The Disappearance of Samantha Sayers

On the first day of August 2018, experienced hiker Samantha Claire Sayers, then just shy of her 28th birthday, ate a sandwich at the summit of the intimidating Vesper Peak, which is part of the North Cascades National Park in Washington State. Witnesses who also made the more than 4,000 foot climb would later confirm they saw Samanta also chatting with other climbers, and looking at her phone.

No one could easily forget Sayers once they saw her. On that sunny, warm day, Samantha was clad in workout leggings and a sports bra. She carried a hiking pole in each hand and wore a black backpack. Most memorable, however, was her bald head. Samantha had been diagnosed with alopecia in high school, and regularly shaved her head after discovering wigs were uncomfortable. Samantha also had a distinct tattoo on her head--a pattern of stars which had been designed by her mother, Lisa.

According to eyewitness accounts, when she was finished with her lunch, Samantha strapped her pack back on and began the climb back down the southwest side of the mountain.

Not a single person has seen her since.

Hours earlier, Samantha had left the Seattle apartment she shared with her boyfriend, Kevin Dares, 33. Dares had sent her a text telling her to be careful and call him if she needed him. Her response, which turned out to be the last text Kevin ever received from her, read “Okay, baby, I love you.”

Samantha was a native of Girard, a small town near Lake Erie in northwestern Pennsylvania. She had fallen in love with the city of Seattle and moved there after attending college in Fredonia, NY. Samantha was an avid nature lover and experienced hiker, so she was delighted to find that the challenging Vesper Peak was so easily accessible.

That day, Samantha drove her blue Ford Fiesta along the Mountain Loop Highway, to the Sunrise Mine Road, where one path to the summit of Vesper Peak begins. Samantha signed her name in the forest park registry, leaving the last tangible evidence of her whereabouts.

Samantha had only planned to be gone from 8am to 6pm that day. When she didn’t return by six o’clock or text him that she would be late, Kevin grew concerned. A native of New Orleans, he had accompanied Samantha on some hiking outings, but was not as experienced as she. He knew that the Vesper Peak area was not for beginners, with its rocky terrain, steep drops, and its location in a lake basin. Ice and snow are often prevalent on the mountain year round.

Alarmed, Dares decided to go after Samantha. He made the 90 minute drive, stopping at a gas station to buy a flashlight. When he reached the trail that Samantha had used earlier, Dares was dismayed to find Samantha’s Ford Fiesta still in the parking lot adjacent to the beginning of the trail. Darkness had fallen, making the path all the more difficult to navigate. Dares started to walk the path, but found it especially difficult in the dark. The Sunrise Mine trail goes through forest, across a boulder-filled river, then on to a hillside, which becomes more dangerous as it gets higher. Dares walked for more than three miles before he finally tripped and fell, breaking his flashlight. It was past midnight when he called 911 from a visitor center associated with the North Cascades National Park.

Around 1:30 am, Search and Rescue Sergeant John Q. Adams arrived at the center. He used his radio to call in the cavalry. Volunteers experienced in the mountain’s treacherous terrain arrived at 6am to follow the trail Samantha had taken. A helicopter armed with infrared technology was flown around the area, looking for signs of the missing woman.

Dares quickly posted on Facebook about his missing girlfriend, created a Facebook group dedicated to her, and started a GoFundMe which would eventually raise $60,000. The media caught wind of the situation. Volunteers photocopied posters of Samantha and posted them from Seattle to Vesper Peak. It was through Facebook that Samantha’s mother, Lisa Sayers, still a resident of Girard, PA, found out about her missing daughter.

After 22 days, the official search ended. There was not enough money in the budget. The Park rangers and their associates had done all they could do. Theirs was one of the most involved and expensive searches in the history of the state. One park ranger remarked to Samantha’s mother, who had flown out to Seattle, that he unfortunately thought Samantha had died in a fall.

The day after the official search ended, the unofficial search began--with Dares in charge. Volunteers armed with drones, self professed “mountain men,” a woman with a search and rescue dog, and countless friends of Samantha used the money raised through GoFundMe to fuel the new search. Through the tail end of August to October, Dares continued to lead the search. As of June 2021, no trace of Samantha has ever been found.

What happened to Samantha Sayers? The obvious answer is that she accidentally died on the mountain. Vesper Peak has been rated as “difficult” by various hiking enthusiasts and official park websites. Though Samantha was a seasoned hiker, she could have fallen into a crevice, into the river, or slid off of a cliff. She could have ended up in the lake--the remnant of what used to be a glacier. She could have met a wild animal.

Or Samantha Sayers could have been the victim of foul play. Her mother, Lisa, was part of the unofficial search until the snowy weather of October ended the unofficial search. She started the Facebook group “Love, Light, and a Miracle” in hopes of raising awareness. In the first few months of her daughter’s disappearance, Lisa believed that Samantha was still on the mountain. She would appear in Facebook live videos every day, speaking of how she bought an all new wardrobe for Samantha, sweatshirts and soft leggings, as well as a new comforter set for her bed for when she comes home.

However, Lisa’s mother has changed her mind about her daughter’s disappearance. Through her live Facebook videos, she has admitted that she and her husband have hired a private investigator. Lisa has slowly revealed that she believes Samantha was taken into a sex trafficking ring. Details are scarce, as she refuses to talk about her investigation lest she compromise it.

Lisa has also been dropping hints that Kevin Dares is behind Samantha’s disappearance. Anyone who reads between the lines of her videos understands that she believes Kevin was abusive towards Samantha. She has ceased all contact with him, reporters who attempt to write articles about her daughter, and all Facebook users who speculate about what happened.

Lisa Sayers insists that she has information no one else has about Samantha’s disappearance and her boyfriend’s possible involvement. Unfortunately, no one will know what that information is until, as she says, “the truth comes to light.”

Meanwhile, Kevin Dares and friends of Samantha from Seattle held a vigil for Samantha around the one year anniversary of her disappearance. They shared memories of Samantha and placed a marker honoring her on the trail where she first set out on that August day. Some internet “armchair detectives” have reported that Kevin Dares is back on dating apps, where he met Samantha in the first place. Although that is not an admission of guilt in any way, many people believe that it is further proof Dares is somehow involved.

What is the truth? Did Samantha meet a terrifying end in an accident on the mountain? Was she kidnapped and sold into sex slavery? Is her boyfriend involved in her disappearance? Most importantly, will Samantha Sayers ever be found? More people than the U.S government cares to admit have gone missing in U.S National Parks. Is Samantha another statistic, or are her mother’s theories correct?

If you know anything about the disappearance of Samantha Sayers, please call the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office at (425) 388-3393.