Horror Nights - The Forest

OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENT

Forest Horror Nights opens with a truck engine still running, headlights cutting through fog, and no driver in sight—just a foil wrapper on the dashboard that nobody can explain. That is the kind of image this horror show builds every episode around, one complete story at a time, pulled apart piece by piece until you understand exactly how someone walked into the woods and didn't walk out the same. This is a narrated horror documentary podcast with no host chatting in your ear, no banter, no filler. Each episode reconstructs a real case in careful detail: the timeline, the search parties, the physical evidence left behind, the small details investigators can't stop thinking about. You get boots found nine miles from where a woman disappeared, still laced, her feet bare and silent when they found her alive. You get a man whose footprints simply stop on a boulder, as if he stepped out of his own shoes and vanished. These aren't jump-scare stories. They're true horror tales built from case files, witness accounts, and the unanswered questions that make the woods feel different once you know them. The themes running through this horror-driven show are the ones people search for late at night when they can't sleep: creepy encounters on isolated trails, scary true stories from search-and-rescue logs, disappearances near campgrounds, sounds recorded by hikers who never explain what they heard. The forest is the constant thread—not as a backdrop, but as a character that keeps its own secrets, feeding a quiet sense of horror that never quite fades. Every episode asks the same quiet question: what actually happened out there, and why does no one ever fully explain it. New horror episodes drop regularly, each one a self-contained descent into a different case. Subscribe to Forest Horror Nights so you don't miss the next chilling chapter waiting in the trees.

  1. 12h ago

    The orange beacon blinked on bare rock and outlived its batteries

    A retired birdwatcher finds an orange rescue beacon blinking on sunlit limestone at 8,100 ft - how did that beacon expose where Gordon Reed went? The orange beacon blinked on bare rock and outlived its batteries In this episode, we follow the week-long search that unfolded after Gordon Reed failed to return from a permited trip into the Crestfall Range. The story traces the decisions, weather shifts, and small discoveries that redirected the hunt - and asks how a blinking Ortovox beacon on bare rock changed the searchers’ assumptions. Person: Gordon Reed Date: May 2-11, 2019 Location: Harrow Creek, Crestfall Range Device: Ortovox S1+ rescue beacon Search: Eleven square miles, May 4-10 - Gordon filed a permit and parked at Ridgeback Trailhead the morning permit opened on May 3; his last call to his wife was May 2 at 6:40 pm. - SAR leader Eric Thorpe set the search grid to a floor of 9,400 ft based on Gordon’s archived route and organized teams, dogs, and aerials. - On day two, dogs trailed to a flooded choke point at mile 6.2 and then lost the scent where Harrow Creek was running high from snowmelt. - An unseasonable warm front on May 9 collapsed 40-60% of the snowpack above 9,800 ft, prompting Thorpe to suspend high-elevation search zones for safety. - On May 11 at 7:22 am, birdwatcher Stanley Price photographed a blinking orange beacon on bare limestone at 8,100 ft with no snow within 1,300 vertical feet; the device was later recovered still transmitting at 34% battery. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.

    The orange beacon blinked on bare rock and outlived its batteries
  2. 1d ago

    The journal followed fence posts downhill and sent searches four miles astray

    A botanical student loses the trail in Sycamore Notch, then a journal shows up tied to a distant farm fence - how did it cross a ridge? The journal followed fence posts downhill and sent searches four miles astray In this episode, we follow the documented moves in a missing person’s journal and the methodical search that missed a whole slope. The episode covers where scent trails stopped, what Denise wrote, and the map decisions that focused teams in the wrong place - could a single journal redirect an entire search? Person: Denise Owens Date: April 7-14 (entries and discovery) Location: Sycamore Notch Wilderness Area; Millhaven Road Pruett farm fence Status: Missing when journal found; later hospital record notes knee sprain Event: Journal entries describing moving downhill following fence posts - A 16-year-old found a dark green Moleskine wedged in Pruett farm fence wire with no boot prints in the mud. - Dogs tracked Denise’s scent 2.3 miles into the wilderness and stopped on a granite shelf above Cutter Creek with no trail onward. - The journal’s first readable entry is April 11: "Lost the trail... Knee wrong. Sleeping in a low spot," four days after the last confirmed sighting. - April 12 entry: "Moved downhill following fence posts. Think I saw the road," which implies descent toward Millhaven Road not covered by search grids. - Search grids were drawn radiating from the granite shelf; the Pruett fence and western slope were not on any SAR map in use. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.

    The journal followed fence posts downhill and sent searches four miles astray
  3. 2d ago

    The orange bivy kit appeared past a locked gate and stalled the search

    A bright orange bivy appears in a sealed snow alcove two miles past a locked gate, and the only keyholder insists she never placed it - how did that expose them? The orange bivy kit appeared past a locked gate and stalled the search In this episode, we follow the search for Grant Hensley and the moment an arranged orange survival shelter is found in untouched snow beyond a locked gate. The team must decide what the bivouac means for the missing-person search and for the people who had access to the road. Person: Grant Hensley Date: March 4-8 Location: Ridgeback Plateau, Ridgeback Plateau Road alcove Person: Susan Casey Person: Tom Aldrich - Grant left at 7:00 AM on March 4 with a day-hike permit, light gear, and a promise to be back by dark. - Tom Aldrich, Grant’s neighbor and emergency contact, administered Pocket the dog’s insulin at 7:00 PM when Grant failed to return. - Susan Casey, the seasonal plow operator, found a fully arranged orange bivouac kit at 6:40 AM on March 8 two miles past a gate locked since January. - Deputy Marsh Erwin and SAR coordinator Connie Parker documented an intact tent, rolled sleeping bag, sealed hand warmers, and no boot prints or vehicle tracks around the alcove. - Harrow County Search and Rescue paused their grid search for thirty-six hours to process the bivouac as potential evidence and determine who could have placed it. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.

    The orange bivy kit appeared past a locked gate and stalled the search
  4. 3d ago

    The Forty Basalt Slabs Flipped The Circle and Erased Her Forty Minutes

    A circle of basalt slabs in Oregon was flipped before dawn, and a geology student lost forty minutes of memory - how did that expose them? The Forty Basalt Slabs Flipped The Circle and Erased Her Forty Minutes In this episode, we walk through the scene and sequence of events surrounding a missing-person case in the Harrow Creek Wilderness that centers on a forty-foot circle of flipped basalt slabs. We outline who was there, what the evidence shows, and the precise gaps that make the night of February 11, 2019 still unresolved. Person: Kelly O'Connor, 23, second-year geology graduate student Location: Broken Ledge talus field, Harrow Creek Wilderness, Deschane National Forest Date: Night of February 11, 2019 (reported February 14, 2019) Event: Forty basalt slabs flipped face-down inside a 40-foot radius; woman found with missing forty minutes of memory Witness: Monica Wilson, 38, utility lineman who spotted the circle while responding to a power line trip - Kelly made weekly pre-dawn field check-in calls every Wednesday at 5:45 a.m. for fourteen months and did not miss any until after February 6, 2019. - On February 11 Kelly went alone to the Broken Ledge talus field, set up camp, and was prepared for extreme overnight conditions with proper gear and experience. - A missed phone call triggered a search; trained rescuers initially walked past the exact spot until Monica Wilson, a lineman, spotted the pale undersides of the slabs on February 14. - Dogs lost a scent at a precise perimeter around the flipped-circle in ideal tracking conditions, and a piece of equipment was driven into rock in a manner inconsistent with accident. - A utility line tripped at 2:17 a.m. a mile and a third away the same night, registering a power surge with no confirmed cause, recorded separately from the scene evidence. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.

    The Forty Basalt Slabs Flipped The Circle and Erased Her Forty Minutes
  5. 4d ago

    The Wading That Erased Her Trail and Closed the Case

    A lone wet wading boot stands in a snowbank near Split Rock Crossing - how did that expose Kathleen Ford? The Wading That Erased Her Trail and Closed the Case In this episode, we follow the nineteen-day documented record of the search for Kathleen Ford, from the last known positions and witness statements to the searchers’ grid and the puzzling physical evidence that didn’t fit. What decisions and missed details kept the trail from leading anywhere? Person: Kathleen Ford Date: January 10-29 Location: Split Rock Crossing; Sable Creek fire road Person: Dennis Rourke Person: Angela Bowers - Kathleen was last seen at Split Rock Crossing on January 11, standing on the west-bank gravel bar opposite Dennis Rourke. - Two SAR dogs on January 12 picked up her scent on the gravel bar, tracked along the bank, then stopped where the scent abruptly ended. - Search teams centered a grid on the crossing, searched for six days with helicopters and volunteers through 22-inch snowpack and found no additional trail. - Dennis’s initial statement omitted that Kathleen had waded into the current to free a snagged line and then returned to the west bank; he mentioned it only on Day Six. - A single left wading boot, dry inside and upright in a roadside snowbank along the Sable Creek fire road, was found January 19 eighteen days after a trail crew had marked that snowbank clean. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.

    The Wading That Erased Her Trail and Closed the Case
  6. 5d ago

    The handprints that braced the bank and stopped the search

    A meter reader finds two small handprints in a frozen canyon-how did those handprints expose what happened in the Harlan Creek search? The handprints that braced the bank and stopped the search In this episode, we follow the four-day search after sixty-two-year-old Julie Simpson vanished at Harlan Creek and the odd clues that complicated the response. We outline the sequence of events, field observations, and procedural choices that left searchers with more questions than answers about where she went and what the handprints meant. Person: Julie Simpson Date: December 9, 2011 Location: Harlan Creek, Sutter Gap National Forest Person: Tom Alcott Event: single boot found mid-creek four miles downstream - Judith Nelson discovered two three-inch-wide palm prints pressed into the creek-bank mud sixty feet from the waterline with no trail away. - Julie Simpson hiked the loop intending to finish it before snow closed the trail and entered a mid-thigh crossing as river gauge read 2.3 feet. - Tom Alcott saw Julie step into the water, heard one sound, turned, and she was gone; he searched banks for twenty minutes before driving for help. - Search dogs lost scent at the creek margin, interpreted by SAR to mean Simpson entered the water and did not exit on the same bank. - Jason Boyd’s team used SAR probability tables based on a 1.7-foot baseline, while the actual gauge at 2.3 feet expanded potential drift ranges downstream. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.

    The handprints that braced the bank and stopped the search
  7. 6d ago

    The deer camera that proved she was still walking

    A deer camera in Dolores County filmed a woman on Forest Road 141 after she was declared presumed dead - how did that expose them? The deer camera that proved she was still walking In this episode, we follow the timeline and decisions that framed Patricia Hamilton’s disappearance and the search effort that failed to find her. The episode traces search protocols, the discovery of a single motion image on a ranger kiosk deer camera, and the unanswered question of why no one had looked where she walked. Person: Patricia Hamilton Date: November 11, 2019 (camera image at 6:17 AM) Location: Forest Road 141, Dolores County, Colorado Status: Declared missing, presumed dead before camera image Person: Diane Okafor - Patricia left a known trailhead in Harlan Creek Wilderness on November 3 and was last seen by a male day hiker that morning. - Dolores County Search and Rescue logged over 140 searcher-hours, deployed scent dogs, ground teams, and aerial sweeps within the first 72 hours. - Bloodhounds traced scent to a dry wash at mile 4.2 where the trail stopped cleanly and search grids pushed west into canyon terrain. - Search coordinator Gregory Burke followed standard protocol and called the search terminated on November 10; the community was notified and the area began to freeze at night. - A volunteer, Susan Lawson, found a blinking deer-camera light in a locked ranger kiosk; deputy Kevin Marsh reviewed the card and found the authenticated November 11 image of Patricia walking east with a pack. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.

    The deer camera that proved she was still walking
  8. Sep 19

    The orange hunting vest that left her truck three miles away

    A folded orange hunting vest hung on a pine three miles from her truck, and a trained searcher had vanished into Cold Creek-how did that expose her? The orange hunting vest that left her truck three miles away In this episode, we follow the timeline and the people involved in the search for a missing volunteer search-and-rescue member in eastern Idaho. We trace the scene items, the volunteer response, and the puzzles those discoveries created for the teams on the ground; what questions do those objects leave hanging? Person: Marcia Hughes, 48, EMT and 11-year Dellard County Search and Rescue volunteer Date: October 10-14, 2019 Location: Cold Creek Drainage, Harlan National Forest, eastern Idaho Event: Disappearance and seven-day search People: Pete Sondergaard (51) and Tom Briley (44) with Marcia on October 10 - Marcia had hunted the Cold Creek Drainage six consecutive Octobers and routinely volunteered for Dellard County SAR every Thursday for eleven years. - On October 10 she went into the wilderness with Pete and Tom; they lost contact around 11:00 AM at a 6,900-foot saddle and reported her missing 5 hours and 40 minutes later. - Search teams found a folded granola bar wrapper at 6,600 feet, Marcia’s daypack at 6,600 feet, and her rifle 40 feet uphill with the safety engaged, suggesting she had shed gear while moving uphill. - Volunteers cut a new trail on October 12-13 down the eastern slope to Dellard Reservoir; on October 14, a hiker found an orange hunting vest folded on a pine branch at 4,780 feet with both hunting licenses and truck keys in its pockets. - The vest was placed deliberately on a branch of a trail that did not exist when Marcia vanished, raising questions about who moved those items and why. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.

    The orange hunting vest that left her truck three miles away

About

Forest Horror Nights opens with a truck engine still running, headlights cutting through fog, and no driver in sight—just a foil wrapper on the dashboard that nobody can explain. That is the kind of image this horror show builds every episode around, one complete story at a time, pulled apart piece by piece until you understand exactly how someone walked into the woods and didn't walk out the same. This is a narrated horror documentary podcast with no host chatting in your ear, no banter, no filler. Each episode reconstructs a real case in careful detail: the timeline, the search parties, the physical evidence left behind, the small details investigators can't stop thinking about. You get boots found nine miles from where a woman disappeared, still laced, her feet bare and silent when they found her alive. You get a man whose footprints simply stop on a boulder, as if he stepped out of his own shoes and vanished. These aren't jump-scare stories. They're true horror tales built from case files, witness accounts, and the unanswered questions that make the woods feel different once you know them. The themes running through this horror-driven show are the ones people search for late at night when they can't sleep: creepy encounters on isolated trails, scary true stories from search-and-rescue logs, disappearances near campgrounds, sounds recorded by hikers who never explain what they heard. The forest is the constant thread—not as a backdrop, but as a character that keeps its own secrets, feeding a quiet sense of horror that never quite fades. Every episode asks the same quiet question: what actually happened out there, and why does no one ever fully explain it. New horror episodes drop regularly, each one a self-contained descent into a different case. Subscribe to Forest Horror Nights so you don't miss the next chilling chapter waiting in the trees.