1997 – First Incident

Although missing persons rates have increased over the past two decades,  1997 remains one of the darkest years in Arizona state history. The state experienced the highest numbers of missing persons, cattle deaths, and suicides in the country. Arizona continues to have thousands of unexplained immigrant disappearances in the desert, unaccounted by US census reports.

 

March 13, 1997

Operation Snowbird goes into effect. Aerial USAF diversions escalated  into the first downing of an extra-terrestrial craft. Arizona Missing Persons: Four Phoenix Men were reported missing in the Estrella Mountains. Glenn Lauder, Mitch Adams, Ryan Stone, and Jacob Reynolds were reported missing after they were last seen off-roading at the base of the Estrella Mountain range.  The Lauder Case remains one of Arizona’s longest unresolved missing person’s cold cases.

March 31, 1997

Arizona Suicides: 1997 Official Final Data The 1997 Arizona suicide death rate was 64 percent higher than the national rate rose to 10.5 suicides per 100,000 population. Source: Arizona Department of Health Services, March 1997.

August 11, 1997

Increase in Cattle Deaths The University of Arizona department of agriculture reported an 100,000 livestock decrease in 1997, however this may be attributed to lower rainfall totals and drought conditions over the past 8 months.

October 22, 1997

Six unidentified bodies are found near Gila Bend, AZ. DNA tests are inconclusive, and no missing person’s reports were filed. In the months that followed, US Border Patrol agency reported a 57% increase in illegal immigrant deaths across the southern part of the state.

January 21, 1997

Local ranchers in the San Rafael Valley report the mutilation of eight cattle and two horses to local officials. Four carcasses were found in the San Rafael Valley south of Sonita, Santa Cruz County. One was found north of Sonoita in Pima County and the remainder were found west and southwest of Sierra Vista. The animals did not show signs of being eaten, and local predators are not suspected.