UNSOLVED DISAPPEARANCE: PAUL FUGATE

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When a National Park Service Ranger vanishes from his post in the Arizona mountains, he’s never seen again. Questions endure in the strange and controversial case of the only National Park Service Ranger to ever go missing—and never be found—in this episode of Last Seen Alive.

Paul Fugate was last seen alive on January 13th, 1980. He worked as a Ranger for the National Park Service, and was stationed at Arizona’s Chiricahua National Monument. Image source: family photo.
Pictured: Paul at work early on in his career, in 1968. Image source: family photo.
Pictured: a panoramic view of Chiricahua National Park. Chiricahua is described by the NPS as a “wonderland of rocks”. Paul disappeared from this park during a work day in January of 1980. He remains missing. Image source: Wikipedia.
The section of the park Paul is believed to have disappeared from is called Faraway Ranch (denoted in red). Previously a working ranch, it was acquired by the NPS, who turned it into a historic sight. Paul went for a short (1 mile) hike in this area, and was never seen again. Image source: Google Maps.
Paul Fugate was a passionate outdoorsman, and a formally-trained botanist. His work as a park ranger allowed him to share his love of the outdoors with others. Image source: family photo.

Sources used to research this episode:

Missing for Four Decades: Unsolved Park Ranger Mystery Lingers in Southern Arizona (Ryan Fish / KGUN9 News)

The Search for a Ranger Who Was Lost and Never Found (Brendan Borrell / Outside Magazine)

Chiricahua National Monument Arizona (National Park Service)

The Mystery of a Missing Naturalist May Lead to Legal Test of Dismissal (New York Times)

Los Angeles Times, Tuesday, July 13th, 1982 Edition, Page 51 (Los Angeles Times)

Reward Triples in Decades-Old Disappearance of Chiricahua National Monument Ranger (NPS Investigative Services)

Man Charges in NPS Employee Assault (Ainslee S. Wittig and Carol Broeder / Arizona Range News)

Chiricahua National Monument / Lillian Erickson Riggs (NPS.gov)

If you know anything about the disappearance of Paul Fugate, please call the National Park Service’s Investigative Services Branch at  888-653-0009. Or, submit a tip online by clicking HERE.

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