Missing 411 | The Feral People Theory | Into Thin Air

From folklore to conspiracy theory, feral people have appeared in stories across the continent, and even across the sea. Some believe the idea is nonsensical, while some believe it's the cause of the Missing 411 phenomenon. So how plausible is it? How do media portrayals affect our beliefs regarding the topic? Most importantly, could it be true? What would drive a few people, let alone an entire tribe, to abandon society and go feral? Welcome back to The Lore Lodge...

Thank you to @HistoryDaddy for contributing to this video!

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0:00 - Intro
1:50 - Morgan & Morgan
2:35 - Feral People Overview
4:04 - Ferals in Media
13:33 Ferals in Folklore
25:43 - Wildmen in Britain
33:29 - Sawney Bean
40:25 - Cannibalism in the Donner Party
42:52 - Conclusion & Outro

[ryanclay]

As for feral people who are crazy cannibal who eat other people who cross their path, in America we call them Politicians.

[BX]

"Saskettes" always makes me think they're Bigfoot's backup singers.

[in_the_vortex]

As someone who lives on the edge of the Appalachian mountains, the wrong turn movies, maybe not the murders, but actually turning on a random road out here WILL get you lost

[sierratree]

I live in the Appalachian mountains, and one time I did see a wild looking naked man run out of the woods along the side of the road and scream. But I think he was just an unfortunate person experiencing meth psychosis.

[emskalicky]

About 8/9 years ago there was a real case of a “feral” family of about 40 people in the Blue Mountains in Australia - genuinely a very tragic case of abuse, incest, neglect over several generations. I remember it really struck me how a family and especially their children, grandchildren, etc can fall through the cracks like that.

[winry]

I love Tucker and Dale vs Evil specifically because it turns the “evil hillbilly” trope on its head. Fantastic horror comedy.

[coteezy]

My father bought a newly built lake house in a new development in shady shores Texas on lake Lewisville in 1977..he met a 91 year old man living and fishing with very rudimentary scavenged items in some thick army Corp land behind his new development..he approached him and started a discussion and said this guy clearly hadn't spoke to anyone in some time..he was dirty and disheveled but started speaking well though and said he just wanted to be left alone..my father was 21 and was fishing a few weeks later and noticed him and brought him some fish he'd caught..he noticed he had been digging this hole with a scavenged piece of old barn tin..my father asked if he needed a shovel and brought him one..he dug him a hole covered it and made him a shelter and stayed through the winter...he got to talking with him about his story and turned out he was very mentally sound..his wife had died 7 years before and they were married like 62 years..he just kinda gave up and dug a house on the army Corp land because he had served in ww1 and felt he was obliged to do so..the developers had ran him off and filled in his home to build the little developement...my father offered numerous times to come stay in his house but he refused..he did come walking up after an apparent confrontation of some sort..he asked if he could dig a hole on some of my dad's land..he helped him dig it and he stayed there for about 6 months..he was busy working in the defense industry and one day the few possessions he had were gone and so was he..he said he was completly mentally sound and in realy goodshape for his age..he just had been living alone and wanted to be left alone..not exactly ferril but thought it was interesting espicaly given this was 12 miles north of downtown dallas..imagine what could be possible out in rural Appalachia

[sasqwatch]

I don't discount the existence of feral people. But as an explanation for missing people, I don't buy it. And have you seen some of the people in urban areas? Some folks there are more feral than anyone you're likely to meet in the forest.

[SoulSoundMuisc]

I grew up in Northern Maine. Two things.

1) the area i used to live had small stone plinths further out in the woods. Many were missing, nobody really knew who made them (natives or pioneers?). The "rule" of those plinths was that search parties didnt go past them when looking for missing persons. Too dangerous for such a small community back then. If you went past those things, nobody was coming for you.

2) Maine had a *lot* of "Bush Vets". Veterans from the Vietnam War that came back and decided to just live out in the forest rather than rejoin society. They could be anything from a hermit minding their own business wanting no trouble to a dangerous individual with untreated psychological problems. The vast majority were completely harmless and you just respected them and left them alone and gave them "right of way".

[justinbabin]

The fact that he had to distinguish between downtrodden people and feral makes me think there's more stupid people out there then it'd like to think 🤣

[meepmoopietherd]

Having lived in Appalachia for almost 20 years now, I'm convinced the feral people thing stems from some overly dramatic city folk who came to the mountains and didn't understand that Bubba, with his 3 teeth and mouth full of dip, wasn't trying to attack them when he sauntered up and asked if they were having car trouble on a road in the middle of nowhere, but was being kind.
If you've been in the area any length of time, you'll know it's incredibly karst. It's all limestone. There are stories all the time of people walking into cave entrances that are just big enough for their foot to get caught in them and snap their ankle. I know I've found entrances like this going off trail (which is why it's a good idea to stay on the marked path, but I digress). It is not implausible that people are just stumbling into cave entrances that no one knows are there because you literally can't see them unless you know they're there. Human remains are found in unexplored cave systems all the time. They're very easy to end up dead in. Especially with any missing children, it would be easy to get sucked into a cave entrance that's very small.

[ovni]

My theory on why people go missing, particularly in national parks, is that they are falling into caves. This comes from a map I saw once that showed where wilderness disappearances happen and where cave networks are, and the two maps matched up startlingly well. Unmapped caves, particularly small ones, could easily swallow a person who steps off a trail and doesn't know there's a 2 foot wide hole in the ground under a bush.

We know about uncontacted peoples in the Amazon. We've photographed them from helicopters. We've said hi and asked how they are doing. Some have even approached modern civilization for help against illegal poaching and loggers in their territories. There would be no reason to keep similar groups in the US a secret when the ones in the Amazon are out in the open.

EDIT: There is at least one national park where the Caves Eat People thing is a known problem. Craters of the Moon National Park. The park strongly suggests you stay on the trails because the old lava tubes under the park can cave in at any time, and if you're on a trail when this happens... well they know where the trails are, so there's a better chance of finding you.

[KyleLyre]

I grew up in this tiny little town with like 300 people, a bar, and a soda machine out in the middle of the woods. Lived in the woods all my life, and only the dozen or so kids my age ever went in the woods that late. Me and a few friends would venture out and just watch and listen to the forest or wander around quietly.
Once in a while, the moonlight was strong enough to break the canopy of trees, and a few times we'd see people moving around. Keyword being SEE, because the only time I ever heard one was when my friend had broken a stick under his foot. Whoever or whatever I saw took off, but its footsteps were like thunder. I still get chills, because something that heavy could move so quietly.

[finnhoff]

The forest people are really just the friends we made along the way

[kathyrawlings]

My Dad was stationed in the Philippine Islands in WWII and he used to tell me this gruesome story about some Japanese soldiers that were trapped there. Dad said these Japanese soldiers were hiding out and killing American soldiers. When they found them and realized what they were doing it was unbelievable. They were eating the America soldiers. One of them was a Japanese general and he told the men that captured them that there was nothing better tasting than human flesh. Dad talked about the pile of bones and the dog tags. It was a horrible story and it messed up my Dad. I remember when I was a kid how he used to jump out of bed and I could hear him running through the house. He would get in his truck and drive all night. But he saw a lot of messed up things. But yes I believe that kind of sick stuff happens.

[jamesparrott]

it would be weird for our government to commit genocide against indigenous Americans but leave a population of "feral" people untaxed and undisturbed

[gargoyle]

My mom once asked my paternal great-grandfather, "Acil, were you ever lost in the forest?'' Acil, old countryman that he was, paused a minute and replied "No, I can't say I was. But I was bewildered a time or two.'' An around the barn way of saying: it is easy to get disoriented, and even very experienced outdoors people can get lost.

[TheCrystalBoat]

Me, a Brit: "These stories are so scary, thank God I don't live in the US."
You: "British Bigfoot"
Me: "Ahh shit"

[KyleNicely-wg]

As someone who has thought about leaving "society" or "civilization" for the woods I could totally see like minded people being seen out there instead of a cryptid.

[MSW_Skule]

In Appalachia there are still tiny communities that no roads lead to. You gotta walk a long ways to find 'em. People living out there ain't exactly friendly, but I never met one that was a cannibal.