On June 17, 1982, the Stokes family left Jackson, Mississippi, early in the morning for what was meant to be a joyful road trip to the Smoky Mountains. Reverend Elijah, his wife Clarice, and their three children packed their 1978 Chevrolet Suburban with camping gear, food, and even a kayak, ready for an adventure. Their journey took them through small towns until they were last seen at a gas station in Alabama, where Maya, their eldest, handed a clerk a drawing of a bird.
After that, the family seemed to vanish without a trace. No bank activity or phone calls followed, and their vehicle remained missing for two decades. The trail went cold until retired postal worker James Mercer found a rusted Mississippi license plate and broken car parts half-buried in Tennessee’s Wheeler National Forest in 2002. Authorities soon located the stripped Suburban in a ravine, containing partial human bones and personal items belonging to the family.
An investigation found the car had been moved there years after the family disappeared, leading to questions about what actually happened. Disturbing clues emerged, including cryptic maps, warnings, and a possible link to a mysterious religious sect, deepening the mystery that remains unsolved.
