In the summer of 2016, Amanda Ray and Jack Morris left their small Idaho town for a weekend of hiking in the Idaho Panhandle National Forest. The couple, both in their late twenties, had planned a short three-day trek along the Grizzly Trail, a popular but not overly crowded route near the town of Sun River. For Amanda, a biology teacher with a passion for plants, it was an opportunity to search for the elusive red fern she’d read about. Jack, ever the meticulous civil engineer, had double-checked their supplies, ensuring they were well-equipped for the trip.
Their black SUV was found parked at the trailhead three days later, untouched. Inside, everything was in order—sleeping bags, food, a first-aid kit, and a gas burner. They had left no signs of panic or haste. Yet, Amanda and Jack were nowhere to be found.
The Bonner County Sheriff’s Department launched a massive search effort. For weeks, volunteers and forest rangers combed the area. They found a campsite near a creek, with evidence that the couple had been there—wrappers, a mug with Amanda’s initials, and a knife. But there were no signs of a struggle, no footprints, no clues. The search was eventually called off, and the case was filed as a missing persons report.
The town of Sun River mourned their loss. Theories circulated—some said they got lost, others believed they fell victim to an animal attack. But as time passed, the story faded into the background, becoming just another tale of the dangers lurking in the dense Idaho wilderness.
Two years later, in the fall of 2018, the quiet town was shaken to its core.
A father and son from the neighboring town of Sandale were out hunting in the forest. They had been tracking a wounded elk when it led them to an old, abandoned logging site. The area was overgrown, the ground littered with rotting stumps and moss-covered debris.
The elk collapsed near the roots of a massive cedar tree, its final resting place. When the hunters approached, they noticed something strange. The ground around the tree was unnaturally flat, with logs arranged in a deliberate pattern. As they began to move the logs to retrieve the elk, they uncovered a hidden cavity beneath the tree’s roots.
Inside the cavity were two bodies, tightly wrapped in a tarpaulin. The hunters froze, their breath catching as they realized what they had found. Above the niche, carved into the trunk of the cedar, was a crude “X,” its lines deep and deliberate.
The hunters backed away and called the authorities.
The Bonner County Sheriff’s Department arrived at the scene within hours. The bodies were carefully removed and transported to the county morgue. Forensic experts determined that the remains belonged to Amanda Ray and Jack Morris. The cold, dry conditions of the forest had preserved their bodies, but their faces were unrecognizable.
The discovery was no accident. The bodies had been carefully hidden, the logs stacked in a way that suggested someone with experience in construction or logging. The “X” carved into the tree was fresh, made after the bodies were placed there.
The sheriff’s department reclassified the case as a double homicide and reopened the investigation.
As detectives reviewed the case, they uncovered a series of strange details. Surveillance footage from the gas station showed Amanda and Jack on the morning of their hike. Amanda was holding a map and asking about red ferns, while Jack paid for gas. They appeared calm and in good spirits.
But the discovery of Jack’s financial records painted a different picture. In the months leading up to their disappearance, Jack had been making weekly trips to Sun River. He withdrew small amounts of cash, always from the same ATM, and deposited some of it into the account of a local real estate company, Idaho Properties Group.
The company’s manager confirmed that Jack had been interested in purchasing a remote plot of land in the mountains. He had visited the area twice to inspect the property. But when questioned further, the real estate agent revealed a shocking detail: Jack hadn’t been alone during these visits. He had been accompanied by a woman.
It wasn’t Amanda.
The investigation took a darker turn. Detectives began to suspect that Jack’s trips to Sun River were connected to his disappearance. They delved into his phone records, hoping to identify the woman he had been meeting.
Meanwhile, forensic experts analyzed the crime scene. The tarpaulin, ropes, and other materials used to conceal the bodies were examined for fingerprints and DNA. The results were inconclusive. Whoever had hidden the bodies had been meticulous, leaving no trace of their identity.
The carved “X” on the tree became a focal point of the investigation. Was it a signature left by the killer? A warning? Or something else entirely? Experts compared it to hunting and logging marks, but it didn’t match any known symbols.
In February 2019, investigators received a breakthrough. Financial records revealed that Jack had made payments to the real estate company for a preliminary property inspection. The property in question was located deep in the mountains, not far from the Grizzly Trail.
Detectives visited the site and found an old logging cabin, long abandoned. Inside, they discovered fragments of a torn map, an empty water bottle, and a piece of fabric with the logo of a local travel agency.
The cabin was in disrepair, but it provided a crucial clue. Amanda and Jack’s killer had likely been someone familiar with the area, someone who knew the forest well enough to find such a remote location.
The investigation led detectives to a chilling theory. Jack’s trips to Sun River and his interest in the property suggested he had been planning something—possibly a secret getaway. But why had he kept it a secret from Amanda? And who was the woman who had accompanied him?
As detectives dug deeper, they uncovered rumors of a hermit living in the mountains near Sun River. Locals described him as a reclusive figure, someone who avoided contact with outsiders. But when investigators searched the area, they found no evidence of a hermit’s presence.
The case seemed to hit a dead end.
In March 2019, a breakthrough came from an unexpected source. A retired logger came forward with information about the cedar tree where the bodies were found. He recognized the “X” as a marker used by loggers to identify trees for cutting.
The man also mentioned that the logging site had been active in the early 2000s, but it had been abandoned for over a decade. He provided the names of several loggers who had worked in the area, including one who had a reputation for being “a little off.”
Detectives tracked down the man, a former logger named Earl Henson. He lived alone in a remote cabin on the outskirts of Sun River. When questioned, Earl denied any involvement in the murders. But his knowledge of the area and his experience with logging made him a person of interest.
The investigation into Earl’s past revealed a troubling history. He had a criminal record, including charges of assault and illegal poaching. Neighbors described him as a loner who rarely left his property.
Detectives obtained a warrant to search Earl’s cabin. Inside, they found a collection of knives, ropes, and tarpaulins similar to those used to conceal Amanda and Jack’s bodies. They also discovered a notebook containing detailed sketches of the Grizzly Trail and the surrounding area.
One page of the notebook stood out. It featured a drawing of a cedar tree with an “X” carved into its trunk.
Earl was arrested and charged with the murders of Amanda Ray and Jack Morris. Under interrogation, he confessed to killing the couple, claiming they had stumbled upon his illegal hunting operation in the forest. He admitted to luring them off the trail, killing them, and hiding their bodies under the cedar tree.
The case was finally solved, bringing closure to Amanda and Jack’s families. But the town of Sun River would never forget the tragedy that unfolded in their quiet forest.
The “X” on the cedar tree became a haunting reminder of the dangers lurking in the wilderness—a symbol of a crime that had gone unsolved for far too long.
