In a post on Mental Floss, Michele Debczak shares the story of Glen and Bessie Hyde, a married couple who disappeared in 1928 during a trip along the Colorado River.
The couples’ boat was found 140 miles from where they were last seen, in perfect condition and packed with supplies. The couple were not typical tourists but experienced river runners. Glen’s goal for the trip was to beat the fastest time to travel the length of the Grand Canyon by boat. Bessie’s goal was to become the first woman to complete the journey. They hoped to return home to book deals and lecture invitations.
A journal discovered on the boat showed the Hydes had been on the boat until November 30, at least, and were actually running ahead of their schedule. Rescuers assumed the couple drowned, but no bodies were ever found.
In 1971, some 43 years later, a woman named Elizabeth Cutler claimed to be Bessie Hyde. She confessed to murdering her husband during an argument and living in secret for the ensuing decades. Though she later recanted, the legend of the Hydes lived on. In 1977, a male skeleton with a bullet hole in its skull was found in the home of one of the last people who reported seeing the Hydes. When a local river guide passed away in 1992, a pistol, the Hydes’ marriage certificate, and a birth certificate listing her name as Bessie DeRoss were found among her effects.
The case is still a mystery. While the simplest answer – a tragic water accident – is probably correct, that’s no fun. What do you think happened to the Hydes? Who was Elizabeth Cutler? Why did an elderly river guide have the Hyde’s marriage certificate?
.jpg){kind=link}