The campers from the Emerson Valley Gazette’s Halloween contest, along with our acting editor-in-chief Martin Fitzgerald, have gone missing. The group went into Blackwood Forest on the night of October 31, and they were meant to return the following day. They were scheduled to arrive at the parking lot of Raven Hall at 10 AM. Some of the campers had left their vehicles in the parking lot overnight, and others were going to meeting their rides.

When the campers were over two hours late in returning, the family and friends waiting for them contacted the Emerson Valley Park Service and asked about the group. A park ranger was sent to check on the campsite, as their intended location had been registered by Mr. Fitzgerald the day before. The ranger found the campsite still intact, but there was no sign of Mr. Fitzgerald or the contest winners.

The Emerson Valley Sheriff’s Department was informed of the situation and arrived at the Ranger Station to take over the search. The area was combed by deputies, park rangers, and a handful of volunteers, but the campers were unable to be found. Sheriff Victor Grayson has announced they are now considered missing persons. The eleven people are:

• Martin Fitzgerald
• Ryan Fowler
• Shawn Higgins
• Elena Ibanez
• Diana De Lucas
• Peter King
• Olivia Stone
• Freddy Parsons
• Isaac Brody
• Juan Perez
• Anita Mann

The search party will continue to look for the group through the night. If they are still not found by morning, a more extensive search will need to be organized. As the local sheriff’s department does not have the resources on hand, they will have to request assistance from neighboring towns and the state authorities.

“I won’t lie—it doesn’t look good,” Sheriff Grayson said following the announcement. “All their stuff was left behind, including food, water, tools, and everything else. They’re out there with nothing but the clothes on their backs. People don’t last long in the wilds like that.”

If you have any information concerning the missing campers, please contact the Emerson Valley Sheriff’s Department immediately. You can also contact us at emersonvalleygazette@gmail.com.

-Quinn Paxton, Local News, Emerson Valley Gazette

CORRECTION: Anita Mann is not one of the missing campers. This was apparently a prank contest submission, but that fact was only discovered when the contest winners arrived yesterday evening for dinner at Raven Hall. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.

UPDATE (11/2/2025): Search and Rescue vehicles and personnel have arrived in town this morning. The search for the missing campers will extend across most of Blackwood Forest. Helicopters will assist ground personnel with the search from the air.

UPDATE (11/4/2025): The tattered remains of what appears to be a blood-soaked jacket washed up on the banks of Silver Creek River today. Search and Rescue personnel are moving to focus more of the search along the river.

UPDATE (11/6/2025): Sheriff Grayson has officially called off the search. No more evidence of the group’s movements after leaving their campsite has been found since the bloody jacket two days ago. As of now, the ten campers remain missing persons.