Finding Fauna - A Mystery

There are many stories of hikers slightly veering off trail and getting horribly lost. This could involve something as normal as a private bathroom break. That is how Fauna Jackson disappeared in August, 2016 in the rugged wilderness of Grand Teton National Park. The Ohio 16-year-old was with twenty other people working on a non-profit trail project with an environmental group when she failed to return.

An immediate search found one of Jackson’s hiking boots down the trail. Rangers were called but a local search found no further trace. The search expanded over the next two days with more than 100 people deployed. Dogs and ATVs, helicopters and infrared imaging were used to detect heat sources on the ground.

Missing person posters circulated describing what Jackson was last seen wearing: white hat, tan pants, a long-sleeve green shirt that said, “Find Your Park” and “Groundwork USA,” and perhaps a purple backpack.

Many similar stories end with bad news, this one went the other way when Jackson was found two days later. However, it only deepened the mystery. Jackson didn’t look the same. Her hair color and cut were changed. Jackson wore different clothes. Most peculiar, she ran from her rescuers. This was near the Snake River Outlook, a popular sightseeing spot, about three to four miles away from where she left the trail.

After a medical welfare check that found nothing, she was interviewed. Jackson was not talking. No explanations were given. Her cellphone and bank activity ceased on the day she walked off. Jackson was known in her community as kind, reliable and a budding young leader, reported the Cincinnati Enquirer. 

Following eight weeks in a youth employment program through the Cincinnati chapter of Groundwork USA, a national civic organization that focuses on green issues, she was one of three teens who made the trip to the Grand Tetons. 

The well-liked straight-A student was a natural choice. Alan Edwards, with Groundwork’s Cincinnati chapter, told ABC affiliate WCPO. “Honestly, one of the best employees we had and that’s why she got to go.”

The Wyoming trip lasted nine days and included attending outdoor activities, leadership and team-building, and fieldwork. Jackson “worked hard, got along well with the fourteen other youth in our

summer program, and showed leadership potential,” Robin Corathers, executive director told NBC News.

Like most teens, Jackson documented the trip on social media, posting Instagram photos of herself at Old Faithful and atop mountain peaks. According to Katie Mettler, writing in The Washington Post, “the day before she disappeared, she posted a selfie with two other teens. In the caption, she wrote: “Last day in Wyoming is tomorrow!! I can’t wait to be home and see everyone. Today I’m going to be blazing a trail, pretty siked. I love you all a bunch and can’t wait to see all of you soon!””

Concern and best-wishes from the general public quickly dissipated after her discovery. Many were upset with the dangerous and expensive search. Her family and Groundwork USA were just happy to have her back. However, Jackson’s actions have not been explained and no stories have been written since 2016.