Horror in the High Desert 3: Firewatch (2024) Movie Script
[crickets chirping]
[owl howling]
[suspenseful music]
[Daniel Prince]
In July of 2017,
avid outdoorsman
Gary Hinge vanished
into the high desert
of Northeastern Nevada.
Storms coming in. I
gotta make this quick.
[suspenseful music]
[dogs barking]
[Daniel Prince] His
disappearance became a bombshell
that would shed light on
a much larger mystery.
Gary vanished while
returning to the desert
to document a
mysterious structure
that he found on a
previous expedition.
[Beverly Hinge] He said
that the longer he stood
and looked at it, the
more spooked that he got,
the feeling of dread,
the sixth sense
that he needed to
get out of there.
[suspenseful music]
[Daniel Prince] Since then,
we've started connecting events
that we believe may hold
the clues to this puzzle.
[suspenseful music]
The mysterious death of a
woman named Minerva Sound.
[suspenseful music]
And the disappearance
of Ameliana Brasher.
[suspenseful music]
[Daniel Prince] In the time
since we first
shared Gary's story,
countless people have come
from all over the world
to search for the elusive
cabin seen in his final video.
So far, none of them have
turned up anything useful.
Until a man named Oscar Mendoza
came armed with a theory
that no one else had proposed.
Gary had secrets.
[suspenseful music]
[suspenseful music]
[suspenseful music]
[suspenseful music]
[thunder rumbling]
[suspenseful music]
[suspenseful music continues]
Oscar began his journey
on his own social media.
[car creaking]
[air whooshing]
He left Mexico and arrived
in Nevada June 1st, 2022.
And he went there to do what
we all have been trying to do,
and that's find answers.
Once he arrived in
Northeastern Nevada,
he checked into the
Rush Canyon Motel
where he basically treated
it as his home base.
He would recharge
batteries. He would shower.
He would dump his footage.
Four weeks later, he vanished.
[fire whooshing]
[suspenseful music]
Him making this trip
at this specific time
was not a coincidence.
[suspenseful music]
A fire was raging on the
western part of the state.
So every available
state employee,
county employee went over to
try and help battle this fire.
Most of them, however,
were on fire watch
to make sure that the
fire didn't spread
to the eastern
part of the state.
[suspenseful music]
Oscar saw this as the
perfect opportunity
to be able to come and
explore what happened to Gary,
because the rangers wouldn't
be there to stand in his way.
You know, this little
community was so sick
and tired of YouTubers
and influencers
coming and invading their space.
And now, that everybody was off,
you know, fighting this
fire that was happening,
he just jumped at the chance.
[suspenseful music]
It was a summer of the
most bizarre weather
because of these fires
that were occurring
on the western
part of the state.
Even though they were
hundreds of miles away,
they would sometimes create
this like unworldly haze.
[suspenseful music]
And then other days,
it would be blue skies
but incredibly windy.
[suspenseful music]
It was the perfect storm
and the perfect
formula for fires,
which is why everyone
was so concerned
and on fire watch.
[horn blaring]
[suspenseful music]
Oscar claimed that he
had insider information.
And so after a bit of
digging, we discovered
that he has a cousin who lives
right there in Eagle County.
Oscar had come by a
couple times in the past.
I wasn't able to
spend time with him,
but he went out and he
made a couple friends
with the locals so.
Oscar met [beep].
He used to work, you
know, for the police.
And when they were talking,
that's how he found out about
Gary and the two ladies.
[suspenseful music]
He became obsessed with it.
Because of this
insider friendship,
he learned that law enforcement
and professional hunting guides
now believed that
Gary went missing
in a place called
Copper Creek Range.
[gentle music]
This is what we thought
his secret information
may have been.
[suspenseful music]
We had a contingency.
It was, the plan
was really for him
to check in with me every day
through a satellite
phone that we had.
The day that Oscar went missing,
his plan was to camp at
the top of this mountain
that the locals
call Spook Mountain.
He was just supposed to
camp there one night,
and then he was gonna
go back into town,
visit with his cousin
Manny for a few days
before heading back to Mexico.
When I first knew
something was wrong,
it was, you know, when he
had called me the day before
and let me know that he
had gone into his camp,
he was supposed to check
in with me the next day,
but he, he didn't.
[horn blaring]
[suspenseful music]
I tried reaching
him multiple times.
He didn't respond.
I knew right where to go
because of the satellite phone.
[brooding music]
Manny arrives and there
is no sign of Oscar.
And not just Oscar,
I mean there's no sign
that Oscar even camped.
There's no tent.
There's no camping gear.
There's nothing.
It's as if Oscar
never even arrived.
[steps crunching]
His phone says he's right here.
I looked and...
[steps crunching]
There was a phone,
satellite phone
with the bright green tag on it.
[steps crunching]
The phone was buried.
Manny was very reluctant
to call the police
because so many people, as we
know, have come to this town,
you know, wanting to figure
out what happened to Gary,
and then they end up
needing rescuing themselves.
And this is basically
just the last thing
that this town needs right now.
[suspenseful music]
So, I left and went
directly to his motel.
[suspenseful music]
You know, my truck isn't there.
And so, I went to the front desk
and asked the lady if I
could go check his room.
She looked up at me
with this weird
look on her face.
She said,
"Honey, he checked
out a week ago."
[brooding music]
I was, I was stunned.
What the hell is going on here?
And then I was pissed.
You know, he had my
truck. We had a deal.
This is when Manny
goes to the police
and the police refuse
to do anything,
because Oscar willingly
checked out of his hotel.
I mean, he's a grown man
and he can do what he wants.
This is when he turns
to a well-known private
investigator in the area,
who you might remember
from Gary's story.
I wanted to figure out
what would be the one thing
that Oscar would keep
from his cousin and why.
As this was all unfolding,
we find out that Oscar
tried to reach out
and visit Beverly Hinge.
Now, for those of
you who don't know,
Beverly Hinge is
Gary Hinge's sister.
And Gary Hinge is the reason
we're all discussing this story.
I mean, he's the reason
this all started.
And Beverly was in no shape
to be meeting with anyone.
Since Gary's disappearance,
Beverly has been
getting messages
from people all over the world
telling her they know
where Gary's remains are.
I keep telling her,
"These people don't know.
They're strangers."
[suspenseful music]
There's one person
that has been
relentlessly messaging her
over and over.
The cops can't
figure out who it is.
I don't know who it is,
but they are relentless.
And
Beverly went out
looking for her brother
in the high desert.
[suspenseful music]
She got lost herself
and by the time she was
rescued, she was dehydrated.
She has been suffering from
multiple organ failures,
and she had to be hospitalized.
What Beverly endured
after the disappearance
of her brother,
no one should ever
have to go through.
After we did the
first interview,
I thought people would call in
and offer information, tips,
anything that would help
with this going on with Gary.
I was shocked, horrified
when people started
giving me backlash
and blaming me
and, and just the,
the bullying it,
I just never dreamed
that would happen.
And you know, Gary
being such a, [sniffs]
a soft soul having to
go through all that.
[suspenseful music]
[Daniel Prince] If you could
say something to the people
that put you in this position,
what would you say to them?
That-
[Daniel Prince] Why don't
you look right into this
camera.
- Okay.
[Daniel Prince] And tell,
speak directly to them.
Those who
have social media,
a lot of them, it's
their only company.
And please, please have a heart
and think about what
you're saying to them.
You don't know what
frame of mind they're in.
[gentle music]
[Beverly Hinge
sighing] [gentle music]
To not be provoked.
[gentle music]
It broke me then.
It, it broke me then.
I mean, it crippled me.
[gentle music]
Um, but I'm okay.
[gentle music]
Beverly has been called
every name in the book
by complete strangers
from all over the world,
and these people
don't even know her.
[suspenseful music]
As somebody who's gotten
to know her over the years,
I can tell you that
she loved her brother
and she would've done
anything, anything
to move mountains for him.
Right away, Bill and
Manny both decide
to post Oscar's photo
on social media,
different Facebook
groups, et cetera,
because it is the
quickest way, you know,
to get the word out
that someone is missing.
And immediately, they
hear from Dolly Broadbent,
who we interviewed
for the Minerva story.
That day, I had to
go grocery shopping
and just as I was
coming up to the gates,
that's when I met Oscar.
He had been emailing
me, you know,
but I really didn't take it
serious that he was gonna come.
So, I just kind of ignored him.
He was really determined
to come see Majesty Ranch.
I had to lie to him
and tell him I was
going to Salt Lake City.
Oscar got in contact with Dolly
through different online
forums, basically.
After he learned about
Gary's disappearance
and became just
obsessed with the story.
He joined all these different
groups and different forums.
And in one of them,
Dolly posted a bunch
and she posted a lot
of different stories
that took place on her
property, Majesty Ranch.
When I was growing up,
I knew there was
something going on.
[suspenseful music]
And my parents did a
really, really good job
in sheltering my sister and I.
But there were some things
that they just
couldn't hide from us.
[suspenseful music]
[thunder rumbling]
A lot of times before
anything would happen,
we would hear the sound
and it was like a
tink, tink, tink.
And we couldn't tell
where it was coming from.
You know, one minute, it would
sound like it was coming from
over there or over there.
But then when my parents
and my uncle heard,
my dad and my uncle came
and rushed my sister
and I in the house.
And they told us to stay in
the room and lock the door
and we wouldn't be able to
come out until the next day.
[suspenseful music]
[thunder rumbling]
The one thing that to this
day that really frightens me
is my sister and I were woken up
to the sound outside
of our window.
It sounded like crying,
but it was a man's voice
and it was deep and agonizing.
We ran to my parent's room
and my dad went running
outside with his shotgun.
[suspenseful music]
When he came in, we could
tell he had seen something.
We were homeschooled,
but when we'd go into town,
we could just tell what
people were thinking of us.
My dad was really affected
by all this, you know,
and by the way,
we all got treated
and nobody believed
him or believed us.
And so, he started
documenting things.
He had a box
and it was full of everything
that he had collected.
So, the box came up missing
and he used to hide
it in the barn,
and the county officials
came to do an inspection.
He was convinced that the
county officials had stolen it
during the inspection.
In Eagle County,
they really depend on tourists
and outdoor activities,
hunting, fishing.
So I don't think they
really wanna advertise
that people are
disappearing out here.
[suspenseful music]
[Gal Roberts] Not long after
Dolly called to inform them
that Oscar had shown
up at her ranch,
they received a very
interesting phone call
from a man named
Jonathon Monast.
Jonathon called because
he wanted to tell me
that he had encountered
something out in the desert.
He didn't know if it was Oscar,
but he thought it was important.
I thought he was telling
the truth, definitely.
And he was definitely spooked.
[crickets chirping]
I like riding out there.
It's a nice quiet area.
[engine rumbling]
[air whooshing]
It's just a, I
guess better word,
desolate area to ride.
[motor engine revving]
[suspenseful music]
I went out that far that night
because I needed
to clear my head
and really, there's no better
way than me and my bike.
[engine rumbling]
[air whooshing]
So, I was going
slower than normal
because the road work, you know.
I saw a couple of
signs coming up.
And then as I came on it, you
know, the road was all dug out
and it was just loose
gravel patches dropped down.
[engine rumbling]
[air whooshing]
Almost laid the bike down.
I got through there.
Just kept going slow,
didn't know if there was gonna
be more road work coming.
[engine rumbling]
[air whooshing]
At the end of the road work,
right after I had
just gotten past it,
I went to go open the bike back
up and pick my speed way up
and that's, that's
when I saw it.
[engine rumbling]
[air whooshing]
It looked like there was a man,
like a crumpled up man,
on the side of the road.
And, you know, they were,
it was moving around.
My first thought in passing it
was that there must be
an accident or something.
But then, I, I quickly realized
that there wasn't any cars,
there was nothing.
So, I thought maybe it
was another motorcyclist
that, you know, his bike had
gone possibly off the road
into the ditch, didn't
really know exactly
what to think about it.
[engine rumbling]
[air whooshing]
My headlights are
lighting up the area.
He was gone.
[brooding music]
[engine rumbling]
[air whooshing]
[steps crunching]
And I start hearing what
sounds like footsteps.
[steps crunching]
[crickets chirping]
Hello.
[steps crunching]
[crickets chirping]
Anyone out there?
[crickets chirping]
[steps crunching] [crickets
chirping continues]
I called out a few times trying
to get anyone's attention.
[crickets chirping]
[Speaker] Hello.
[crickets chirping]
At that point, I decided to
start walking up the hill.
'cause I was thinking maybe
they've got a concussion
or, you know, something
else is wrong.
[crickets chirping]
I look up the hill
a little ways,
kind of in that direction,
and there's just this massive
cave on the side of the hill.
[steps crunching]
[crickets chirping]
[owl howling] [crickets
chirping continues]
[steps crunching] [crickets
chirping continues]
That's when I saw him again.
[brooding music]
And as he went into the cave,
it, there's, I can't
really describe it,
but there was just something
really, really off about him.
[brooding music]
It definitely creeped me
out, everything about it.
But I always carry a gun with me
and so, I went to go
check it out still,
just in case it was
someone that needed help.
[suspenseful music]
[crickets chirping]
Hello?
[suspenseful music]
[crickets chirping]
[suspenseful music
continues] [steps crunching]
[suspenseful music continues]
[crickets chirping]
[suspenseful music
continues] [steps crunching]
[suspenseful music continues]
[crickets chirping]
You know, from the road, it
looked like a pretty big cave,
but when you get up to it,
it's actually really shallow
and, you know, I could see
the whole thing, all of it.
There's nowhere he
could have gone.
[suspenseful music continues]
[crickets chirping]
[suspenseful music continues]
[gentle music]
Oscar was raised
by our grandparents
and, you know,
my grandpa was his hero.
Our grandpa's death, you
know, pushed him over.
[gentle music]
He was already struggling.
And then, you know, that
seemed to snap something.
Oscar's dad was never
really in the picture.
And, you know, my aunt,
she was a very troubled person.
It took its toll on him.
This trip meant a
lot more to Oscar
than just figuring out
what had happened to Gary.
This trip started
because Oscar wanted
to leave a life behind,
and that life was
basically a 10-year battle
with depression and alcoholism.
And he just wanted
to start new, fresh.
I mean, he dyed his hair.
This was a whole new
beginning for him.
I was scared that he had
done something to himself.
[suspenseful music]
First break was the
cops put out an APB
and it worked.
They found Oscar's
truck on a dirt road,
outside of Copper flat.
[suspenseful music]
Copper Flat is a small,
unincorporated town,
which is about a hundred
miles northeast of Cypress,
which is where he was
originally staying.
He had rented a room there.
I was sick to my stomach
when Bill was opening the door.
I was afraid what we were
going to find in there.
It looked like he had
just dropped off his stuff
because his bed looked like
it hadn't been slept in
and he left his
computer, his journals,
and his hard drives.
[Videographer] So
beautiful out here,
but also what is out here?
[air whooshing]
In these early
videos, we see Oscar
and he is just bursting at
the seams with excitement.
I mean, he is over the moon
to be able to be here in Nevada
doing his own investigation
and you can clearly see that.
Here's the proof, I'm here.
Let's see what I find.
[water glugging]
[steps crunching]
It's beautiful.
Manny and I start going
through Oscar stuff,
just trying to find
anything that we can
to help us figure
out where he is.
I didn't wanna read
his private stuff,
but if you know,
it was gonna help find him then.
Manny didn't share
any intimate details
of Oscar's journal.
He only shared, you
know, the important stuff
to help the investigation along.
But he did share one
entry that I found really,
it was really, it
was really touching.
"What I'm doing out here
might not be the safest thing
I've ever done, but for the
first time in a very long time,
I remember what it feels like
to live outside of the space
in my head.
This journey has saved me
from being too far gone."
[suspenseful music]
[train chugging]
Here she is, Number 81.
Yeah.
Wo!
Yeah, baby.
[train whistles]
Yeah.
[train whistles]
[train chugging]
Yeah.
[Manny Martinez laughing]
It was a huge relief
to see him have fun.
Ooh, it's like a
musical instrument.
[footsteps thumping]
Hey.
I thought, "Okay,
he's gonna be okay."
His first few days,
he just wanted to
be in Gary's shoes.
[Oscar breathing
deeply] [air whooshing]
[Oscar speaks in
foreign language]
Okay, nobody warned me
about how cold it gets
in the high desert,
like it's pretty cold up here.
But anyway, I, I don't care
because so I was trying to
find one place that Gary was at
and I found another.
[air whooshing]
This is just crazy.
Like I, again, like so thankful
to the people at Cypress,
to everybody that pointed
me in the right direction,
and I,
I just feel like I'm
really onto something here.
Then, he camped in the
Copper Creek Range area
for a few days.
[engine rumbling]
[crickets chirping]
So, the structure right here
used to actually be
a bank back in 1872,
and it burned down
in the crazy fire.
No, I'm just fucking with you
guys. I just made that up.
I, I don't know, but looks
like it'd be a safe thing.
I don't know what it is.
[crickets chirping]
[steps crunching]
The problem with finding
the same cabin as Gary
is that there's still so
many of these structures
from the Gold Rush days,
and they're scary as
fuck, I'm not gonna lie.
They always say that you
have to hit rock bottom
before you ask for help,
and Oscar definitely
hit rock bottom.
He was in the hospital twice.
One of those times,
he almost died.
And that was the catalyst
that pushed him forward
to crawling out of this hole
of darkness that he was in.
And really overcoming the stigma
that, you know, men
and mental health
and men can't ask
for help and change.
And Oscar wanted to change.
[suspenseful music]
Sheesh, still got it.
It's been a while
since I lit a fire.
My grandfather was the first man
that taught me how to light one,
so shout out,
shout out to you, grandpa.
Anyway, I know I don't have
that many followers out there,
and honestly, I'm not
doing this for followers.
Without getting
too much into it,
the past 10 years have
been fucking rough, man.
Honestly, just a lot of
pain, a lot of struggle.
And I don't know, when
I heard Gary's story
and everything that's going
on out here, I was just like,
man, it just ignited my
curiosity in the world again.
You know what I mean?
Like, I was just like,
I felt fucking alive
and it just, I knew
I had to come chase
this, you know?
Honestly, I wanna
find the cabin,
but even if I don't, I just
wanna find some sort of answers,
like something, just anything.
It, it's just, you know,
I was drowning my
feelings so much
that I just was so
numb to everything.
Such a dark place, like
honestly, I don't think anything
could fucking scare me anymore.
And maybe that's why
you guys are asking,
"Why is this fool
doing this at night?
Like, why is he out
here right now?"
Because I am not about
to be asleep in a tent
while, you know, who knows what
could be going on out here.
So, I'm staying awake.
I'm up ready for any
challenge that comes my way.
And I'm just realizing
that chasing this mystery
is more exciting than
anything I could ever find
in a bottle.
[gentle music]
Woo!
Woo!
Hey!
[Oscar laughing]
But anyway,
I'm out here.
I'm grateful for everybody
that's following my journey,
and I hope we find answers.
But in the meantime, I'm
gonna be cooking a hot dog
like a true American and
hopefully, I don't burn myself
or the forest doing it.
All right, catch y'all soon.
[gentle music]
[steps crunching]
[suspenseful music]
The Copper Creek
Range was uneventful.
So, Oscar came up with a plan
to go to the last location
where anything
mysterious had happened
and that was the Reinhold Mine,
where Ameliana Brasher
had disappeared.
[brooding music]
Not long after we released
our coverage of
Minerva and Ameliana,
law enforcement revealed some
new and disturbing details
that they had discovered in
the body cam footage of the EMthat was searching the
mining camp for Ameliana.
[brooding music]
After hearing what sounded like
a woman screaming for help,
he rushed into the mill.
[brooding music]
[steps crunching]
That's when things took a turn.
[crickets chirping]
Everyone obviously
saw the figure
at the bottom of the stairs,
but no one saw the figure
standing in front of the EMT.
[crickets chirping]
[suspenseful music]
[flashlight thudding]
The second that the
light leaves his hands.
[crickets chirping]
[suspenseful music]
You see a figure standing there.
[suspenseful music]
And then as fast as it appears,
it's gone.
[suspenseful music]
All right, well, I've been
camping out here for a week
and haven't seen anything
except for a couple
of elk and some deer.
Saw those wild horses, but
no mountain lions thankfully.
I've really been thinking
about heading back to Mexico
and really not
falling into the same,
and not falling into
the same type of trap,
you know, bullshit
that I was in.
And you know, I realized
that in my journey
trying to find Gary,
I kind of found myself and...
[camera clanking]
[birds chirping]
[steps crunching]
[birds chirping]
[birds chirping continues]
[steps crunching]
[birds chirping continues]
[steps crunching continues]
[tink tink tink
sound in distance]
[birds chirping continues]
[steps crunching continues]
Hello.
[birds chirping continues]
[steps crunching continues]
[tink tink tink
sound in distance]
[birds chirping continues]
[steps crunching continues]
[metal tink sound continues]
[birds chirping continues]
Hello.
[birds chirping continues]
[steps crunching continues]
[metal tink sound continues]
[birds chirping continues]
[steps crunching] [birds
chirping continues]
[tink tink tink sound]
[birds chirping continues]
[steps crunching] [birds
chirping continues]
[tink tink tink sound]
[birds chirping continues]
[steps crunching] [birds
chirping continues]
[tink tink tink sound]
[birds chirping continues]
[steps crunching] [birds
chirping continues]
[tink tink tink sound]
[birds chirping continues]
[steps crunching] [birds
chirping continues]
[tink tink tink sound]
[birds chirping continues]
[steps crunching] [birds
chirping continues]
[tink tink tink sound]
[birds chirping continues]
[steps crunching] [birds
chirping continues]
[metal clanking] [birds
chirping continues]
[steps crunching] [birds
chirping continues]
[steps crunching] [birds
chirping continues]
"There is a presence here.
To deny that, that
would be a lie.
I can't take one step without
the feeling of being watched."
[birds chirping]
I wanna see what do
these cables lead to.
See what I find.
[steps crunching] [birds
chirping continues]
[blades whirring]
I fucking made it.
It's crazy up here.
[birds chirping]
You could see the lower mill.
It's a cave or mine
has someone try
to cover up here.
[steps crunching]
[birds chirping]
[button clicking]
[birds chirping]
I moved the branches.
[suspenseful music]
Definitely gonna camp
out here tonight.
I won't make it
down before dark,
so I'm gonna build a big fire
and we'll see what happens.
[steps crunching]
[birds chirping]
[crickets chirping]
[steps crunching]
[steps crunching]
[brooding music]
[upbeat music]
As the hours went on,
Bill and Manny were receiving
phone calls and messages.
But unfortunately, these people
were just looking
for information
or trying to find a
way to be involved.
Manny was starting to lose hope,
but then he turned to a
page in Oscar's journal.
Manny, all of a sudden he's
going through the journal
and he shoots up and he's,
he turns to me and goes,
"I think I found something."
And I just say,
"Well, what is it?"
And he says, "What is FP?"
[train screeching]
"I'll never forget the
first time I heard it,
my laptop disconnected
from my headphones
and the sound was
blaring from my speakers
or I never would've heard it."
That sound could
only mean one thing,
Gary was on FP land.
[train screeching]
This could mean
that Gary was on Freight
Pacific land when he vanished.
Yeah.
You see that shit?
I ran straight up to it's tits.
I'm getting on
this motherfucker.
Yeah.
Private Freight Pacific Land.
Like we showed in
our original coverage
of Gary's disappearance,
law enforcement
then released some
of his final footage.
In one of his last videos,
he addresses the
camera and states
that he is a day and a half in
to his hike to the structure.
This would put him far away
from any town or highway
in that part of the state.
So essentially, he is already
in the middle of nowhere.
In the following video,
he's walking and
talking to the camera.
[Gary Hinge] Got a whole
nother mountain to climb.
We'll see what it's
like on the other side.
I think I can at least
get over it by night fall.
[suspenseful music]
"It has been there all along."
At the very end of this clip
is when Oscar caught it.
[Gary Hinge] I think I
can at least get over it
by nightfall
[steps crunching]
Right at the end of this video
in the distance, a horn sounds.
[Oscar Mendoza] See what
it's like on the other side.
Think I can at least get
over it by nightfall.
[steps crunching]
[horn blares in distance]
This makes Gary's decisions
make a lot more sense.
Police decided the best way,
or the only thing
they could think of
was to maybe check
his cell phone
and his cell phone
pings and watch tower.
And it looked to be as he
had turned his cell phone off
shortly after leaving his home.
Map Nevada, the company
that Gary worked for,
supplied and tracked
all of his equipment.
It's clear now why he
turned everything off.
He was trespassing.
Getting back to Oscar,
his truck was found just
outside of Copper Flat,
which is the last town that
Freight Pacific passes through
before entering their
private expansive land.
Once a train departs copper
flat, it is in no man's land.
[brooding music]
From that point, everything
came together really quickly.
"I hate lying to Manny,
but this is a last resort."
So, we're a little
bit outside of town.
This here, I don't know
if many of you know,
is called a siding, S-I-D-I-N-G.
Not sighting.
We might have some
sightings, but so,
because there's only one
track when two trains
are coming at the same time,
one pulls over to the siding
and waits for the
other one to pass.
So, my plan is to
wait here at night
until there's two
trains passing.
There's no schedule, so
it might wait for a while,
but it'll be worth it.
I'm gonna wait till
there's a siding
and jump on that train,
which will take me out
and deep into the desert,
which I can't really get to.
There are three
things out there.
Desert.
Old mines.
And ghost towns.
[brooding music]
Most notably, the
ghost town of Edna.
[brooding music]
In a joint deal, Freight Pacific
and Mantis Mining Company
purchased this land
in the late 1980s
and the rest of Edna
became a ghost town.
So then, the question became,
if Gary was this
far into his hike
then he was well outside
of any town or highway
where a train would
need to sound its horn.
So, why are we
hearing a train horn?
[suspenseful music]
As all these pieces
are coming together,
I get a phone call from the
police and they tell me,
"An FP engineer has
discovered a body
on the side of the tracks."
[brooding music]
They used the word body.
[brooding music]
And it matches
Oscar's description.
[brooding music]
[steps crunching]
[Oscar Mendoza] Fuck
yeah, it actually came.
It's about one in
the morning now.
I'm fucking nervous,
but this is my only
way to get there.
I gotta be strategic. I
can't be caught up here.
All right, this looks
like a good car here.
[air whooshing]
[Oscar grunting]
Holy shit, okay.
I can't get caught up here.
Looks like the coast is clear.
[train chugging]
"I explore at night and
sleep during most of the day.
I figure it's the only
way I have a chance
of catching a glimpse
behind the veil."
[train chugging]
"Obviously, whatever's
happening out here
is not confined to FP land.
Minerva and Ameliana on
Highway 50 prove that,
But I believe it would be
a great place to start.
[train chugging]
"This is where Gary may
have found the cabin."
[brooding music]
"This is where Gary may
have given up the ghost.
[train chugging]
[brooding music]
"I have to find Edna.
I think I know what to do."
[train chugging]
[brooding music]
[cricket chirping]
[steps crunching] [cricket
chirping continues]
[steps crunching continues]
[cricket chirping continues]
[steps crunching continues]
[cricket chirping continues]
[steps crunching continues]
[cricket chirping continues]
[Oscar Mendoza] This is it.
[cricket chirping]
[steps crunching] [cricket
chirping continues]
[steps crunching continues]
[steps crunching continues]
[steps crunching continues]
[steps crunching continues]
[muffled voices]
[steps crunching continues]
[Oscar breathing heavily]
[steps crunching continues]
[muffled voices] [steps
crunching continues]
[Oscar breathing heavily]
[steps crunching continues]
[more muffled voices]
[steps crunching continues]
[Oscar breathing heavily]
[steps crunching continues]
[Oscar breathing heavily]
[steps crunching continues]
[suspenseful music] [steps
crunching continues]
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
[crickets chirping]
[steps crunching]
[crickets chirping]
[crickets chirping]
[steps crunching] [crickets
chirping continues]
[steps crunching]
[crickets chirping]
[steps crunching continues]
[crickets chirping continues]
[crickets chirping]
[steps crunching] [crickets
chirping continues]
[steps crunching continues]
[crickets chirping continues]
[steps crunching]
[crickets chirping]
[crickets chirping]
[steps crunching] [crickets
chirping continues]
[steps crunching]
[steps crunching continues]
[steps crunching]
[Oscar Mendoza] Show yourself.
[steps crunching]
[steps crunching]
[footsteps on roof]
[steps crunching]
[steps crunching continues]
[steps crunching continues]
[door opens]
[steps crunching continues]
[metal clanking]
[steps crunching]
[camera shutter clicking]
Ahh.
[Oscar breathing
heavily] [brooding music]
[Gal Roberts] Oscar was found
lying on Freight Pacific
Land, clinging to life.
He was flown to Memorial
Hospital in Las Vegas.
When I saw him before he
went to Mexico, it was crazy.
It was almost like if he
was a different person.
He was paranoid and very jumpy.
It honestly made
me really nervous.
You could see the
fear on his face.
At the end of the day, Oscar
came here as a vlogger,
an influencer.
You know, he came to Nevada
because he wanted
a big discovery.
He wanted this big reveal
about what happened to Gary.
You know, is his footage
real or is it a hoax?
I mean, is it all staged?
The one thing that stands
out is that Gary is gone
and Minerva is gone.
Ameliana, she's gone.
But Oscar, he was found.
He's here.
Do I believe him?
You know, I, I feel
that he's authentic,
but I think that's
what we are left with.
I think that's what
we have to decide.
When we reached out to
Oscar for an interview,
he said he wasn't ready,
but he gave us permission
to use his footage
and some of his journal entries.
He also sent me this message.
Just read it?
Okay.
"I'm not ready to
talk about this yet.
I may be some time
in the future,
but I will tell you this,
no one there is safe.
Not outside, not inside.
They don't always
look like people."
[brooding music]
[brooding music]
[owl howling]
[suspenseful music]
[Daniel Prince]
In July of 2017,
avid outdoorsman
Gary Hinge vanished
into the high desert
of Northeastern Nevada.
Storms coming in. I
gotta make this quick.
[suspenseful music]
[dogs barking]
[Daniel Prince] His
disappearance became a bombshell
that would shed light on
a much larger mystery.
Gary vanished while
returning to the desert
to document a
mysterious structure
that he found on a
previous expedition.
[Beverly Hinge] He said
that the longer he stood
and looked at it, the
more spooked that he got,
the feeling of dread,
the sixth sense
that he needed to
get out of there.
[suspenseful music]
[Daniel Prince] Since then,
we've started connecting events
that we believe may hold
the clues to this puzzle.
[suspenseful music]
The mysterious death of a
woman named Minerva Sound.
[suspenseful music]
And the disappearance
of Ameliana Brasher.
[suspenseful music]
[Daniel Prince] In the time
since we first
shared Gary's story,
countless people have come
from all over the world
to search for the elusive
cabin seen in his final video.
So far, none of them have
turned up anything useful.
Until a man named Oscar Mendoza
came armed with a theory
that no one else had proposed.
Gary had secrets.
[suspenseful music]
[suspenseful music]
[suspenseful music]
[suspenseful music]
[thunder rumbling]
[suspenseful music]
[suspenseful music continues]
Oscar began his journey
on his own social media.
[car creaking]
[air whooshing]
He left Mexico and arrived
in Nevada June 1st, 2022.
And he went there to do what
we all have been trying to do,
and that's find answers.
Once he arrived in
Northeastern Nevada,
he checked into the
Rush Canyon Motel
where he basically treated
it as his home base.
He would recharge
batteries. He would shower.
He would dump his footage.
Four weeks later, he vanished.
[fire whooshing]
[suspenseful music]
Him making this trip
at this specific time
was not a coincidence.
[suspenseful music]
A fire was raging on the
western part of the state.
So every available
state employee,
county employee went over to
try and help battle this fire.
Most of them, however,
were on fire watch
to make sure that the
fire didn't spread
to the eastern
part of the state.
[suspenseful music]
Oscar saw this as the
perfect opportunity
to be able to come and
explore what happened to Gary,
because the rangers wouldn't
be there to stand in his way.
You know, this little
community was so sick
and tired of YouTubers
and influencers
coming and invading their space.
And now, that everybody was off,
you know, fighting this
fire that was happening,
he just jumped at the chance.
[suspenseful music]
It was a summer of the
most bizarre weather
because of these fires
that were occurring
on the western
part of the state.
Even though they were
hundreds of miles away,
they would sometimes create
this like unworldly haze.
[suspenseful music]
And then other days,
it would be blue skies
but incredibly windy.
[suspenseful music]
It was the perfect storm
and the perfect
formula for fires,
which is why everyone
was so concerned
and on fire watch.
[horn blaring]
[suspenseful music]
Oscar claimed that he
had insider information.
And so after a bit of
digging, we discovered
that he has a cousin who lives
right there in Eagle County.
Oscar had come by a
couple times in the past.
I wasn't able to
spend time with him,
but he went out and he
made a couple friends
with the locals so.
Oscar met [beep].
He used to work, you
know, for the police.
And when they were talking,
that's how he found out about
Gary and the two ladies.
[suspenseful music]
He became obsessed with it.
Because of this
insider friendship,
he learned that law enforcement
and professional hunting guides
now believed that
Gary went missing
in a place called
Copper Creek Range.
[gentle music]
This is what we thought
his secret information
may have been.
[suspenseful music]
We had a contingency.
It was, the plan
was really for him
to check in with me every day
through a satellite
phone that we had.
The day that Oscar went missing,
his plan was to camp at
the top of this mountain
that the locals
call Spook Mountain.
He was just supposed to
camp there one night,
and then he was gonna
go back into town,
visit with his cousin
Manny for a few days
before heading back to Mexico.
When I first knew
something was wrong,
it was, you know, when he
had called me the day before
and let me know that he
had gone into his camp,
he was supposed to check
in with me the next day,
but he, he didn't.
[horn blaring]
[suspenseful music]
I tried reaching
him multiple times.
He didn't respond.
I knew right where to go
because of the satellite phone.
[brooding music]
Manny arrives and there
is no sign of Oscar.
And not just Oscar,
I mean there's no sign
that Oscar even camped.
There's no tent.
There's no camping gear.
There's nothing.
It's as if Oscar
never even arrived.
[steps crunching]
His phone says he's right here.
I looked and...
[steps crunching]
There was a phone,
satellite phone
with the bright green tag on it.
[steps crunching]
The phone was buried.
Manny was very reluctant
to call the police
because so many people, as we
know, have come to this town,
you know, wanting to figure
out what happened to Gary,
and then they end up
needing rescuing themselves.
And this is basically
just the last thing
that this town needs right now.
[suspenseful music]
So, I left and went
directly to his motel.
[suspenseful music]
You know, my truck isn't there.
And so, I went to the front desk
and asked the lady if I
could go check his room.
She looked up at me
with this weird
look on her face.
She said,
"Honey, he checked
out a week ago."
[brooding music]
I was, I was stunned.
What the hell is going on here?
And then I was pissed.
You know, he had my
truck. We had a deal.
This is when Manny
goes to the police
and the police refuse
to do anything,
because Oscar willingly
checked out of his hotel.
I mean, he's a grown man
and he can do what he wants.
This is when he turns
to a well-known private
investigator in the area,
who you might remember
from Gary's story.
I wanted to figure out
what would be the one thing
that Oscar would keep
from his cousin and why.
As this was all unfolding,
we find out that Oscar
tried to reach out
and visit Beverly Hinge.
Now, for those of
you who don't know,
Beverly Hinge is
Gary Hinge's sister.
And Gary Hinge is the reason
we're all discussing this story.
I mean, he's the reason
this all started.
And Beverly was in no shape
to be meeting with anyone.
Since Gary's disappearance,
Beverly has been
getting messages
from people all over the world
telling her they know
where Gary's remains are.
I keep telling her,
"These people don't know.
They're strangers."
[suspenseful music]
There's one person
that has been
relentlessly messaging her
over and over.
The cops can't
figure out who it is.
I don't know who it is,
but they are relentless.
And
Beverly went out
looking for her brother
in the high desert.
[suspenseful music]
She got lost herself
and by the time she was
rescued, she was dehydrated.
She has been suffering from
multiple organ failures,
and she had to be hospitalized.
What Beverly endured
after the disappearance
of her brother,
no one should ever
have to go through.
After we did the
first interview,
I thought people would call in
and offer information, tips,
anything that would help
with this going on with Gary.
I was shocked, horrified
when people started
giving me backlash
and blaming me
and, and just the,
the bullying it,
I just never dreamed
that would happen.
And you know, Gary
being such a, [sniffs]
a soft soul having to
go through all that.
[suspenseful music]
[Daniel Prince] If you could
say something to the people
that put you in this position,
what would you say to them?
That-
[Daniel Prince] Why don't
you look right into this
camera.
- Okay.
[Daniel Prince] And tell,
speak directly to them.
Those who
have social media,
a lot of them, it's
their only company.
And please, please have a heart
and think about what
you're saying to them.
You don't know what
frame of mind they're in.
[gentle music]
[Beverly Hinge
sighing] [gentle music]
To not be provoked.
[gentle music]
It broke me then.
It, it broke me then.
I mean, it crippled me.
[gentle music]
Um, but I'm okay.
[gentle music]
Beverly has been called
every name in the book
by complete strangers
from all over the world,
and these people
don't even know her.
[suspenseful music]
As somebody who's gotten
to know her over the years,
I can tell you that
she loved her brother
and she would've done
anything, anything
to move mountains for him.
Right away, Bill and
Manny both decide
to post Oscar's photo
on social media,
different Facebook
groups, et cetera,
because it is the
quickest way, you know,
to get the word out
that someone is missing.
And immediately, they
hear from Dolly Broadbent,
who we interviewed
for the Minerva story.
That day, I had to
go grocery shopping
and just as I was
coming up to the gates,
that's when I met Oscar.
He had been emailing
me, you know,
but I really didn't take it
serious that he was gonna come.
So, I just kind of ignored him.
He was really determined
to come see Majesty Ranch.
I had to lie to him
and tell him I was
going to Salt Lake City.
Oscar got in contact with Dolly
through different online
forums, basically.
After he learned about
Gary's disappearance
and became just
obsessed with the story.
He joined all these different
groups and different forums.
And in one of them,
Dolly posted a bunch
and she posted a lot
of different stories
that took place on her
property, Majesty Ranch.
When I was growing up,
I knew there was
something going on.
[suspenseful music]
And my parents did a
really, really good job
in sheltering my sister and I.
But there were some things
that they just
couldn't hide from us.
[suspenseful music]
[thunder rumbling]
A lot of times before
anything would happen,
we would hear the sound
and it was like a
tink, tink, tink.
And we couldn't tell
where it was coming from.
You know, one minute, it would
sound like it was coming from
over there or over there.
But then when my parents
and my uncle heard,
my dad and my uncle came
and rushed my sister
and I in the house.
And they told us to stay in
the room and lock the door
and we wouldn't be able to
come out until the next day.
[suspenseful music]
[thunder rumbling]
The one thing that to this
day that really frightens me
is my sister and I were woken up
to the sound outside
of our window.
It sounded like crying,
but it was a man's voice
and it was deep and agonizing.
We ran to my parent's room
and my dad went running
outside with his shotgun.
[suspenseful music]
When he came in, we could
tell he had seen something.
We were homeschooled,
but when we'd go into town,
we could just tell what
people were thinking of us.
My dad was really affected
by all this, you know,
and by the way,
we all got treated
and nobody believed
him or believed us.
And so, he started
documenting things.
He had a box
and it was full of everything
that he had collected.
So, the box came up missing
and he used to hide
it in the barn,
and the county officials
came to do an inspection.
He was convinced that the
county officials had stolen it
during the inspection.
In Eagle County,
they really depend on tourists
and outdoor activities,
hunting, fishing.
So I don't think they
really wanna advertise
that people are
disappearing out here.
[suspenseful music]
[Gal Roberts] Not long after
Dolly called to inform them
that Oscar had shown
up at her ranch,
they received a very
interesting phone call
from a man named
Jonathon Monast.
Jonathon called because
he wanted to tell me
that he had encountered
something out in the desert.
He didn't know if it was Oscar,
but he thought it was important.
I thought he was telling
the truth, definitely.
And he was definitely spooked.
[crickets chirping]
I like riding out there.
It's a nice quiet area.
[engine rumbling]
[air whooshing]
It's just a, I
guess better word,
desolate area to ride.
[motor engine revving]
[suspenseful music]
I went out that far that night
because I needed
to clear my head
and really, there's no better
way than me and my bike.
[engine rumbling]
[air whooshing]
So, I was going
slower than normal
because the road work, you know.
I saw a couple of
signs coming up.
And then as I came on it, you
know, the road was all dug out
and it was just loose
gravel patches dropped down.
[engine rumbling]
[air whooshing]
Almost laid the bike down.
I got through there.
Just kept going slow,
didn't know if there was gonna
be more road work coming.
[engine rumbling]
[air whooshing]
At the end of the road work,
right after I had
just gotten past it,
I went to go open the bike back
up and pick my speed way up
and that's, that's
when I saw it.
[engine rumbling]
[air whooshing]
It looked like there was a man,
like a crumpled up man,
on the side of the road.
And, you know, they were,
it was moving around.
My first thought in passing it
was that there must be
an accident or something.
But then, I, I quickly realized
that there wasn't any cars,
there was nothing.
So, I thought maybe it
was another motorcyclist
that, you know, his bike had
gone possibly off the road
into the ditch, didn't
really know exactly
what to think about it.
[engine rumbling]
[air whooshing]
My headlights are
lighting up the area.
He was gone.
[brooding music]
[engine rumbling]
[air whooshing]
[steps crunching]
And I start hearing what
sounds like footsteps.
[steps crunching]
[crickets chirping]
Hello.
[steps crunching]
[crickets chirping]
Anyone out there?
[crickets chirping]
[steps crunching] [crickets
chirping continues]
I called out a few times trying
to get anyone's attention.
[crickets chirping]
[Speaker] Hello.
[crickets chirping]
At that point, I decided to
start walking up the hill.
'cause I was thinking maybe
they've got a concussion
or, you know, something
else is wrong.
[crickets chirping]
I look up the hill
a little ways,
kind of in that direction,
and there's just this massive
cave on the side of the hill.
[steps crunching]
[crickets chirping]
[owl howling] [crickets
chirping continues]
[steps crunching] [crickets
chirping continues]
That's when I saw him again.
[brooding music]
And as he went into the cave,
it, there's, I can't
really describe it,
but there was just something
really, really off about him.
[brooding music]
It definitely creeped me
out, everything about it.
But I always carry a gun with me
and so, I went to go
check it out still,
just in case it was
someone that needed help.
[suspenseful music]
[crickets chirping]
Hello?
[suspenseful music]
[crickets chirping]
[suspenseful music
continues] [steps crunching]
[suspenseful music continues]
[crickets chirping]
[suspenseful music
continues] [steps crunching]
[suspenseful music continues]
[crickets chirping]
You know, from the road, it
looked like a pretty big cave,
but when you get up to it,
it's actually really shallow
and, you know, I could see
the whole thing, all of it.
There's nowhere he
could have gone.
[suspenseful music continues]
[crickets chirping]
[suspenseful music continues]
[gentle music]
Oscar was raised
by our grandparents
and, you know,
my grandpa was his hero.
Our grandpa's death, you
know, pushed him over.
[gentle music]
He was already struggling.
And then, you know, that
seemed to snap something.
Oscar's dad was never
really in the picture.
And, you know, my aunt,
she was a very troubled person.
It took its toll on him.
This trip meant a
lot more to Oscar
than just figuring out
what had happened to Gary.
This trip started
because Oscar wanted
to leave a life behind,
and that life was
basically a 10-year battle
with depression and alcoholism.
And he just wanted
to start new, fresh.
I mean, he dyed his hair.
This was a whole new
beginning for him.
I was scared that he had
done something to himself.
[suspenseful music]
First break was the
cops put out an APB
and it worked.
They found Oscar's
truck on a dirt road,
outside of Copper flat.
[suspenseful music]
Copper Flat is a small,
unincorporated town,
which is about a hundred
miles northeast of Cypress,
which is where he was
originally staying.
He had rented a room there.
I was sick to my stomach
when Bill was opening the door.
I was afraid what we were
going to find in there.
It looked like he had
just dropped off his stuff
because his bed looked like
it hadn't been slept in
and he left his
computer, his journals,
and his hard drives.
[Videographer] So
beautiful out here,
but also what is out here?
[air whooshing]
In these early
videos, we see Oscar
and he is just bursting at
the seams with excitement.
I mean, he is over the moon
to be able to be here in Nevada
doing his own investigation
and you can clearly see that.
Here's the proof, I'm here.
Let's see what I find.
[water glugging]
[steps crunching]
It's beautiful.
Manny and I start going
through Oscar stuff,
just trying to find
anything that we can
to help us figure
out where he is.
I didn't wanna read
his private stuff,
but if you know,
it was gonna help find him then.
Manny didn't share
any intimate details
of Oscar's journal.
He only shared, you
know, the important stuff
to help the investigation along.
But he did share one
entry that I found really,
it was really, it
was really touching.
"What I'm doing out here
might not be the safest thing
I've ever done, but for the
first time in a very long time,
I remember what it feels like
to live outside of the space
in my head.
This journey has saved me
from being too far gone."
[suspenseful music]
[train chugging]
Here she is, Number 81.
Yeah.
Wo!
Yeah, baby.
[train whistles]
Yeah.
[train whistles]
[train chugging]
Yeah.
[Manny Martinez laughing]
It was a huge relief
to see him have fun.
Ooh, it's like a
musical instrument.
[footsteps thumping]
Hey.
I thought, "Okay,
he's gonna be okay."
His first few days,
he just wanted to
be in Gary's shoes.
[Oscar breathing
deeply] [air whooshing]
[Oscar speaks in
foreign language]
Okay, nobody warned me
about how cold it gets
in the high desert,
like it's pretty cold up here.
But anyway, I, I don't care
because so I was trying to
find one place that Gary was at
and I found another.
[air whooshing]
This is just crazy.
Like I, again, like so thankful
to the people at Cypress,
to everybody that pointed
me in the right direction,
and I,
I just feel like I'm
really onto something here.
Then, he camped in the
Copper Creek Range area
for a few days.
[engine rumbling]
[crickets chirping]
So, the structure right here
used to actually be
a bank back in 1872,
and it burned down
in the crazy fire.
No, I'm just fucking with you
guys. I just made that up.
I, I don't know, but looks
like it'd be a safe thing.
I don't know what it is.
[crickets chirping]
[steps crunching]
The problem with finding
the same cabin as Gary
is that there's still so
many of these structures
from the Gold Rush days,
and they're scary as
fuck, I'm not gonna lie.
They always say that you
have to hit rock bottom
before you ask for help,
and Oscar definitely
hit rock bottom.
He was in the hospital twice.
One of those times,
he almost died.
And that was the catalyst
that pushed him forward
to crawling out of this hole
of darkness that he was in.
And really overcoming the stigma
that, you know, men
and mental health
and men can't ask
for help and change.
And Oscar wanted to change.
[suspenseful music]
Sheesh, still got it.
It's been a while
since I lit a fire.
My grandfather was the first man
that taught me how to light one,
so shout out,
shout out to you, grandpa.
Anyway, I know I don't have
that many followers out there,
and honestly, I'm not
doing this for followers.
Without getting
too much into it,
the past 10 years have
been fucking rough, man.
Honestly, just a lot of
pain, a lot of struggle.
And I don't know, when
I heard Gary's story
and everything that's going
on out here, I was just like,
man, it just ignited my
curiosity in the world again.
You know what I mean?
Like, I was just like,
I felt fucking alive
and it just, I knew
I had to come chase
this, you know?
Honestly, I wanna
find the cabin,
but even if I don't, I just
wanna find some sort of answers,
like something, just anything.
It, it's just, you know,
I was drowning my
feelings so much
that I just was so
numb to everything.
Such a dark place, like
honestly, I don't think anything
could fucking scare me anymore.
And maybe that's why
you guys are asking,
"Why is this fool
doing this at night?
Like, why is he out
here right now?"
Because I am not about
to be asleep in a tent
while, you know, who knows what
could be going on out here.
So, I'm staying awake.
I'm up ready for any
challenge that comes my way.
And I'm just realizing
that chasing this mystery
is more exciting than
anything I could ever find
in a bottle.
[gentle music]
Woo!
Woo!
Hey!
[Oscar laughing]
But anyway,
I'm out here.
I'm grateful for everybody
that's following my journey,
and I hope we find answers.
But in the meantime, I'm
gonna be cooking a hot dog
like a true American and
hopefully, I don't burn myself
or the forest doing it.
All right, catch y'all soon.
[gentle music]
[steps crunching]
[suspenseful music]
The Copper Creek
Range was uneventful.
So, Oscar came up with a plan
to go to the last location
where anything
mysterious had happened
and that was the Reinhold Mine,
where Ameliana Brasher
had disappeared.
[brooding music]
Not long after we released
our coverage of
Minerva and Ameliana,
law enforcement revealed some
new and disturbing details
that they had discovered in
the body cam footage of the EMthat was searching the
mining camp for Ameliana.
[brooding music]
After hearing what sounded like
a woman screaming for help,
he rushed into the mill.
[brooding music]
[steps crunching]
That's when things took a turn.
[crickets chirping]
Everyone obviously
saw the figure
at the bottom of the stairs,
but no one saw the figure
standing in front of the EMT.
[crickets chirping]
[suspenseful music]
[flashlight thudding]
The second that the
light leaves his hands.
[crickets chirping]
[suspenseful music]
You see a figure standing there.
[suspenseful music]
And then as fast as it appears,
it's gone.
[suspenseful music]
All right, well, I've been
camping out here for a week
and haven't seen anything
except for a couple
of elk and some deer.
Saw those wild horses, but
no mountain lions thankfully.
I've really been thinking
about heading back to Mexico
and really not
falling into the same,
and not falling into
the same type of trap,
you know, bullshit
that I was in.
And you know, I realized
that in my journey
trying to find Gary,
I kind of found myself and...
[camera clanking]
[birds chirping]
[steps crunching]
[birds chirping]
[birds chirping continues]
[steps crunching]
[birds chirping continues]
[steps crunching continues]
[tink tink tink
sound in distance]
[birds chirping continues]
[steps crunching continues]
Hello.
[birds chirping continues]
[steps crunching continues]
[tink tink tink
sound in distance]
[birds chirping continues]
[steps crunching continues]
[metal tink sound continues]
[birds chirping continues]
Hello.
[birds chirping continues]
[steps crunching continues]
[metal tink sound continues]
[birds chirping continues]
[steps crunching] [birds
chirping continues]
[tink tink tink sound]
[birds chirping continues]
[steps crunching] [birds
chirping continues]
[tink tink tink sound]
[birds chirping continues]
[steps crunching] [birds
chirping continues]
[tink tink tink sound]
[birds chirping continues]
[steps crunching] [birds
chirping continues]
[tink tink tink sound]
[birds chirping continues]
[steps crunching] [birds
chirping continues]
[tink tink tink sound]
[birds chirping continues]
[steps crunching] [birds
chirping continues]
[tink tink tink sound]
[birds chirping continues]
[steps crunching] [birds
chirping continues]
[metal clanking] [birds
chirping continues]
[steps crunching] [birds
chirping continues]
[steps crunching] [birds
chirping continues]
"There is a presence here.
To deny that, that
would be a lie.
I can't take one step without
the feeling of being watched."
[birds chirping]
I wanna see what do
these cables lead to.
See what I find.
[steps crunching] [birds
chirping continues]
[blades whirring]
I fucking made it.
It's crazy up here.
[birds chirping]
You could see the lower mill.
It's a cave or mine
has someone try
to cover up here.
[steps crunching]
[birds chirping]
[button clicking]
[birds chirping]
I moved the branches.
[suspenseful music]
Definitely gonna camp
out here tonight.
I won't make it
down before dark,
so I'm gonna build a big fire
and we'll see what happens.
[steps crunching]
[birds chirping]
[crickets chirping]
[steps crunching]
[steps crunching]
[brooding music]
[upbeat music]
As the hours went on,
Bill and Manny were receiving
phone calls and messages.
But unfortunately, these people
were just looking
for information
or trying to find a
way to be involved.
Manny was starting to lose hope,
but then he turned to a
page in Oscar's journal.
Manny, all of a sudden he's
going through the journal
and he shoots up and he's,
he turns to me and goes,
"I think I found something."
And I just say,
"Well, what is it?"
And he says, "What is FP?"
[train screeching]
"I'll never forget the
first time I heard it,
my laptop disconnected
from my headphones
and the sound was
blaring from my speakers
or I never would've heard it."
That sound could
only mean one thing,
Gary was on FP land.
[train screeching]
This could mean
that Gary was on Freight
Pacific land when he vanished.
Yeah.
You see that shit?
I ran straight up to it's tits.
I'm getting on
this motherfucker.
Yeah.
Private Freight Pacific Land.
Like we showed in
our original coverage
of Gary's disappearance,
law enforcement
then released some
of his final footage.
In one of his last videos,
he addresses the
camera and states
that he is a day and a half in
to his hike to the structure.
This would put him far away
from any town or highway
in that part of the state.
So essentially, he is already
in the middle of nowhere.
In the following video,
he's walking and
talking to the camera.
[Gary Hinge] Got a whole
nother mountain to climb.
We'll see what it's
like on the other side.
I think I can at least
get over it by night fall.
[suspenseful music]
"It has been there all along."
At the very end of this clip
is when Oscar caught it.
[Gary Hinge] I think I
can at least get over it
by nightfall
[steps crunching]
Right at the end of this video
in the distance, a horn sounds.
[Oscar Mendoza] See what
it's like on the other side.
Think I can at least get
over it by nightfall.
[steps crunching]
[horn blares in distance]
This makes Gary's decisions
make a lot more sense.
Police decided the best way,
or the only thing
they could think of
was to maybe check
his cell phone
and his cell phone
pings and watch tower.
And it looked to be as he
had turned his cell phone off
shortly after leaving his home.
Map Nevada, the company
that Gary worked for,
supplied and tracked
all of his equipment.
It's clear now why he
turned everything off.
He was trespassing.
Getting back to Oscar,
his truck was found just
outside of Copper Flat,
which is the last town that
Freight Pacific passes through
before entering their
private expansive land.
Once a train departs copper
flat, it is in no man's land.
[brooding music]
From that point, everything
came together really quickly.
"I hate lying to Manny,
but this is a last resort."
So, we're a little
bit outside of town.
This here, I don't know
if many of you know,
is called a siding, S-I-D-I-N-G.
Not sighting.
We might have some
sightings, but so,
because there's only one
track when two trains
are coming at the same time,
one pulls over to the siding
and waits for the
other one to pass.
So, my plan is to
wait here at night
until there's two
trains passing.
There's no schedule, so
it might wait for a while,
but it'll be worth it.
I'm gonna wait till
there's a siding
and jump on that train,
which will take me out
and deep into the desert,
which I can't really get to.
There are three
things out there.
Desert.
Old mines.
And ghost towns.
[brooding music]
Most notably, the
ghost town of Edna.
[brooding music]
In a joint deal, Freight Pacific
and Mantis Mining Company
purchased this land
in the late 1980s
and the rest of Edna
became a ghost town.
So then, the question became,
if Gary was this
far into his hike
then he was well outside
of any town or highway
where a train would
need to sound its horn.
So, why are we
hearing a train horn?
[suspenseful music]
As all these pieces
are coming together,
I get a phone call from the
police and they tell me,
"An FP engineer has
discovered a body
on the side of the tracks."
[brooding music]
They used the word body.
[brooding music]
And it matches
Oscar's description.
[brooding music]
[steps crunching]
[Oscar Mendoza] Fuck
yeah, it actually came.
It's about one in
the morning now.
I'm fucking nervous,
but this is my only
way to get there.
I gotta be strategic. I
can't be caught up here.
All right, this looks
like a good car here.
[air whooshing]
[Oscar grunting]
Holy shit, okay.
I can't get caught up here.
Looks like the coast is clear.
[train chugging]
"I explore at night and
sleep during most of the day.
I figure it's the only
way I have a chance
of catching a glimpse
behind the veil."
[train chugging]
"Obviously, whatever's
happening out here
is not confined to FP land.
Minerva and Ameliana on
Highway 50 prove that,
But I believe it would be
a great place to start.
[train chugging]
"This is where Gary may
have found the cabin."
[brooding music]
"This is where Gary may
have given up the ghost.
[train chugging]
[brooding music]
"I have to find Edna.
I think I know what to do."
[train chugging]
[brooding music]
[cricket chirping]
[steps crunching] [cricket
chirping continues]
[steps crunching continues]
[cricket chirping continues]
[steps crunching continues]
[cricket chirping continues]
[steps crunching continues]
[cricket chirping continues]
[Oscar Mendoza] This is it.
[cricket chirping]
[steps crunching] [cricket
chirping continues]
[steps crunching continues]
[steps crunching continues]
[steps crunching continues]
[steps crunching continues]
[muffled voices]
[steps crunching continues]
[Oscar breathing heavily]
[steps crunching continues]
[muffled voices] [steps
crunching continues]
[Oscar breathing heavily]
[steps crunching continues]
[more muffled voices]
[steps crunching continues]
[Oscar breathing heavily]
[steps crunching continues]
[Oscar breathing heavily]
[steps crunching continues]
[suspenseful music] [steps
crunching continues]
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
[crickets chirping]
[steps crunching]
[crickets chirping]
[crickets chirping]
[steps crunching] [crickets
chirping continues]
[steps crunching]
[crickets chirping]
[steps crunching continues]
[crickets chirping continues]
[crickets chirping]
[steps crunching] [crickets
chirping continues]
[steps crunching continues]
[crickets chirping continues]
[steps crunching]
[crickets chirping]
[crickets chirping]
[steps crunching] [crickets
chirping continues]
[steps crunching]
[steps crunching continues]
[steps crunching]
[Oscar Mendoza] Show yourself.
[steps crunching]
[steps crunching]
[footsteps on roof]
[steps crunching]
[steps crunching continues]
[steps crunching continues]
[door opens]
[steps crunching continues]
[metal clanking]
[steps crunching]
[camera shutter clicking]
Ahh.
[Oscar breathing
heavily] [brooding music]
[Gal Roberts] Oscar was found
lying on Freight Pacific
Land, clinging to life.
He was flown to Memorial
Hospital in Las Vegas.
When I saw him before he
went to Mexico, it was crazy.
It was almost like if he
was a different person.
He was paranoid and very jumpy.
It honestly made
me really nervous.
You could see the
fear on his face.
At the end of the day, Oscar
came here as a vlogger,
an influencer.
You know, he came to Nevada
because he wanted
a big discovery.
He wanted this big reveal
about what happened to Gary.
You know, is his footage
real or is it a hoax?
I mean, is it all staged?
The one thing that stands
out is that Gary is gone
and Minerva is gone.
Ameliana, she's gone.
But Oscar, he was found.
He's here.
Do I believe him?
You know, I, I feel
that he's authentic,
but I think that's
what we are left with.
I think that's what
we have to decide.
When we reached out to
Oscar for an interview,
he said he wasn't ready,
but he gave us permission
to use his footage
and some of his journal entries.
He also sent me this message.
Just read it?
Okay.
"I'm not ready to
talk about this yet.
I may be some time
in the future,
but I will tell you this,
no one there is safe.
Not outside, not inside.
They don't always
look like people."
[brooding music]
[brooding music]