8 year old Samuel Boehlke was last seen in Crater Lake National Park on October 14, 2006. He disappeared while hiking with his father.
Background
Samuel Boehlke was born on August 10, 1998 to Kristen Becker and Kenneth Boehlke. At the time of his disappearance he resided with his parents in Portland, Oregon.
He enjoyed hiking, fishing, and the outdoors and his favorite toys were Yu-gi-oh cards, Legos, and Tinkertoys.
He suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome, which makes him susceptible to having extreme reactions to bright lights and loud noises.
Disappearance
On the weekend of October 14, 2006, Samuel Boehlke spent the weekend with his family at the Diamond Lake Resort in Diamond Lake, Oregon.
On October 14, 2006, Samuel and his father Kenneth decided to drive to nearby Crater Lake National Park for a hike.
While Kenneth was parking the car along Rim Drive that overlooks the Cleetwood Cove trailhead, Samuel ran up ahead and disappeared into the woods. Samuel hasn’t been seen or heard from since.
After a couple of hours of looking for his son with no luck, his father flagged down a passing car and told them to call 911.
Investigation
An extensive search of the park by over 145 trained personnel turned up no clues as to Samuel’s whereabouts. One scent dog seemed to pick up Samuel’s scent a few days after he disappeared, but other dogs failed to confirm it.
In the days following his disappearance the area received 4-6 inches of snow which made tracks easier to follow, but hid other potential clues that may have helped lead to Samuel’s location.
The weather was cold and snowy with subfreezing temperatures at the time, which means he could not have survived long without shelter.
After six days of searching the efforts to find Samuel were be scaled back, with park officials saying in a press release that the chances of him surviving his ordeal were slim.
In 2016, the documentary Missing 411 was released, which features Samuel’s case as well as five other children who went missing in the North American wilderness.
In 2018, the National Center For Missing & Exploited Children released an age progressed photo showing what Samuel might look like at age 19 (pictured below).
Whereabouts
The location of Samuel Boehlke, as well as the circumstances surrounding his disappearance, remains unknown. His case remains unsolved.
Foul play is not suspected in Samuel’s case, and it’s believed he got lost and/or injured and died in the park.
Appearance
White male born on August 10, 1998 with brown hair and brown eyes. Samuel stood 4’8 tall and weighed 85 at the time of his disappearance. He has a mole under his right ear and a mole on the left side of this neck.
Samuel was last seen wearing a long sleeved black and green striped shirt, cargo pants, a blue winter coat, and red suede slip on shoes.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Samuel Boehlke please contact the Klamath County Sheriff’s Office at (541) 883-7479, or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at (800) THE-LOST.
