The Joe Rogan Experience
The Joe Rogan Experience

#2502 - David Paulides

May 20, 2026 • 2h 25m

Summary

⏱️ 12 min read

Overview

David Paulides, a former law enforcement officer turned investigator, discusses his extensive research into mysterious disappearances in national parks and wilderness areas. Over nearly three hours, he explores strange patterns in missing persons cases, connections to UFO phenomena, Bigfoot encounters, DNA evidence suggesting unknown species, and potential government involvement in some disappearances. The conversation delves into cases where experienced trackers and canines fail to find any trace of missing people, bodies found in impossible locations, and testimonies from people claiming abduction experiences.

The Origin of Missing 411 Investigations

David Paulides explains how he stumbled into investigating mysterious disappearances in national parks. Two park rangers approached him at Yosemite after learning about his law enforcement background, expressing concern about missing people cases that received initial attention but were then abandoned after 10-15 days. When the rangers tried to obtain reports through Freedom of Information Act requests, they were repeatedly denied, sparking Paulides' decades-long investigation into these unexplained vanishings.

  • Park rangers approached Paulides at Yosemite about suspicious missing persons cases that weren't being followed up
  • Rangers were denied access to missing person reports through FOIA requests against their own agency
  • After initial 10-14 day search periods, all investigation activity would cease
  • Items like shoes, belt buckles, and weapons always remain in the woods and should be found
" I have 1500 of those cases where canines were brought in, multiple canine teams, multiple searches, and people were not found. And the point I try to make about this is that it's not that the searchers are inept because I don't believe that, and I don't believe that the canines fail multiple multiple times because I don't believe that can happen. I don't believe they were there when they were searching. They were left there later on. "

The Stacey Aris Case and Government Obstruction

Paulides details one of the most perplexing cases from Yosemite - the 1977 disappearance of 14-year-old Stacey Aris, who vanished while taking photos near her father during a guided horseback trip. Despite being one of the biggest searches in Yosemite history, no trace was ever found. When Paulides attempted to obtain the case file through FOIA, a special agent not only denied the request but became hostile, claiming Paulides would never see any missing person cases and that none had ever been released - a statement Paulides knew to be false.

  • Stacey Aris disappeared 46 years ago while taking pictures, witnessed walking into trees by a 72-year-old man
  • Only her camera lens cap was ever found inside the tree line
  • Special Agent U became hostile when Paulides requested the case file, claiming he'd never see it
  • The agent falsely claimed no missing person cases had ever been released, despite Paulides having obtained over 30
" You're never going to get the case. This guy's name was Special Agent U. Why U? I said, why? And he says, none of your business. You're never going to get it. "

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