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"Thanks for finally showing up, 2013. We've only been looking for you in the eco-friendly, non-binary wilderness for a decade."

Oh, great! Took us nearly a decade, but thank goodness some lucky hiker stumbled upon a missing-person case from 2013 while enjoying the scenic beauty of Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Maybe now we can finally start caring about those who vanish without a trace. Better late than never, right?

Published August 23, 2024 at 5:40pm by Ahjané Forbes

Hiker Stumbles Upon Remains in Washington National Forest, Cue the Mystery Music

Oh, the irony! A hiker, probably hoping for some Instagram-worthy nature shots, found more than they bargained for in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest earlier this month. Because, you know, who doesn't love a good mystery while trying to commune with nature?

Investigators are all, "Hey, there's a hiker who went missing in the area over a decade ago, and now we've got some remains on our hands. Let's see if the medical examiner can spill the tea on this one."

So, here's the scoop: On Aug. 10, some adventurous soul was climbing on the Big Lava Bed in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest when they stumbled upon human remains. They whipped out their GPS, recorded the coordinates, and alerted the authorities, as one does. The Skamania County Sheriff's Office was all over it, according to their press release.

The sheriff's investigators hiked their way to the site several days later, and preliminary evidence suggests the remains might belong to a hiker who went missing in the Big Lava Bed in 2013. Spoiler alert: there are two open cases from that year.

The skull and other remains were then transported to the Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office. USA TODAY, being the nosy journalists we are, contacted the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and the Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office for more details.

And in other news: A woman went missing for four days on a spiritual hiking trip, but don't worry, she was found alive in Colorado. Praise be!

Missing hikers at Gifford Pinchot National Forest in 2013

Flashback to 2013, when at least two hikers went missing in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, and their cases remain unsolved. Shocking, right?

In October 2013, the Skamania County Sheriff's Office reported a missing hiker case in the forest. Kristopher Zitzewitz, a 31-year-old Oregon resident, went missing after being separated from his hiking partner in the Big Lava Beds of the forest near Mount Rainier. The search was suspended on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2013, according to Skamania County Undersheriff Dave Cox, who gave Reuters a written statement. Read more here.

A few months earlier, another hiker, Maureen Kelly, went missing on Sunday, June 9, 2013, after leaving the forest’s Canyon Creek Campground. She was last seen naked, wearing a fanny pack with a compass and a knife. Insert your own survivalist joke here. The Skamania County Sheriff’s Office conducted a search on June 10, 2013, and suspended their efforts the next day. The Colombian has the details here.

Both Kelly and Zitzewitz have not been found, according to the reports.

Contributing: Reuters

Ahjané Forbes is a reporter on the National Trending Team at USA TODAY. Ahjané covers breaking news, car recalls, crime, health, lottery, and public policy stories. Email her at aforbes@gannett.com. Follow her on Instagram, Threads and X (Twitter) @forbesfineest.