Found Deceased OR - Charles McCullar, adult, Eugene, 29 Jan 1975

Plumber101010

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I know this is a VERY old story, but there was so much mystery surrounding it I assumed it would show up here on a search so I could voice my opinion. Now that it’s not I guess this would be the place to start it!

Rather than waste space repeating the entire story you can Google “Charles McCullar Body Found” and get all the information you need. It’s also one of the more famous and predominate David Paulides missing persons, as in his own words, it’s one of the few cases that still haunts him till today.

But if you want to skip all that reading, in short he was a photographer who hitchhiked to crater lake in the winter of 1974 to take pictures and went missing, later to have his backpack and bones found by lost hikers in 1975.

What made it so mysterious and a major topic of interest / discussion that STILL goes on today is not only where he was found, but much more importantly, the manner in which he was found.

First, he was found in an area that no one could’ve made it to on foot to begin with. It was a very remote, rugged and off trail area located a full 12 miles from the trail head combined with the fact that 5 to 7 foot of fresh soft snow had just fallen. They say it would have simply been impossible to get there on foot, as even people with skis and snowshoes were sinking up to their chest. Said even a snowmobile would’ve had a tough time, but moot point as he was walking.

When found, his expensive camera equipment and cash was missing and all that was found in addition to the backpack was a pair of empty jeans propped up and sitting on a log, completely empty, except for a pair of socks sticking out the bottom and inside the socks where the bones of his feet!!!

It appeared as if his body had just disappeared out of his jeans, which is why some articles refer to him as “The Melting Man” In addition, the belt was undone on his jeans and unzippered and opened as if he had just ate a full meal :)

Another 10 feet away they found part of his skull and small bone fragments. But that’s it. That’s all. No shirt, no coat, no boots. Just a pair of jeans with his severed feet inside of his socks sticking out as if he was the invisible man.

The thing is, and I try to look at cases very logically, even with all that, I just don’t really see ANYTHING to me that’s strange, at all, and in my mind I see possibilities that has not been discussed or even touched upon after 45 years of discussion!!!

And THAT’S what I am having such a hard time with. I have been researching this now for a couple days and I have yet to come across anything even remotely discussing what I’m getting ready to discuss and I just find that to be implausible and I want to know if others agree with me??

So many discussions and speculation about how that could happen, how it’s impossible, how there must be bigger things at play here. His relatives convinced that foul play is involved and here’s what I see which is simple to me.

So let’s say he got lost and start there. That’s definitely the most plausible explanation especially if it’s snowing and you can’t make out the trails! Next, who is to say he traveled there through the snow that first day? He could’ve easily got lost 3 miles from the trail head and when it started to snow he camped out somewhere for a couple weeks and survived.

Once the snow disappeared he continued his walk of being lost and “wound up there” at a later time ve “being there” when he died. That easily takes care of the how did he get there with so much snow question.

Now for the big thing, the severed ankles and missing body. He fell. That’s it. Do you how many cases have ended with somebody falling down a cliff or embankmen? OMG!!! Almost all of them. I can speculate with almost absolute certainty that 8 out of 10 missing hikers whose bodies have been found were due to a fall!!! They were found at the base or bottom of a mountain or cliff or whatever.

So this guy who is ill prepared to begin with, is bouncing around lost in a rugged area with heavy snow and he falls down from a “high place” and he lands on his FEET and breaks / almost severs both of his ankles, which again is a very common injury!!! No telling what other bones were broken as well.

Still alive now, he drags himself to a log and sits on top of it, perched with his back against a rest, and sits there in extreme agony probably already very close to death. He unbuttons his belt and loosens his zipper because why not? He’s in absolute agony and pain and he’s trying to relieve the pressure!!! He sits there and dies.

Food is extremely precious and rare in the winter and trust me it isn’t long until some animals come by for a nice meal. He’s already a very skinny guy and upon his death and being lost without food for sometime I guarantee you his body has shrunk by at least 20% and started to wilder away and so most probably if a large animal like a bear grabbed him by the head (which is what they always go for) it could have very easily removed him from a pair of loose jeans that were already unbelted and zipped down!!!!

Don’t know about you but I have seen hundreds of pictures of deceased people inside clothing and the clothing was extremely loose because the body had shriveled to almost nothing as it decomposed.

Since the angles were already almost completely severed to begin with I think once he died the body would’ve easily separated from them as it was being pulled.

The BIG mystery of WHY the missing boots? I mean come on, what’s the first thing you’re going to do if you have broken both angles and they are swollen? You’re going to take off your boots and critters can easily take those and run off with them!!!

OK I realize this is NOT a perfect explanation by far and a bit of a convenient stretch for my purposes, especially that a body could be removed from the pants and not disturb them at all and have them still sitting perfectly on the log.

But all I’m saying is even though it may not be perfect, it is possible and of all the possibilities, to me it’s most probable versus Bigfoot or foul play or aliens or any of the other major question marks surrounding this that everybody always talks about!!!
 
Last seen 01/29/1975
Found 10/18/1976

Some official documents at this link:
http://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/fbifiles/missing/charlesmccullar-fbi1.pdf
Excerpt:
[...] The theory advanced by park rangers, and the one most plausible, is that MC CULLAR became lost in the snow while trying to hike from the north entrance of the park to park headquarters. [...]
MC CULLAR probably was crossing the creek on top of the snow and fell into a crevice, where he perished. [...]

upload_2019-3-17_14-56-51.png
upload_2019-3-17_14-57-40.png
 
Wow!!!!! You know I came across that and I “kind of” read it all, lmao!

I didn’t do a fast glance over, but I didn’t read it word by word either. I gave it a really good look see but when a page started off to read stuff that was not important to me, like the failure and complaints the FBI didn’t do whatever, I moved on to the next page.

I mean it was a LONG read, like what, 45 pages I think? How I missed those pages I have NO idea but that just goes to show you something. Which is if you’re going to research something? Then research the damn thing and READ!!!!

And it irritates me that this website won’t let you edit something after 60 minutes, I mean why? I saw some of my typos and I HATE typos when I write. What makes it more aggravating is I proofread it like 50 times to make sure I don’t have any, but all of a sudden when I post it they glare at me!!!
 
Last seen 01/29/1975
Found 10/18/1976

Some official documents at this link:
http://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/fbifiles/missing/charlesmccullar-fbi1.pdf
Excerpt:
[...] The theory advanced by park rangers, and the one most plausible, is that MC CULLAR became lost in the snow while trying to hike from the north entrance of the park to park headquarters. [...]
MC CULLAR probably was crossing the creek on top of the snow and fell into a crevice, where he perished. [...]

View attachment 174707
View attachment 174708

But wait, there’s absolutely no mention of the jeans being propped up and sitting on the log which is really what the mystery is all about???
 
I mean it was a LONG read, like what, 45 pages I think?
Yes, a LONG read, so I just skimmed the first 38 pages.
http://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/fbifiles/missing/charlesmccullar-fbi1.pdf

a pair of empty jeans propped up and sitting on a log, completely empty, except for a pair of socks sticking out the bottom and inside the socks where the bones of his feet!!
But wait, there’s absolutely no mention of the jeans being propped up and sitting on the log which is really what the mystery is all about???
About the jeans propped up against a log with only feet bones inside the socks . . . I'm looking for an 'official' account of these details. Do you have a link? I'm wondering if the story didn't somehow 'grow legs'. Or, in this case, 'lose legs'. o_O
 
About the jeans propped up against a log with only feet bones inside the socks . . . I'm looking for an 'official' account of these details. Do you have a link? I'm wondering if the story didn't somehow 'grow legs'. Or, in this case, 'lose legs'. o_O

Not sure what you would consider an official account MORE official then your link, but can say for 100% sure that EVERY account mentions it!!!

I watched 1/2 dozen YouTube videos and read at least 2 dozen Google stories / articles and of course add in good ole David Paulides of missing 411 as well and they ALL said the exact same thing about the jeans.

So in short, literally EVERY SINGLE article or story I have ever read has that part in it, bar none.

In fact the report you linked was the first ever I’ve NOT seen it mentioned. (Researched this 5 years ago or so as well but kept to myself)

Could be they didn’t consider that important info OR as you said, it’s been a Pete Repeat for 4 solid decades!!! To bolster that possibility....at least 1/3 to 1/2 of the 25 articles I read had the EXACT SAME WORDING!!!! Plagiarism at its best lol.

But certainly the “he fell through the ice and wound up in a crevice” isn’t even in the same neighborhood, heck, it’s not even on the same planet as the “jean version”

VERY VERY interesting this is now. Something is really amiss here...as both alternatives seem far fetched. To say either the Black Vault report is WRONG and had the cases messed up (or they are hiding that fact purposefully) OR the story has been mistold for 45 years and not until the two of us talked about it was it discovered???? I’d like to think we’re good as a team, but....LMAO

Funny but the ending of the black vault version reminds me of another story of a park ranger that went missing and they found him many years later and the way they said HE died was identical. Was walking across water, broke through the ice and snow, and round up in a crevasse. Wondering they messed up endings lol! Hell I don’t know but something stinks here!!!!
 
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About the jeans propped up against a log with only feet bones inside the socks . . . I'm looking for an 'official' account of these details. Do you have a link? I'm wondering if the story didn't somehow 'grow legs'. Or, in this case, 'lose legs'. o_O

It wasn’t propped up against, that could’ve happened just by a storm or something. It was much more inviting for a mystery. He was sitting on top of the log using it like a bench. Well, his jeans were LOL!
 
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It wasn’t propped up against, that could’ve happened just by a storm or something. It was much more inviting for a mystery. He was sitting on top of the log using it like a bench. Well, his jeans were LOL!
When found, his expensive camera equipment and cash was missing and all that was found in addition to the backpack was a pair of empty jeans propped up and sitting on a log, completely empty, except for a pair of socks sticking out the bottom and inside the socks where the bones of his feet!!!
You used the phrase "jeans propped up". Yes, I followed with 'against' instead of 'sitting'.
While animals devoured the body, I seriously doubt that the jeans remained on the exact log where he was allegedly sitting.
Again, I'd like an official link to the details in question.
 
You used the phrase "jeans propped up". Yes, I followed with 'against' instead of 'sitting'.
While animals devoured the body, I seriously doubt that the jeans remained on the exact log where he was allegedly sitting.
Again, I'd like an official link to the details in question.

Yes, correct. The keywords were sitting on vs up against. I could’ve highlighted those words but honestly, I didn’t even remember using the word propped!!! Guess I did Lol. Not normally a word I use.

Can’t say I’ve ever read anything that could be entitled “official” and even if, who is to say it’s real?

In today’s world, especially after 45 years going by, so much of this story has been a “copy and paste” from other articles, who knows whether it is genuine, official or fake? ALL repeat ALL of the articles mention an “official” law-enforcement statement about going out there and describing the scene, which could be considered official, but again, who is to say that is REALLY official??? As you said, stories grow legs..

But posting any link here is a big waste of time because absolutely anything that you Google with that man’s name will come up with the same version about the jeans, so it’s everywhere, not obscure to where a link would help anyone.

And I can only make this assumption, which may or may not be correct, that David Paulides of missing 411 did a pretty thorough investigation of his own and that is his version as well.

I mean in theory (assuming that no one is lying and the lie has been repeated all this time) ALL of the stories would be and could only be based on an “official” account as no one else was out there but the authorities and so they were the only ones to get the information from.
 
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The keywords were sitting on vs up against.
absolutely anything that you Google with that man’s name will come up with the same version about the jeans
The stories aren't consistently the 'same version".
This website states "found leaning against a log, his pants around his ankles":

People Are Vanishing Into Thin Air, In Our National Parks
One of the strangest finds by rangers was a missing man, Charles McCullar, who was found leaning against a log, his pants around his ankles. The only parts left of him were part of his tibia in his right pant leg and part of his skull and his scapula bones in one inch by one inch pieces.
 
Well I think we’re starting to get off track here anyway :) Purpose of my post wasn’t really to discuss the details of the case itself. I was seeking everyone else’s overall and general opinion.

So let me be clear as the more long-winded I get, sometimes the more confusing I get :) LOL.

The entire purpose of my post was to say that generally speaking, this case particularly, but with a SLEW of other cases as well, I don’t see anything mysterious here and the entire event can be “possibly” and “rationally” explained by every day normal and common events happening as well.

That WAY too many cases like this have been blown up to be this big unsolved mystery of gigantic proportions and that supernatural, evil and demonic, alien or Bigfoot HAD to be involved in order for the death to have taken place!

So overall, regardless of the jeans, do you agree or disagree with that? Curious what your opinion is?
 
Agree that some deaths are not a Big Mystery. Although, if I was close to the deceased, I would want all answers I could get.

Here's a link I found (
NPS.GOV) that has Greenewald's name on a Charles McCullar FOIA request:
https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/foia/upload/September-2018.pdf
NPS FY2018 FOIA LOG
REGION FOIA NO. REQUESTED COMPLETED NAME ORGANIZATION SUBJECT
PWRO NPS‐2018‐00770 05/22/18 06/06/18 GREENEWALD THE BLACK VAULT CRLA ‐ DISAPPEARANCE AND DEATH OF CHARLES MCCULLAR AT CRATER LAKE NP (1975‐ 76)

Reference: http://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/fbifiles/missing/charlesmccullar-fbi1.pdf
 
Not sure what you would consider an official account MORE official then your link, but can say for 100% sure that EVERY account mentions it!!!

But certainly the “he fell through the ice and wound up in a crevice” isn’t even in the same neighborhood, heck, it’s not even on the same planet as the “jean version”

Regarding David Paulides,

People have to remember that David Paulides is in the business of taking real events, (of missing people) and spins them into a "mystery" He always insists there is a mystery and a big one at that. But when you research what he offers, you find that he omits facts that were public knowledge before he publishes his article or book . He also puts a bit of a spin to reinforce the idea that it is a mystery. I am aware of several accounts where he has done this, and so far every account that he has written where facts are available fit this method.

Paulides is a good writer, and he is very careful about how he words his stories. But you have to remember, he has a vested interest in telling stories. The fact that he regularly appears on shows such as AM COAST TO COAST with George Noory, should tell you much. (Recall that AM COAST TO COAST is famous for advancing UFO's, space aliens, skinwalkers, sasquatch and such)

Anything he says, be careful. I am also aware of cases where he purports things that are not reflected in official records, such as this story. There is nothing in the case that indicates he was found with his pants around his ankles. . .in fact only bone fragments were found. Here are the findings from the McCullar case:

"FINDING:

"PD-70-2248. . .

On 10/18/76 SA [### REDACTED #] Together with [# REDACTED #] the deceased's [#####] Park rangers, and officers from OSP Crime lab were flown by helicopter to the location near Bybee creek where McCullars remains were found. The remote rugged mountainous was searched as thoroughly practical for any clues as to how McCullar may have died.


The theory advanced by park rangers and the one most plausible is that McCullar became lost in the snow while trying to hike to the north end of the park to park headquarters. With 100 inches of snow on the ground, Bybee creek would most likely been completely covered with snow. McCullar probably was crossing the creek on top of the snow and fell into a crevice where he perished. When the snow melted in the spring [##### REDACTED #######]

The spot where McCullars body decomposed was located and examined by the state crime lab examiners. Their examination located quantities of decomposing hair and clothing and several small bones. It was the opinion of OSP [### REDACTED ###] Crime lab Examiner that McCullar had died at the spot from exposure to the elements and was trapped in a snow crevice at the time. No indication whatsoever of foul play was located.

It is the conclusion of the search and examination, [#### REDACTED ####] advised that he was convinced that the remains found were [## REDACTED ##] and that he died from exposure to the elements. [## REDACTED ##] further advised that at the time of his [## REDACTED ##] that he corresponded with the bureau requesting that a missing person notice be placed. [## REDACTED #] stated that he would contact the bureau and have this notice removed.

In view of the total lack of evidence of any foul play in this matter, Portland is conducting no further investigation."

As I indicated, take everything Paulides says with a grain of salt.[/QUOTE]
 
Paulides makes his money off Bigfoot fans with supplementary income from alien abduction people, ghost researchers and other assorted x-philes. He writes using a voice that invites his readers to "draw their own conclusions" yet as @whorton pointed out, under scrutiny his writing clearly leads his readers to draw conclusions other than the mundane and ordinary way that websleuths know how people actually die from studying case after case after case.

Dying people loosen their clothes, animals disturb remains. Shoes preserve feet better than any other article of clothing but eventually fall away.
 
Paulides makes his money off Bigfoot fans with supplementary income from alien abduction people, ghost researchers and other assorted x-philes. He writes using a voice that invites his readers to "draw their own conclusions" yet as @whorton pointed out, under scrutiny his writing clearly leads his readers to draw conclusions other than the mundane and ordinary way that websleuths know how people actually die from studying case after case after case.

Dying people loosen their clothes, animals disturb remains. Shoes preserve feet better than any other article of clothing but eventually fall away.

Evil Wise, Thank you for your comments. I am amazed how passionate some of Paulides followers are about his versions of stories. You can't even get many of them to acknowledge that he DOES omit facts to spin his tales. . .Sad, but true.
 

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