Cowboy boots never found
DeOrr's oversized cowboy boots, a key piece of evidence, were never found anywhere on the mountain despite exhaustive searches.
Snapshot · Crime, Conspiracy, Cults and Murder
Ep. 117 | Mysterious Missing Children Cold Cases
Explore episode
Jul 1, 2026
Where this was said
Suspects, Polygraphs, and Three Competing Theories
At 29:20 · chapter starts 28:08
For the first six months, investigators worked the case without publicly naming anyone. That changed in January 2016 when then-Sheriff Lynn Bowerman told reporters plainly that he believed the case was a homicide, that DeOrr was not on that mountain, and that his parents were hiding something — adding there was 'no doubt in his mind.' Bowerman pointed to a pattern of shifting, contradictory statements from Mitchell and Kunz whose accounts of their movements and DeOrr's whereabouts kept changing, making it impossible to sort truth from fiction. Investigators formally narrowed the possibilities to three: a wild animal attack (mountain lion, wolf), an abduction by an unknown person, or foul play involving the family. Walton and Rainwand were tagged as persons of interest but were described as lower on the list. Bowerman was blunt: 'I think Mom and Dad are higher on the list.' The subsequent sheriffs — Penner and Bennett — took a more balanced view, treating all four adults at the campsite with equal scrutiny since all four were the last people around DeOrr before he vanished. [1] — Host "I believe his parents are hiding something. There is no doubt in my mind." 28:16
Sheriff Bowerman: DeOrr's Parents Are Hiding Something
Former Sheriff Lynn Bowerman told Dateline flatly: DeOrr Kunz Jr. never died on that mountain, and his parents are hiding something. DeOrr's father allegedly failed 5 polygraphs; his mother failed 4. Private investigator Philip Klein called it the worst polygraph result he'd seen in 26 years.
200+ volunteers searched for DeOrr within 3 days
Within 3 days of DeOrr Kunz Jr.'s disappearance, the volunteer count at Timber Creek Campground exceeded 200 people, joined by foot crews, ATVs, horseback riders, helicopters, canine units, and divers.
Similar snapshots
Sued for $250B before Uber
Before Uber, Kalanick built a peer-to-peer file-sharing system and was sued for a quarter of a trillion dollars by 33 major media companies.
Arms dealer Edwin Wilson: 52-year sentence
CIA operative Edwin Wilson, part of the illegal arms network used by Oliver North, was sentenced to 52 years for supplying Libya with 10,000 machine guns and 20 tons of C4.
186-year prison sentence sought
US prosecutors sought a 186-year prison sentence for Kim Dotcom, largely because of his financial support for WikiLeaks.
Mario Tabraue sentenced to 100+ years
Mario Tabraue, a central figure in Monsters of God linked to drug trafficking and murder, was sentenced to over 100 years in prison but served only 12 years.
Disappeared October 3, 2024
Zelig Williams disappeared on October 3rd, 2024 after leaving his mother's home in Columbia, South Carolina and has not been seen since.
Season 5 — 6 new unsolved mysteries
Dateline: Missing in America Season 5 features six new unsolved missing-persons mysteries, hoping a listener may hold a crucial clue.
Strickland got 2 felony GBI charges
At a high school party, Strickland broke one victim's nose, jaw, and knocked out teeth requiring multiple reconstructive surgeries, resulting in two felony GBI charges.
55 years unsolved
Joyce LePage's murder has remained unsolved for 55 years despite active investigation from the start.
Mark's mental institution history
Joyce's own letter revealed that Mark Wadley had once stayed at a mental institution for trying to strangle people — a detail investigators apparently never followed up on.
