Dark Side of the Mountain /// Part 2 /// 883 | Forensic Files

Pandora makes it easy for you to find your favorite music. Discover new artists and genres by selecting any song
or album and we'll make you a personalized station for free. Download on the Apple App Store or Google Play
and enjoy the soundtrack to your life. I like things my way, [music] my coffee, my schedule and my treatment. So, I
talked to my doctor about self- injecting with the Vivgar Hydrulo pre-filled syringe which contains
[music] FGart alpha and hyaluronidase QVFC. It's injected under your skin subcutaneously. It means I can inject in
my [music] space on my time. It's my treatment, my way. Visit vgardmyway.com. [music]
That's vygmyway.com and talk to your doctor about Vivgart Hyruo. [music] Brought to you by
Argenics. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Welcome to True Crime Garage. Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, thanks
for listening. I'm your host, Nick, and with me as always is a man with a reminder that there are no answers here.
When you look out, you don't see in. Here is the captain. >> It's good to be seen and good to see
you. Thanks for listening. Thanks for telling a friend. Today, oh, we love it. We are back at it
again with some more delicious Wonderlust IPA from Breakside Brewery. Employeeowned, just like True Crime
Garage, this is the gold standard of traditional IPAs. Having won many awards over the years and inducted into the SIP
Northwest Beer Hall of Fame back in 2017, we give it four and a half bottle caps out of five. And here's a cheers
and praise and thank you to some of our good garage friends that are destined for the Hall of Fame themselves. First
up, we have Pickpack Pimp in Louisville, Kentucky. >> And a big we like your chip goes out to
Aaron and Cody in Springfield, Missouri. >> Next up, here's a cheers to the Cummings
Family Firearms. Live free or die New Hampshire. And last, but certainly not least, we have Carrie and Brad Sigler
from Columbia, Missouri. Everybody we just mentioned, [music] they helped us fill up the old garage
fridge for this week's shows. And for that, we thank you. >> Yeah. BW are you in beer run? If you
need more true crime garage for your ear balls, and [music] you know you do, check out our bonus show, Off the
Record, on Patreon and Apple Podcast subscription. [music] And Colonel, that's enough of the be is kn. All
right, everybody. Gather around, grab a chair, grab a beer. Let's talk some true
crime. [music] [music] In the afternoon of August 7th, [music] 1988, 49year-old Keith Reinhardt walked off
into [music] the distance, presumably to take a hike in the mountains. When Keith
failed to return by the following morning, his absence did not go unnoticed. His buddy Ted Parker reported
Keith missing to the local authorities. It dawns on his friend and his friends that if Keith did go off to climb Mount
Pendleton as he had said he was going to, perhaps he wasn't joking and maybe he had suffered a fall or was injured in
some kind of hiking incident or experienced an unfortunate account encounter with a wild animal. So the
reports here, Captain, is while it was partly cloudy and 75° when Keith presumably left for the
mountain, even in August, even in the month of August, the weather can turn rapidly.
This is the mountains. Night temperatures can dip as low as 40° this time of year. Moreover, the risk of
exposure is real, as is that threat from wildlife such as a mountain lion or bears. The Clear Creek County Sheriff's
Department, they jump into action right away, organizing a massive search and rescue operation comprised of in excess
of 125 men and a dozen trained dogs. this from the Colorado Alpine Rescue Team. So, we have ground searchers, ground
rescuers who spend the next 7 days searching the rugged and difficult terrain on the side of the mountain. So,
they're combing the 3,000 vertical feet on a 60° slope. The following day, they are joined by an aerial search team with
army helicopters and small planes dispatched to fly over Pendleton Mountain in an attempt to locate the
missing man. This is all all this effort is met with no success. Although one K9
searcher appeared to pick up Keith's scent, two other search dogs failed to alert and it did not lead to any
significant discovery. Sources report that searchers felt like it was looking for the famous needle in a hay stack.
Their task was made exponentially more difficult by the fact that Keith had taken off with no backpack, food, or
other supplies. So, the more that Keith would have brought with him up into the mountain would be more ways of
potentially tracking his movements. >> Yeah, Hansel and Gretle leaving breadcrumbs. Searchers at one point were
encouraged when they discovered shoe prints consistent with that of tennis shoes that could possibly have been left
by Keith within the search area. However, this turns out to be a false lead rather quickly as they quickly find
out that shoe prints were found all over the mountain and there is nothing specific tying them to their missing
man. And then on August 12th, the search for the missing sports rider suffers a tragic blow
when a single engine Cessna 182 plane operated by Civil Air Patrol crashes on a low ridge into the Rocky Colorado
Rockies, killing pilot Terry Leens. Another passenger, the spotter, who was identified as Donald Droy,
is seriously injured in this crash as well. Donald survives thankfully. Unfortunately, Terry does not.
>> Well, very sad because they're probably volunteering their time to try to find
this missing individual. And the terrain is going to be your nemesis. If it was a
flat plane, you can see for miles. With him going missing in this location, you really have to exert a crazy amount of
effort just to get into different locations to search for this individual. >> Yeah. And a search that started off with
125 good folks, >> almost as many people that live there. Well, that and so that was sort of an overview of the
search that would last seven days. The crash that took place is about 5 days into this massive search effort. But
following that terrible accident and then several days of heavy rainstorms, the search for Keith Reinhardt was
called off on Sunday, August 14th. And unfortunately, it ended with no clues as to his whereabouts. And this was using
all those ground searchers along with all of those dogs and helicopters and planes that had canvas this rugged
terrain in attempt to locate the missing sports rider. For the first time in its
30-year history, the Alpine Rescue Squad failed to locate and bring home the object of their search, breaking its
previously perfect record. Keith's son, Sven, tells the press that his father's friends never gave up hope. Even after
the search was called off, they declared that their intention was to band together and continue to search
themselves, which did in fact take place, but again to the same result where they end up with no clues as to
what happened to Keith Reinhardt. When his friends searched the apartment tucked behind that church that Keith was
renting, they discover what they think to be potentially a clue, but it would be a strange one, a strange clue. So,
next to his open computer is a recent newspaper article about the discovery of Tom Young's remains found in the
Rockies. Featuring the headline, Tom Young's body found. On the hard drive is a draft of his unfinished novel which
friends know is based on the disappearance naming his character Guy Gypson which seems to be again this is
other people's interpretation but it's regularly reported that it's amalgamation of both Keith who is
missing and the deceased Tom Young. And they state that Keith has outlined a story which reads like a recounting of
his own disappearance. So before Keith had set off on this uncharacteristic late afternoon hike,
the final words he had written were as follows. Quote, "Guy Gypsum changed into some hiking boots and dawned a heavy
flannel shirt. He understood it all now and his motivation. guy closed the door then walked off
towards the lush shadowless Colorado forest above. End quote. Investigators speculate whether this line implied
Keith had been considering suicide. Although again being in com conversation in communication with his wife Carolyn as
well as his grown children, the family says that this would be extremely out of character for Keith's positive outlook,
upbeat outlook, optimistic personality. And remember we talked about too it it sounded like Keith was excited quite
excited at the prospect of covering Michael Jordan in the Chicago Bulls when he did in fact return to work after this
trip. Yeah. He almost seemed like this trip was to reinvigorate himself into life. So that is
completely the opposite of somebody that's suicidal. But we have to remember that
sometimes suicide is spontaneous and so maybe there was some stuff going on that
he wasn't letting his friends and family know about. >> Can be impulsive too. >> Right
>> now Keith Reinhardt sadly has never been seen since that day. And this is more
than three decades ago. Since the day he told several folks around town, including his good friend Ted Parker,
that he intended to hike to the top of the mountain. Tom Young's death and the death of his best friend and companion,
his dog Gus, also remain a mystery. So what we are ultimately left with here, Captain, is a bevy of confounding
questions. Right. >> Right. >> What happened to Keith Reinhardt? Were Tom Young and his dog killed?
If so, by who? Or was that a suicide? If something nefarious happened to both of
these gentlemen, are their cases related in any way? So, let's explore something for a minute
here. Let's pretend >> that both Tom Young and Keith Reinhardt were in fact killed. Somebody wanted
Keith to disappear. Somebody wanted Tom Young gone as well. >> What's the motive?
>> What's the motive? The the first thing I would look at is beyond motive because
the first thing I would look at is with Tom Young and Keith Reinhardt's situation. If they were both taken out
by somebody, they share a very strong commonality. And that commonality is Ted Parker who they're both renting space
from in Silver Plume. >> Right >> now, it's not a >> the murderous Tom Parker. It's not a
very long skip in a jump to get to a conclusion that they probably shared a lot of commonalities within the town of
Silver Plume just based off of what a small tight-knit community it was. >> Correct.
>> But for us looking at this thing a thousand miles away, he is the thing that stands out the most. Couple things
that are very different from their situations, however, is Tom Young is not reported missing for a considerable
amount of time. Keith Reinhardt is reported missing the next day after he was to to go on this hike. And as Parker
puts it, he says I was asked to go with him because I was the guy that usually would get him to go on hikes with me.
>> Right. But if I'm the investigator, I want to know, did he go on that hike or
does he have an alibi for that time period? Exactly. Exactly. And those are good questions. And I don't know how
quick they were looking into answering that question. I think they were more concerned that Keith did in fact go on
this hike and we got to go find him. He's up there somewhere. Maybe a broken ankle or something has happened to him.
and we have this very skilled rescue team at our beck and call. Let's send him up there and and get this guy and
bring him off of the mountain. >> Right. >> While I sit here three decades later, I don't have great
answers to any of these questions. >> Well, it's cuz you're an you're an idiot. And this is
this is a mystery layered with another mystery layered with another mystery, >> right?
>> And has continued to be that way for many folks for a lot of years. Now, some
additional information here that I do want to get into. This case has been featured twice on Unsolved
Mysteries amongst other places. first in season two with the late great Robert Stack
and then again in season six with Dennis Fina. >> I also enjoyed listening to our buddies
from Going West. They covered this a long time ago, but their coverage was really good.
>> I'm going to have to check that one out. Now, the Tom Young portion of this story
to me is the most frustrating part of the research and then trying to tell this story, this true crime story in the
best way that we can. If in fact Tom Young took his own life and let's also say if in fact Keith Reinhardt an
inexperienced hiker went up there into the mountains you could have a situation where it was a suicide and that
disappearance/suicide inspired this wannabe novelist to live in the story and take this hike.
And while an inexperienced hiker, he encounters some trouble up there and he was just simply never recovered. And we
have no real crime other than a still very mysterious story to report to you. But I think the door is open, wide open
on so many other possibilities here, >> right? >> And we're not the first to look at this
and be very curious about all of our findings, but it goes back to me to this Tom Young reporting. The most the most
frustrating part of this to me is the reporting on Tom Young's case because we are 10 years almost 10 years into our
garage life sentence. >> Yeah. I think our anniversary is next month maybe. >> Yeah. And we've been we've had many
requests for this case over the years. And I got to say, I've looked into it each time it's requested. I I look into
it briefly and I was always kind of turned off because my thought has always been the reports I always found, Captain
suggested say that Tom Young committed suicide. And for me, it seemed definitive on those times, on those
occasions when I looked into it. And so for me, I thought there's so many other cases out there that are unsolved cases
that deserve to be presented to the public where here it seems likely to me that there's no real crime.
There's there's a man who took his own life and then there's a man that got lost in the woods. But when you circle
back and do further digging on the Tom Young situation, >> right, >> you realize very quickly that it's not
so cut and dried, right? So, the Tom Young portion of this is very frustrating. I do have a call into the
local authorities requesting an interview to clear this matter up and I'm hoping to have that opportunity to
do so because this could simply be a simple mixup or good versus bad reporting about the outcome of the Tom
Young death investigation because it's reported vastly different depending on the source and to show you the extremes
of what the result of Tom Young's death investigation reporting is I offer up these three examples.
There's many examples out there, but to try to present it in a clear and concise
manner, I picked these three. First, from Unsolved Mysteries. And it states, "On July 31st, 1988, 10 months after Tom
Young disappeared, two hunters found the remains of Tom and his dog in the mountains near Silver near Silver Plume.
Each had died from a bullet wound to the head. Dave Danour of the Clear Creek County Sheriff's Department was one of
the first investigators to arrive on the scene." and he says, quote, "They were up there exploring some territory for
bow hunting season which was coming up and they found his remains." He's referring to the hunters. Also found at
the scene was a revolver. In a subsequent investigation, we found out that Tom had purchased a gun
approximately 4 days before he was last known to be in Silver Plume. The Tom Young case is closed and it has been
ruled a suicide both by the coroner's office and by the Clear Creek County Sheriff's Department. So that seems
pretty simple. The sheriff's department, the coroner agree this man took his own
life. There's no more need for investigation. However, let's explore something 10 years after. So this is 10
years after Keith Reinhardt goes missing. So almost 11 years after Tom Young went missing. This is from a
Chicago Times article on the 10-year anniversary of Keith's disappearance. So August 7th, 1998.
I do want to make sure that I include the leadin for this before I get to the Tom Young portion because this was
actually written not by an investigative journalist. This was written by another
sports writer from the Chicago area. So years later, Jim O'Donnell wrote about Keith Reinhardt. Jim, like
Keith, was a sports writer for Chicago and the surrounding area. Jim wrote in the Chicago Sun Times the following.
August 7th, 1988, Keith Reinhardt walked off the face of the earth. And he has never been seen,
tracked, or traced since. No bones, no body, no credit card trail, no postcards from the edge, nothing.
just an untouchably odd legacy, an unsolved mountain mystery that left many lives reordered in its wake. He ends the
article by saying, "A couple of years ago, a California-based writer allegedly uncovered evidence that a major
multinational defense contractor had been illegally dumping plutonium in the abandoned Colorado silver mines."
The writer also alleged that Tom Young had been aware of the environmental illegal alities. Yeah, somebody needs to
contact Doc Brown and Marty McFly >> and was in the process of whistleblowing when he was murdered. The writer also
states that Reinhardt was likely murdered because he had shown far too much interest in Young's disappearance.
The writer claims to have been present. I'm sorry. The writer claims to have presented enough evidence to the
sheriff's department in Silver Plume that the status of the file on Young has changed from suicide to unsolved.
No one at the sheriff's department this week would confirm or deny that. So, I was able to track down what book this
came from, >> right? >> And you can see the extremes here. First, it's unsolved mysteries, open and
closed case. We ruled it a suicide. The second one is, well, it was ruled this way, but according to this writer, it
was changed to unsolved. And that's how a lot of the story goes. In fact, it it gets even more intricate than that. And
and we'll see based off of this. This is from that California-based writer in a book titled Brother Tony's Boys by Mike
Eckles. Now, I want to be clear here. This is not a book about Tom Young's case or about Keith Reinard's case. They
are in this book. They are portion of this much much larger story. But the the pages that I present to you are this and
reads as follows. In October of 1987, Tom and his Labrador retriever Gus disappeared without a trace. In June of
1988, a friend of Tom's, Keith Reinhardt, a sports writer for the Daily Herald in Arlington Heights, Illinois,
took a sbatical, moved to Silver Plume, and began researching and writing a book
about Tom's disappearance and soon phoned his wife Carolyn and told her, quote, "I'm working on a big story." End
quote. On August 7th, 1988, Keith went for an afternoon hike in the mountains, but failed to return. Two weeks later,
during a massive search for him, the remains of Tom and Gus, both shot to death, were found two miles outside of
Silver Plume, 10 months after they had disappeared. Keith remains missing to this day. So, we should jump in there
real quick, Captain, and and point out that this timeline doesn't match up with the timeline that we've presented in the
timeline that is most commonly discussed in this case, that the bodies of Tom and
Gus were found prior to Keith going out to hike in the mountains. >> Right. >> Continuing with the book, the Clear
Creek Coroner ruled Tom's death a suicide. 6 months later, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation examined the
evidence and found that whereas Tom's 25 caliber pistol was discovered near his body, Tom and Gus had both been shot to
death with multiple rounds of a 45 caliber weapon. Tom's death was reclassified as an unsolved homicide and
remains so as of 1996. It goes on to say, "During the 1989-90 television season, NBC's television's
Unsolved Mysteries, presented a segment detailing the story. In 1991, I not me, but the author of this book, Mike
Eckles, says I spoke with the segment's field producer, Todd Miller, and he told
me that his experiences in Clear Creek County dealing with local law enforcement in researching and filming
the story were the strangest he had ever experienced with Unsolved Mysteries. goes on to say, "In June of 1989, over
707 70 FBI agents swooped down on Rocky Flats with its nearly 20 tons of plutonium,
more than at any other nuclear plant in the US and seized two trailer truckloads
of documents from the plant's operator, defense contractor Rockwell International." Now, that's a pretty big
swing in the reporting of the outcome into the investigation of the death of Tom Young.
[music] [music] What if I told you the biggest crime story of our time is happening right
under our noses and we're all witnesses? Introducing Lawless Planet, the new podcast from Wondery that exposes the
dark underbelly of the climate crisis. From the Amazon rainforest to smalltown America, host Zack Goldbomb uncovers
shocking tales of murder, corporate cover-ups, and greed. You'll hear about the brave activist risking their lives
for their beliefs, the corrupt tycoons destroying ecosystems for profit, and the ordinary people caught in the
crossfire. This isn't some distant threat. It's happening right now. Each episode drops you into a battle for our
planet's future. We're talking mysterious deaths, daring heist, and billion-dollar scams. All with the fate
of our world hanging in the balance. This is Lawless Planet. Follow Lawless Planet on the Wondery app or wherever
you get your podcast. You can listen to new episodes early and adree right now by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondery
app, Apple Podcast, or Spotify. If you're still overpaying for wireless, it's time to say yes to saying no. At
Mint Mobile, their favorite word is no. No contracts, no monthly bills, no overages, no hidden fees, no BS.
Plans start at $15 a month at Mint. All plans come with high-speed data and unlimited talk and text delivered on the
nation's largest 5G network. Use your own phone with any Mint Mobile plan and bring your phone number along with all
your existing contacts. It's just that easy. Start saving money and get the same great quality wireless service that
you are used to with Mint Mobile. People are saving 40, 50, $60 a month with Mint
Mobile and getting the same great service. Ready to say yes to saying no? Make the switch at mintmobile.comtcg.
That's mintmobile.comtcg. Upfront payment of $45 required, equivalent to $15 a month. Limited time
new customer offer for first 3 months only. Speeds may slow above 35 gigabytes on unlimited plan. Taxes and fees extra.
See Mint Mobile for details. So many people are focused on where their money is today. That's smart. But
you might want to consider where it's going to go. Acorns is the financial wellness app that cares about where your
money is going tomorrow. And with the Acorn's potential screen, you can find out what your money is capable of.
Acorns is a smart way to give your money a chance to grow. And that's what we want it to do. Grow. Sign up now and
Acorns will boost your new account with a $5 bonus investment. Join the over 14 million all-time customers who have
already saved and invested over $27 billion with Acorns. Head to acorns.com/g or download the Acorns app to get
started. Paid non-client endorsement compensation provides incentive to positively promote Acorns. Tier 2
compensation provided potential subject to various factors such as customers accounts, age, and investment settings.
Does not include Acorn's fees results do not predict or represent the performance
of any Acorn's portfolio. Investment results will vary. Investing involves risk. Acorns Advisors LLC and SEC
registered investment advisor. View important disclosures at acorns.com/g. As the weather cools down, pets get just
as excited as the rest of the family, which means you need toys that last, treats they love, and all the essentials
to keep them happy and healthy. Chewy always comes through with fast delivery, great deals, and everything in one
place. Food, treats, toys, even supplies for horses, farm animals, birds, fish, reptiles, and other small pets. Chewy
has it all. And it all shows up at your door in a day or two. I love Chewy. I've
been a customer of Chewy since before True Crime Garage even started. That's because I have dogs that have specific
needs and a specific diet. And sometimes that means that food is hard to find. Chewy has the selection that I need.
They have the stuff that my dogs require. And I don't have to drive a million miles away to go and get the
stuff that my dogs love and need. I just get it from chewy.com and it's so convenient. It shows up right at my
door. It could not be easier. This season, keep your pets happy, healthy, and part of every celebration. Find
everything you need at Chewy. Go to chewions.chewy.comtcgnic to get $20 off your first order. That's
chewions.cgnic to get $20 off your first order. chewions.chewy.com/tcgnic. >> [music]
>> All right, we are back. Cheers, mates. [music] Talk hands in the air. Cheers to
you, Colonel. Cheers to you, Captain. [music] Now, my thought on the reporting is just
new information came out or came to light and that's why the reporting is different.
>> I hope that's correct, right? I mean, all of those all of the reporting could
be good reporting if that is in fact the case because it wouldn't be the first time that you start digging and looking
into a case and other folks start doing it as well. And it's reported one way on
day one or day 365, but then on day 1,000 or day 5,000, it's reported quite differently because a lot
more had been uncovered. Well, let me tell you what sticks out in my mind. When Keith calls his wife and says,
"Hey, I'm working on something big." H Now, some people just everything in their life is big. They're the center of
the story. They're the center of the universe. They're the man on fire. But Keith doesn't seem like that kind of
guy. When Keith says to his wife, "I'm working on something big." Well, a guy in a small town taking his life and
taking his dog's life. Not that big. Even if there was some weird cover up, not that big. But if he was murdered by
somebody that was dumping illegal waste in these mine in these mine shafts, well, that could be something big. So
then you have to wonder when Keith was going around and basically paying his condolences to Tom and talking to the
local people, which he probably didn't have tons of communication with prior that did he say something to somebody
that was connected to this illegal dumping and possibly responsible for Tom and Gus's murder. But then you just go,
how did this story get out anyways? Because however it gets out, one of they want to get rid of that
source as well if they were willing to get rid of two individuals and a dog. Don't you think they'd go after other
writers and other sources? >> Oh, absolutely. And so this is why I would like to get a
very clear answer from the local authorities because the way that this the big swing in the reporting on this
is that the ballistics were never tested and that left the door open to the locals thinking well maybe Tom didn't
take his own life and somebody somebody had a hand in that. Now, whether that's connected to Keith's disappearance or
not, very difficult to say [snorts] because even if Tom Young were to have been murdered, it's not inconceivable
that Keith, an inexperienced hiker, did in fact go on a hike and he just he lost
to the mountain that night and he's been lost forever. But this is going beyond that and saying, "Well, the Colorado
Bureau of Investigation examined the evidence found with Tom and Gus and found the caliber of bullet to be
different from the one that Tom had purchased." >> Well, also in that reporting, they're
saying that there's multiple gunshots, >> correct? >> Which is not impossible in a suicide, but most likely not
possible. but also inconsistent with all of the other reporting >> exactly >> that I and and here's what I wonder
about. >> Tell me, >> you know, when you're doing some of these stories, these bigger stories, and
that's what this book is about. It's about a it's about a completely different lengthy crime story. Uh, this
is part of the is having I hesitate to say that it's buried inside this book, the story of Keith and Tom because I've
not been able to read the book, but I'd like to talk with this Mike Eckles because I in my mind I think he leaves a
lot to be desired here. I would I would have preferred to have her to have read him saying, "I interviewed Keith's wife,
Carolyn, and this is what she told me." Instead, he's kind of reciting or or retelling of this. Oh, Keith called his
wife Carolyn and told her, "I I'm working on a really big story." >> Right. Is it is it direct information or
is it telephone? >> Yeah. Where'd you get that from? You know, was that just somebody speculation
sitting in the saloon at uh Silver Plume? Because this story to me, I think it's absolutely
fascinating. I I wish that it were like Keith's unfinished novel, a work of fiction, because this you can see this,
right? This feels like one of those movies we've seen before, one of those books we've read before where where a
man that just for whatever reason, something deep inside of him needed a break from his life. He shows up into
this town and while he's there, this small little town, he he's working in what was previously a bookstore of this
mystery man who mysteriously disappeared. And then when he was ultimately found dead in the woods,
the mystery surrounding the man's death were equally as mysterious. and he's one
day he's working away and he's just he's boxing up some things or going through some items that he found in the store
and he uncovers he uncovers this this really big piece of information that he goes, "Aha, I think I figured out why
that man went missing. I figure out why he was found in the woods, but he he's not sorted it all out yet.
So, he's got to he's got to do a little investigation on his own, >> right? and he's got to keep his
investigation under wraps a little bit. He can't blow the lid off of this thing too early until he fully understands it
because maybe he doesn't know who's responsible yet and somebody catches wind of this and now they've figured
out, you know what, I'm going to follow that man up into the mountain or I'm going to entice him with another
adventure from which he will not return. So, there's a lot of meat on the bone here. There's a lot hanging on these
trees that I want to sort out. I think I think as mysterious as this story is, it's possible that it could very well
well be cleaned up nice and neat and a bow put on top of it depending on what the local authorities say is their final
stance, their solid stance all these years later on Tom Young's death and a conversation
with Mike Eckles to figure out where he got some of this information. >> Yeah. Or is it simpler? Cuz what I was
thinking was, let's say he hears some rumors of what could have happened to Tom Young. And during these rumors, they
go, "Well, maybe it's a murder." And if it's a murder, what we think is that Tom
Young discovered that people were dumping >> plutonium >> plutonium illegally in these mine shafts. And so,
so our buddy Keith just hears this rumor, out of shape, inexperienced, unprepared, decides, well, I'm going to
go up and look into these mine shafts. Well, most of them are blocked off or in locations
that probably should be blocked off. But what if he went up there and started going down a mine shaft again, out of
shape, and inexperienced, [clears throat] unprepared, and then something happens.
And maybe the rumor mill wasn't ever true about what Tom Young discovered, but the mystery of his death is still
what is responsible for Keith going missing. >> Yeah. Keith may be investigating a a
mystery without any real clues. Yeah, I was talking to my buddy about this case as well and and what he [snorts] was
pondering was, is it possible that Keith in some way wanted to go missing, maybe
even just for a time period? Well, I'm going to go up there. They'll eventually find me and that will just add to the
story or add to my experience to help me finish the book cuz we do have this draft of the book. But my push back on
that was, well, wouldn't you want to finish the book? So then if you did go missing
that, man, that those book sales would go bonkers. >> Yeah, I he [snorts] would not knowing
Keith, it's very difficult for me to say that he would even consider something of
that nature, but stranger things have certainly occurred. Now, in fairness to the local authorities, the Clear Creek
County Sheriff's Department, who was the lead on this, we went very briefly through
the search of Keith Reinhardt. If in fact everything reported by the sheriff's department is true,
then they went to a great deal of effort and expense to try to find this man. In
fact, it was reported by others that at the time that it was one of the largest,
most expensive searches in state history. Yeah. >> In state history. So to me, if that is
in fact true, then that means that if they were wanting to cover something up, >> well, why spend all the money?
>> They either knew 1,000% though they being the people responsible for the cover up may just a few people. They
knew 1,000% that either the local authorities don't have a clue or if the local authorities are involved, which
that's what Mike Eckle's book is kind of hinting at, right? when he's like, I talked to the guy from Unsolved
Mysteries and he said this was >> dealing with the local authorities was one of the strangest experiences he ever
had while working for Unsolved Mysteries. That that's kind of like hinting at the local authorities had
some involvement in what in the demise of both of these men. So that would mean that those local authorities, the the
best cover up, right, is to make it look like there's no cover up. Bring everybody in, search for the clues,
search for the answers. But I know before you start searching 1,000% you're going to find nothing. So I have I'm at
zero risk here. >> Right. >> We do get very detailed reports from the sheriff's department regarding the
search and even open speculation by the investigators from the sheriff's department. And one thing that I thought
was really interesting the way that they reported it was let's go back to that party, right? because the party took
place the night before. We've experienced this with many other gatherings, especially larger gatherings
that happen to fall into our timeline on a missing person's case or a homicide case. And what do we find at every one
of those large gatherings? you get a very wide array and very varying opinions of what the person was doing at
the party, what they were experiencing at the party. And so let's go back to that unknown woman that that Greta or
Gretchen woman >> according to the local sheriff's department has never been identified.
>> Greta Van Fleet. The other thing though too is the sheriff's report on it is the
same as our experience has been where they talk to some people and they would say, "Oh yeah, Keith was drinking a bit
a lot. He was talking to everybody. He was telling stories. He kept talking about Tom Young's death and Tom Young
being found up there on the mountain." And then they would talk to other people that were at the exact same party and
like I don't remember him drinking anything. I I don't think I didn't see him talking with anybody. They talked to
somebody else. Yeah. He never mentioned Tom uh when I spoke with him. He just talked about, you know, regular stuff.
And then there's other people. Some people report this unknown mysterious woman. Other people never mention this
woman. Didn't see her. Didn't see her with Keith. >> But wasn't this event loosely for Tom?
>> Yes. It was reported as a >> memorial service and then other venues it's reported as a beer party to
celebrate the memory of Tom Young. So So every account that I could find that gives a title to what this event was,
>> right, >> has Tom Young's name on it, >> right? So, it wouldn't be weird for Keith to be talking about Tom, and it
wouldn't be weird for anybody to talk about local rumor or speculation. And it also wouldn't be out of the realm
of possibility that some lady came into town to celebrate Tom's life that wasn't
known to the locals, >> right? >> And then when people go, "Well, but the story was so big. Wouldn't she come
forward?" Well, not necessarily. And also, what if she was just in again for the day or so to celebrate Tom's life
and whatever encounter she had with Keith was a nothing burger in her mind, something that she didn't feel like she
had to contact local law enforcement. And we have no proof either for or against that she ever made contact with
local law enforcement because that's information that maybe they don't want to Well, the report now keep in mind
this report is from a long time ago. So, um these reports are from early 1989 from the sheriff's department. Some of
the reports are from March and others are from April. But they they openly say whether this woman existed or not, we
don't know. We could never we could never find her. We we attempted to figure out who this woman was, but
>> we don't know who she is. And further, >> out of the room full of people we talked
to, some report a women woman and some do not. So, they're also saying like we're not even 1,000% sure she existed,
>> right? But what I'm saying is since that time period, if she has presented herself to law enforcement, they have no
responsibility to the public to tell us that. >> Correct. Correct. And with the Unsolved
Mysteries presentation, at least the season 2 presentation, they Unsolved Mysteries was openly asking for the
woman to come forward. So they they may have spoke to this person, they may not have, but they I mean they did track
down a lot of stuff, a lot of potential leads regarding Keith that they provided
answers to in these reports, >> right? And so that that leads me to believe that they again going back to
the search that they put in a lot of effort to attempting to find this man or at least determine what happened to him.
>> And like I said, if he went into a mine shaft, that would be difficult no matter
how much time and effort you're putting into cuz again, we have a crash where somebody died
looking for this individual. So you you have to protect yourself even when you're looking for this missing
individual. So I think the mine shafts I think it would be safe to say that they weren't
thoroughly investigated because >> no >> it would just be too dangerous to do so.
>> This as you stated earlier is a very different location difficult location to
search. I mean regardless of who's responsible for the death of Tom Young, >> right? There's no reason to believe that
he wasn't there dead in the woods on the side of the mountain for 10 months before he was found. [snorts] When you
when you blow that up, it's very reasonable to believe that Keith is still up there somewhere and he's just
never been found. Again, regardless of who is responsible or not responsible for what happened to Keith,
>> right? In simplest terms, did somebody murder Keith or did he or did he die from the elements? But just because we
didn't find a body doesn't mean it doesn't exist. >> So, this is from one of those earlier
sheriff department reports on the Keith Reinard investigation and search efforts to find him or
recover him. It says, "A total of 8,364 person hours were spent looking for Keith. The initial estimates and
reported value of services totaled over three $326,000. Assistance that was provided by everyone
from the garage across the street, meaning the garage across the street from the sheriff's department to
Reinhard's paper all the way back in in Illinois. all of this and there has never been a single piece of physical
evidence as to where Keith Reinhardt went. >> So, >> and it goes it goes on to say th this is
another thing too. >> This whole case is another thing. Well, but again, I would like to talk to Mike
Eckles on this because it's we talked earlier, we started off talking about this case with the mountains casting a
shadow over the town of Silver Plume, but Mike Eckle's book is casting a shadow over the local authorities here,
>> right? >> The local authorities, they're not of this type like, well, we searched high
and low for him. We, you know, he he he's he's gone. We did everything we could. They're not they don't have that
stance at all. Not in these reports. And the in these reports, they're leaving the door open and they're openly saying,
"Look, we did try our best, but this is a very big mystery." So, let me read this part uh to you here. This is the
last page of the seven-page report, and it says, "This is one of the largest searches in Colorado history. And after
hundreds of questions being asked by dozens of people, the big question still remains. As Sheriff Cahill put it, we
would restart the search immediately if any new leads came in. We have yet to receive that new lead. Reinhardt told
Perry Davis that he was going to climb the mountain, and nothing I've seen or heard has made me doubt it. Alpine
rescue team will be back in Silver Plume when the weather clears for training and
additional searching until Keith Reinhardt is found. However, nothing can be ruled out. Reinhardt would have gone
under I7, Interstate 70 to go to Pendleton Mountain. At that time of the afternoon on a Sunday, the eastbound
tourist traffic would be heavy. Someone could have gotten off the interstate and
offered Keith an alternative adventure, forced or voluntary. He could have contacted a visitor to the Georgetown
Loop Railroad which is right there. As well liked as Keith was, there may have been
someone in Silver Plume who was the exception who followed him up the hill. He could have simply hiked a different
mountain or intentionally disappeared or blank question mark. The investigation will continue.
[music] [music] Want to thank everybody for joining us here in the garage each [music] and
every week. Make sure you subscribe to the podcast and make sure you check out Off the Record. We're diving into some
fascinating cases over there on Patreon and Apple podcast subscriptions. Colonel, do we have any recommended
reading for the beautiful listeners? >> We do have some recommended reading and it's a it's a case that's eerily similar
to the story we just told you this week in the garage. Before I get to that though, I do want to mention something
that I think is something we need to reintroduce to our listeners and point out to the new listeners that we have is
we do have a blog on our website and we set up a new blog for each and every case. It's not uncommon that after we
cover a case that we get an email question or a question on X that's directed to us to continue the
discussion about that case. The reason why I like to direct folks to the blog is it opens up the conversation to other
people, to other thinkers, to other minds where people can read your question or comment about the case and
they can chime in. One thing that I love about our show, especially the early years, that blog was very active and
there was a lot of conversations on there about these cases. So, a case like this one that inspires a lot of
conversation, a lot of questions, a lot of comments. The blog is really the best
place to do it because it opens up, it's an open forum to everybody that want to
get involved. The book that I want to recommend this week is called Missing When the Sun Sets. And when the sun
sets, sun is purposely spelled s o n, not s u n. So missing when the sun sets, the Jared Adider story by Allan
Adiderado and Arland Adaro. On October 2nd, 1999, 3-year-old Jared Adider vanished on a
group hike in the Comanche Peak Wilderness. As the hours turned into days and the days into months, Jared's
father, Allan, goes through hell and high water to combat nightmarish circumstances, hindering the search,
threatening the very core of his existence. Circumstances which would bring most ordinary people to the
breaking point and beyond. This story, this true story takes place in Colorado. This is another missing person's case
hiking up the mountain from the great state of Colorado. Sadly, in this story, there is a airplane crash. I believe it
was either an airplane crash or a helicopter crash. Very similar to the Keith Reinhardt story. It has so many
similarities. It's just strange. And sadly, on top of that, Allan Adiderado, who never stopped searching for answers
regarding his son's case, passed away earlier this year at the age of 67, 26 years after his son Jared went missing.
Again, that title is Missing When the Sun Sets, the Jared Adider story. You can find that recommendation and many
more, not just books, but also podcast and documentaries on our website's recommended page, true crime garage.com.
And until next week, >> be good, be kind, and don't litter. [music] [music] >> [music]
>> Clorox toilet [music] wand. It's all in one. Clorox toilet wand. It's all in one. Hey, what does allinone mean?
>> The caddy, the wand, the pre-loaded pad. There's a cleaner in there. >> So, Clorox toilet wand is all I need to
clean a toilet. [music] >> Toilet cleans. Use as directed.

Dark Side of the Mountain /// Part 2 /// 883

Part 2 of 2

www.TrueCrimeGarage.com (http://www.truecrimegarage.com/)

Two men - each possibly grappling with his own version of a mid-life crisis - vanish 10 months apart from the same, tiny town in the Colorado Rockies under eerily similar circumstances. In September of 1987, a 47-year-old man and his faithful dog vanished from the near-ghost town of Silver Plume, Colorado. Months later in August 1988 another man, staring down the barrel of 50 years of age, retraced the missing man’s steps to investigate the mystery - and he too - disappeared. This is the true story of Tom Young who went missing on the dark side of the mountain, and too the story of Keith Reinhard who may have vanished forever.

Beer of the Week - Wanderlust IPA by Breakside Brewery

Garage Grade - 4 and a half bottle caps out of 5

More True Crime Garage can be found on Patreon and Apple subscriptions with our show - Off The Record. Catch dozens of episodes of Off The Record plus a couple of Bonus episodes and our first 50 when you sign up today.

True Crime Garage merchandise is available on our website’s store page.

Follow the show on X and Insta @TrueCrimeGarage / Follow Nic on X @TCGNIC / Follow The Captain on X @TCGCaptain

Thanks for listening and thanks for telling a friend. Be good, be kind, and don’t litter!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com (https://pcm.adswizz.com) for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Brief Summary

Keith Reinhardt vanished in 1988 during a hike, raising questions about his fate and connections to Tom Young's mysterious death.

Key points

The Disappearance of Keith Reinhardt. On August 7, 1988, Keith Reinhardt went missing during a hike, sparking a massive search effort.
The Mysterious Case of Tom Young. Ten months after Keith's disappearance, Tom Young's remains were found, raising questions about both cases.
The Discovery of Tom and Gus. The remains of Tom and Gus were found, leading to a shocking investigation.
Unsolved Mysteries Segment. NBC's Unsolved Mysteries featured the case, revealing strange experiences with local law enforcement.
Keith's Mysterious Disappearance. Keith Reinhardt's disappearance raises questions about his connection to Tom and Gus's deaths.
The Mystery of Keith Reinhardt. The search for Keith Reinhardt remains one of Colorado's largest mysteries, with no physical evidence found.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

It's my treatment, my way.

Personal empowerment in health decisions.

0:27WatchNov 5, 2025

Tension

65/ 100Some tension

More from True Crime Garage TV

Solve the Crime

Read a real case one clue at a time, then see how your call held up against the investigators.

Dark Side of the Mountain /// Part 2 /// 883 | Forensic Files