zero.

Bert Holloway and Tessa Morgan are missing.

The car is in the parking lot.

Equipment’s inside.

The trail broke off at the creek.

The only clue is a piece of military tarp that shouldn’t have been there.

The search operation lasted from September 17th to 27th, 2015.

Coordinator Margaret Collins organized three waves of resource mobilization.

The first wave, ground teams, dogs, localized scouring of the area within a 5m radius of the last known location.

Second wave, expanding the area to 15 m, bringing in a National Park Service helicopter.

Third wave, drones with thermal imaging cameras, volunteers from neighboring counties, expert advice from wilderness survival specialists.

On September 18th, a Bell 407 helicopter flew six sorties totaling 9 hours and 40 minutes.

Pilot Craig Bennett, age 44, and observer [music] Liam Oconor, age 38, surveyed the area from the Cinder Cone Loop Trail to the northern slopes of Triisters Mountain.

Flight altitudes ranged from 300 to 1,000 ft.

Visual contact, zero.

Thermal signatures consistent [music] with human presence, none.

On September 19th, drones joined the operation.

Operator Max Strode, 31 years old, launched four drones with thermal imaging cameras.

Flight time of each drone, 45 minutes.

Area covered, 8 square miles.

Heat signatures of deer, bear, small mammals recorded.

No sign of humans.

By September 20th, [music] the number of volunteers had reached 72.

Local residents, Bert’s colleagues from the Forest Service, staff from the teen outreach center, students from Bend.

The groups worked in [music] sectors.

Each one square mile sector was combed by a chain of 8 to 10 people 30 ft apart.

The result, zero.

On September [music] 22nd, Dashes County Sheriff David Coleman held a task force [music] meeting.

Present were Detective Finch, Coordinator Collins, Chief Ranger Barrow, and FBI Representative Ortega.

Versions of the disappearance were discussed.

Coleman voiced statistics.

According to the National Park Service, 92% of missing hikers are located within 72 hours, 6% within a week, 2% remain missing forever, or are found dead much later in life.

The leading causes of death in mountainous terrain are hypothermia, fall from altitude, and dehydration.

Barrow presented meteorological data from September 12th through 15th.

Daytime temperature in the trail area, 55 to 62° F.

Nighttime 38 to 44.

There was no precipitation, moderate winds.

Conditions not critical, but sufficient to develop hypothermia if left unmoved and sheltered for long periods of time.

Coleman voiced the working theory.

Holloway and Morgan went off route, possibly in darkness or fog.

One of them was injured, unable to move.

Night in the open.

Progressive hypothermia.

Death within 12 to 18 hours.

Finch objected.

The gear was left in the car.

Satellite tracker was manually disabled.

The trail broke off at the creek.

A military tarp not belonging to the couple.

These facts don’t fit the accident theory.

or take a backed up finch.

The coordinates in the glove compartment need to be verified.

The communication with the logistics company needs to be investigated.

Coleman agreed to continue the investigation, but publicly stated his version of the accident.

On September 23rd, he gave an interview to the local Bend Bulletin newspaper.

Quote, “We are looking [music] at a tragic accident.

The mountains are unpredictable.

Even experienced hikers can encounter overwhelming circumstances.

On September [music] 24th, Detective Finch reinspected the Subaru at the Sheriff’s Department lockup.

CSI Peterson [music] accompanied the inspection.

The car was recorded as evidence, but the initial inspection focused on obvious [music] objects: backpacks, a beacon, purses.

Finch opened the glove compartment, registration papers, insurance, wipes, car manual.

Beneath the manual was a quadruple folded sheet of A4 paper.

Finch unfolded it.

Computer printout.

Times [music] New Roman 12point font.

No date of printing.

Contents: Two sets of geographic coordinates.

First coordinates 44° 14 minutes 37 seconds north latitude 121° 43 minutes 09 seconds [music] west longitude.

Second coordinates 44° 16 minutes 52 seconds north latitude 121° 41 minutes 23 seconds west longitude.

Finch handed the sheet to Peterson.

She photographed the document, placed it in a clear [music] file.

Finch contacted Forest Service cgrapher James Cooper, 56 years old.

Cooper checked the coordinates [music] against a topographic database.

The result came in 40 minutes later.

First point, an abandoned logging camp used by Timber Valley Logging Company from 2007 to 2011.

Distance from the Cinder Loop Trail 6 mi northwest.

Second point, a small lake with no official name half a mile from the camp.

Finch interviewed Bert Holloway’s co-workers, Daniel Warner.

Bert never mentioned this camp.

We discussed routes dozens of times.

He always talked about Triister’s loop.

The official marked out one.

Roger Kilmer, supervisor.

The coordinates don’t match any of the routes Bert recommended to campers or used himself.

Finch interviewed Tessa Morgan relatives.

Brother Kyle.

Tessa had no knowledge of maps.

The route planning is entirely on Bert.

Bura’s mother Janice.

son never mentioned the abandoned campground.

Maybe he was planning to show Tessa something new, but then why didn’t he bring the print out with him? On September 25th, Finch and Ranger Barrow visited the location given by the first coordinates, 1 hour and 40 minutes by Jeep through forest roads and clearings.

The terrain is inaccessible.

The logging camp was a cleared area measuring approximately 100x 150 ft.

Remnants of the foundations of three temporary structures.

A rusted [music] fuel tank, scraps of tarps, empty canisters, tires.

Barrow surveyed the area.

No signs of recent human presence.

The grass is knee high.

Shrubs are overgrown.

He estimated the camp hadn’t been used in at least 3 years.

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