David Barclay Miller: Ranger Vanishes in Coconino National Forest
David, an experienced hiker, went out into the wilderness and never returned
Ranger Goes Missing
22-year-old David Barclay Miller was excited for his upcoming three days off from work. He planned to go hiking in the Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness area in Arizona, where he was also employed as a forest ranger. David, though only in his early 20s, was already an experienced hiker and outdoorsman.
Leaving behind a somewhat enigmatic note, he set out into the wilderness on May 19th, 1998, and was never seen again. His Subaru would be found days later, at the Bear Sign trailhead, but no other clues as to David’s whereabouts or ultimate fate ever materialized.
What happened to David Barclay Miller?
David Barclay Miller
One of three children, David Barclay Miller was born on July 6th, 1975, in Maryland, to parents Barbara and Ira. His brother and sister were both afflicted by a rare bone disease (which David himself never developed) and, tragically, his sister passed away in 1984.
David was said to be a sensitive, kind, and energetic person, one with a deep love and appreciation for life. From an early age, he was passionate about the outdoors and spent a great deal of his free time out in nature, engaged in activities such as hiking and kayaking.
He was athletic and participated in sports like swimming and rugby during his school years.
“He was never going to do anything at second speed,” remembered Rob Lee, one of his coaches.
Al Hightower, an athletic director, shared a similar sentiment about David:
“I’ve coached 20 years and I’ve never seen a kid (like him), who would give everything he had. Where that motivation came from, it’s certainly a gift. It was almost like David knew how precious life was.”
As a teenager, he went kayaking along the Maine coast and spent the night on a remote island. He also went backpacking through New England, as well as the Pacific Northwest and other parts of the western portion of the United States.
David went on to major in religion at Bates College in Maine and developed a fascination with Native American religions in particular. His honors thesis focused on the Sun Dance of the Lakota Sioux. He eventually moved out to New Mexico to further immerse himself in his studies.
However, as much as he loved studying religion, his true dream job was to become a ranger. In April 1998, David was hired as a wilderness ranger for the Coconino National Forest in Arizona and soon moved into the Beaver Creek Ranger Station.
His supervisors found him to be a good and reliable worker, one who clearly loved his job.
By this time, David was reportedly in a long-distance relationship with a woman named Jenna, who lived in Spain. The plan was for Jenna to eventually relocate to Arizona and obtain a teaching position there, in order to be closer to David.
David’s Hiking Trip
After a month of working for the Sedona Forest Service, David had three days off lined up for a short hiking trip: May 19th-21st. The day he set off into the wilderness alone—May 19th, 1998—he left behind a brief note.
“Gone 4 2 nights in R. R. S. M. (Red Rock-Secret Mountain) Will return w/Wolly Molla. Dave”
At the time he departed, no other rangers were present in the station. Because of this, it’s unknown what gear and supplies he brought with him or what he’d been wearing.
When the reliable David didn’t show up for his shift on May 22nd, Terry Adams, his supervisor, began to worry and sent several rangers out to find him.
Adams also took another look at David’s note and wondered what “Wolly Molla” referred to.
Search
Since David’s note only mentioned the Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness area (which spans over 47,000 acres), it was difficult to know exactly where to look for him.
However, the searchers got their first clue when they found David’s vehicle parked near the Bear Sign trailhead.
Although, while this gave them an idea of where David’s hiking journey had begun, it didn’t tell them anything else, including where else he might have gone or where he was now. His Subaru didn’t contain any useful information or evidence.
The rangers then discovered David’s signature on the visitor registration for the Vultee Arch Trail. He’d made a notation on it that read “3-day tour de ridge.”
However, as the Red Rock region has many ridges, this didn’t prove helpful in narrowing down the search area either.
Terry Adams contacted law enforcement to report David missing, as he felt like it was necessary to get them involved and expand the search efforts.
Police officers, volunteers (including members of a local hiking club), and forest service workers all looked for David. They combed the area on foot and horseback, and also utilized a helicopter. Search dogs were brought in as well, but they were never able to pick up David’s scent. Sterling Pass, Secret Canyon, and Bear Sign Canyon were all searched, but to no avail. No sign of David turned up.
One mystery was cleared up, though, when one of David’s coworkers explained the meaning behind “Wolly Molla.” He said that this was just an inside joke between them—a reference to a plant they also called “Native American toilet paper,” whose leaves could be used for this purpose.
Bookstore Employee Comes Forward
A woman named Gwen, who worked at a local bookstore, came forward to report a conversation she’d had with David shortly before his hiking trip. According to Gwen, he’d come in and bought topographical maps for Sycamore Canyon and Wilson Mountain. He expressed an interest in exploring those areas, which at least gave investigators a better idea of where to search for him within Coconino National Forest.
Additionally, she said that David mentioned he might walk to the road and hitchhike back to his car if his hike went on longer than he originally planned, reducing the amount of time it would take him to return.
Still, even with this new information, the authorities were ultimately unable to locate David or anything he might have brought with him.
One of his friends stated that David tended to be a loner and enjoyed walking off trail. It was theorized that he might have wandered off trail this time as well and subsequently became lost or injured and perhaps succumbed to the elements. This is still considered the most plausible explanation in his case.
However, Sedona’s reputation for reports of paranormal activity, such as UFO sightings and vortexes, have inspired some theories of the supernatural variety to explain David’s disappearance as well.
YouTuber The Missing Enigma, who made a well-researched video on David’s case, traveled to the Red Rock-Secret Mountain region. It’s an area that is characterized by rough terrain, canyons, cliffs, and some stretches of poorly defined trails. From his time there, he felt that it would likely be easy to get lost if one wandered too far off trail.
Later Developments
In February 1999, a body was discovered in Phoenix, Arizona (Maricopa County). Among the items found with the remains was a green backpack with the name “Barclay” written on it in marker.
It was briefly considered that the John Doe might be David Barclay Miller, due to this coincidence. However, David went missing in Yavapai County and wasn’t known to label his belongings with his middle name.
Furthermore, an examination revealed that Phoenix John Doe had ended his own life—likely a matter of weeks before being found; whereas David had vanished several months earlier. He is believed to have been 35-50 years of age and had a butterfly tattoo on his arm (which David didn’t have). Ultimately, David Miller was ruled out as being this man.
In 2022, there was an interesting development when the sheriff’s office received a report from someone who’d come across an old campsite in Secret Canyon. Clothing—some of which was estimated to have been made in 1997 or 1998—and a number of small items were recovered from the site. All told, investigators put more than 300 hours into combing the area. No human remains were found.
DNA recovered from a pair of pants at the site was tested against DNA provided by David's mother. The results showed that, whomever this person was, they weren’t related to Barbara Miller. So the campsite probably hadn’t belonged to David.
No fingerprints were found on anything, which isn’t especially surprising given how long the items had likely been sitting out there in the elements.
Sadly, they were no closer to finding the missing man. Hopefully, one day they will and his family will finally have closure.
A trail in Coconino National Forest has since been renamed in his honor.
The case of David Barclay Miller, the wilderness ranger who vanished without a trace, remains open and unsolved.
Sources
Bryan’s Mysteries & Adventures on Trail, YouTube