Vanishing in Alaska: The Mysterious Disappearances of the Palmer Brothers | USA

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[00:00:23] In the vast and unforgiving wilderness of Alaska, extended summer twilight nights

[00:00:27] stretch long, and mysteries often hide in the shadows. And none is more haunting than

[00:00:34] the vanishing of the Palmer Brothers. Two cases that have puzzled investigators for years,

[00:00:40] leaving behind a trail of unanswered questions and shattered hopes.

[00:00:44] Today, we look into the unexplained vanishings of Mike and Chucky Palmer. Nestled amidst

[00:01:21] the breathtaking landscape of Alaska, you'll find the small town of Palmer.

[00:01:26] A local family also bearing the name of Palmer was well known and loved by the

[00:01:31] tight-knit community. Chuck and Lisa had a large family of four children, Chris, Charles

[00:01:37] Jr., or Chucky, Michael, or Mike, and Hannah. The Palmer Brothers were the epitome of Alaskan

[00:01:43] resilience. Born and raised in the last frontier, they were seasoned outdoorsmen

[00:01:49] who knew the wilderness like the back of their hands. They enjoyed activities

[00:01:53] like hunting, snowmobiling, ice fishing, and hiking.

[00:01:58] The Palmer Brothers were the first to be found in the area of the

[00:02:02] Alaskan wilderness. Their life was a bit more difficult than the lives of the

[00:02:06] Palmer Brothers, but their idyllic life took a tragic turn on the night of June 4, 1999.

[00:02:12] Enjoying his summer vacation, 15-year-old Mike Palmer went to a party in Meadow Lakes,

[00:02:18] Wasila, about nine miles from his home in Palmer. The plan was to stay over at a

[00:02:23] medical center, called his friend's mother at 1230 a.m., and learned that the boys had

[00:02:29] come home and were asleep. However, at 4 a.m., the teens snuck out. They were

[00:02:36] riding their bikes together down Pittman Road when Mike fell behind,

[00:02:40] prompting them to wait for him at the 7-Eleven on Parks Highway. When he

[00:02:46] failed to show, they assumed he had changed his mind and had gone home to

[00:02:50] his own house. Little did they know, they would never see him again. This was the

[00:02:56] time before all teenagers had cell phones, and it took all day for Mike's

[00:03:00] family and friends to realize that he was, in fact, missing. Eleven hours

[00:03:06] passed before his mother reported his disappearance, igniting a frantic

[00:03:10] search that would span weeks and months. But despite the efforts of law

[00:03:14] enforcement and volunteers, Mike Palmer was nowhere to be found.

[00:03:19] Investigators learned that Mike had been in a fight at one of the parties

[00:03:23] the night before. However, he did not instigate the fight, and it was

[00:03:27] quickly resolved. After questioning the teens involved in the altercation,

[00:03:31] police were confident that the brawl was unrelated to Mike's disappearance.

[00:03:35] Nothing else about the night seemed out of the ordinary either. The discovery

[00:03:40] of Mike's bicycle in the Little Susitna River sent shockwaves through

[00:03:44] the community, a grim reminder of the perilous terrain that had claimed so

[00:03:48] many before him. Even though it was the same kind of bicycle Mike owned, his

[00:03:53] brother Chris later questioned if that was actually Mike's, to add more

[00:03:57] mystery to the case. His high-top Converse sneakers, wet and muddy, were

[00:04:02] found neatly side by side near a privately owned airstrip 200 yards

[00:04:07] from the river. Speculation ran rampant as to what might have

[00:04:11] been the cause of the fall. Some wondered if it was a case of foul play,

[00:04:16] suggesting he may have been accosted by unknown assailants while riding his

[00:04:20] bicycle. Yet, a young witness's claim of seeing Mike being beaten and shot on a

[00:04:25] bridge proved to be nothing more than a cruel fabrication. Others

[00:04:30] theorized that Mike had met his end in the icy embrace of the Little

[00:04:33] Susitna River, succumbing to hypothermia. But tracker dogs found no

[00:04:38] trace of his scent, and the still clear water revealed no sign of his body. The

[00:04:43] section of the river where the bike was found was also relatively shallow.

[00:04:47] Everyone who knew him doubted that he could have drowned, seeing as he was a

[00:04:51] good swimmer. As the years stretched on, the Palmer family grappled with

[00:04:56] the agonizing uncertainty of Mike's fate. He was not a troubled teen, nor

[00:05:01] one to vanish without a trace, leading his loved ones to fear the

[00:05:05] worst. And then, almost 11 years to the day after Mike's disappearance,

[00:05:12] tragedy struck the Palmer family once again. Chuckie Palmer, Mike's older

[00:05:17] brother, vanished near Talkeetna. It was a clear early spring day when Chuckie

[00:05:23] and Chris packed up their snowmobiles to enjoy the last bit of snow.

[00:05:27] However, at the last minute, Chris, the more experienced snowmobiler, had

[00:05:32] to pull out, seeing as the handlebars on his machine were broken. He insisted

[00:05:37] Chuckie and their friends go on without him. Typically, Chris would be the

[00:05:40] last rider out, who made sure no one stayed behind. But sadly, that day, he

[00:05:47] wasn't there. Eerily, Chuckie ended up at the back of the convoy, much

[00:05:52] like Mike was years before. Separated from his friends after veering off in

[00:05:56] the wrong direction, 31-year-old Chuckie vanished into the wilderness

[00:06:01] without a trace. An extensive search of the bald mountain area yielded little

[00:06:06] in the way of clues, save for the discovery of Chuckie's snow machine,

[00:06:10] buried in deep snow several miles from the cabin. Dressed appropriately

[00:06:15] for the cold weather, Chuckie lacked crucial survival gear, a GPS device,

[00:06:20] and even the most basic provisions of food and water. The days that

[00:06:24] followed his disappearance brought horrendous weather, which hindered

[00:06:27] search efforts. Presumed to have perished of exposure, Chuckie's fate

[00:06:32] mirrored that of his brothers, leaving behind a legacy of heartache and

[00:06:36] unanswered questions. The community was left speechless. What are the

[00:06:41] odds of this happening to the Palmer's again? Chris stated,

[00:06:46] Two brothers aren't supposed to go missing from the same family. I never

[00:06:49] thought I'd have to deal with this shit ever again. What could possibly

[00:06:54] have happened to the Palmer brothers? The area where both of them vanished

[00:06:58] from falls within the boundaries of the Alaska Triangle. This area is

[00:07:03] reportedly known for strange phenomena, from Sasquatch sightings

[00:07:08] to UFO and alien activity, as well as multiple unexplained

[00:07:12] disappearances. In 1972, politicians Hale Boggs and Nick Begich,

[00:07:19] aid Russell Brown and pilot Dan Johns disappeared after their light

[00:07:24] aircraft crashed en route from Anchorage to Juneau. The wreckage

[00:07:27] was found but none of the four passengers were ever located. On a

[00:07:32] History Channel documentary, field researcher Ken Gerhard speculated

[00:07:36] that the Alaska Triangle could be a Vile Vortiche, an area with

[00:07:40] increased electromagnetic force. He said,

[00:07:49] And that abundance of electromagnetic energy results in some strange

[00:07:52] things. However, besides geographical proximity, there is nothing that

[00:07:57] links the disappearances to that of the Palmer brothers. And after

[00:08:01] countless hours of searching and questioning, no further traces

[00:08:04] have ever been found of Mike or Chucky. Their family had to make

[00:08:07] peace with the sad reality of the two uncanny disappearances,

[00:08:11] leaving behind only memories and unanswered questions. If you'd

[00:08:17] like to read more about this case, have a look at the resources

[00:08:20] used for this episode in the show notes. Also, visit us on

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[00:08:29] YouTube. This was The Evidence Locker. Thank you for listening.