Summary of REVISITED: The Boys

Overview of REVISITED: The Boys

This Park Predators episode revisits two deeply unsettling missing-child cases from U.S. national park and forest settings: 9-year-old David Gonzalez, who vanished from San Bernardino National Forest in California, and 8-year-old Samuel Bolke (also referred to as Bolke/Belke), who disappeared at Crater Lake National Park in Oregon. Host Delia D'Ambra frames both cases as examples of how quickly a child can disappear in a public outdoor space, and how difficult it can be for investigators and families to get answers.

Case 1: David Gonzalez

What happened

• On July 31, 2004, David Gonzalez disappeared from Hanna Flat Family Campground in San Bernardino National Forest.
• He asked to go to the family truck to get cookies.
• His mother believed it was safe because the truck was only a short walk away.
• When he didn’t return quickly, his parents realized he was missing.

Early investigation and theories

• Searchers found:
  • The truck was still locked.
  • The cookies David wanted were still inside.
  • His keys were not found nearby.
• A witness reported seeing a beige truck speeding away around the time David vanished, which his mother believed might be important.
• Investigators initially considered several possibilities:
  • David wandered off and got lost
  • Abduction
  • A rare animal attack, especially because a mountain lion had reportedly been seen nearby

Search problems and key developments

• No Amber Alert was issued.
• The search was complicated by an early mistake: volunteers were given the wrong version of the Nike shoe tread David wore, which caused track evidence to be misread for nearly a week.
• Later, searchers found:
  • Small footprints matching David’s shoe size
  • Witnesses who recalled seeing a boy matching David’s description walking alone toward the woods
• Despite those clues, searches produced no clear breakthrough.

What was ultimately found

• About a year later, hikers found bones and part of a child’s skull near the campground.
• DNA confirmed the remains were David’s.
• Authorities leaned toward a mountain lion attack, but wildlife experts said the evidence did not support that conclusion.
• David’s cause and manner of death were officially undetermined.

Case 2: Samuel Bolke

What happened

• On October 14, 2006, Samuel Bolke disappeared while hiking with his father, Ken Bolke, near Cleetwood Cove at Crater Lake National Park.
• Father and son were playing a game of tag/hide-and-seek when Samuel ran toward something he saw in the woods and disappeared over a ridge.
• His father lost sight of him in a matter of seconds.

Conditions that complicated the search

• Weather was already turning wintry:
  • Snow
  • Cold temperatures
  • Poor visibility
• Samuel had been wearing:
  • A black-and-green striped long-sleeve shirt
  • A blue winter coat
  • Cargo pants
  • Red suede shoes
• He also had autism / sensory integration issues, so search teams were told not to shout his name or use loud devices like whistles or megaphones.

Search efforts and conclusions

• Hundreds of officers and volunteers searched the area.
• A tracking dog briefly picked up Samuel’s scent, but it quickly went cold.
• Authorities considered:
  • That he became lost in the woods
  • That he may have fallen
  • That he could have been abducted
• Park officials said there was no evidence of foul play.
• The search was eventually scaled back and then suspended because of the extreme conditions and heavy snowfall.

Outcome

• No trace of Samuel was ever found.
• In 2007, searchers found skeletal remains elsewhere, but they were not Samuel’s.
• He remains a missing person.

Key Themes and Takeaways

The fragility of safety in parks and forests

• Both cases show how quickly a child can vanish in a seemingly controlled environment with many people around.

Investigative missteps can matter

• In David’s case, the wrong shoe-tread reference slowed the search and likely caused confusion.

Families were left with limited answers

• Both sets of parents were forced to live with uncertainty and trauma.
• In both cases, the official explanations never fully satisfied the facts.

Nature was not a neat explanation

• The show pushes back on overly convenient theories like animal attack or simple wandering.
• David’s death was never conclusively explained.
• Samuel’s disappearance remains unresolved.

Additional Notes

• The episode is part of Park Predators and is presented as a revisit of two older cases.
• It also includes promotional mentions for other Audiochuck shows, including Dark Down East and Crime Junkie.
• The episode ends by encouraging listeners to submit tips to the National Park Service tip line: 888-653-0009 regarding Samuel Bolke’s case.