In June 1969, Dennis Lloyd Martin walked off to play a prank on his dad and never returned, sparking the largest search effort in the history of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Who is Dennis Martin
Although search party for Dennis Martin quickly grew to include upwards of 1,400 people, including U.S. Army Green Berets, no trace of him was ever found.
Dennis Lloyd Martin (born June 20, 1962) is an American child who disappeared on June 14, 1969 in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee at the age of six. The search effort was the most extensive in the park’s history, involving approximately 1,400 searchers and a 56-square-mile (150 km2) area.
Is Dennis Martin still alive?
June 14, 1969: Dennis Martin goes missing
The Martin family planned a weekend camping on the Appalachian Trail in the Spence Field area. It was accessible at the time by three routes: Two trails and one Jeep road from Spence Field to other locations.
It was late in the afternoon when Dennis disappeared, only six days before his seventh birthday. Dennis, his 9-year-old brother and two other unrelated friends had been playing near Spence Field when they decided to “sneak up” on their father, grandfather, and other adults, according to Clay Jordan, the current Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s deputy superintendent.