Jordan Karlesson
The strange story of Glen and Bessie Hyde, a couple who disappeared almost 100 years ago while trying to cross the Colorado River, is making the rounds again.
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Their names may sound familiar, as the case of their disappearance continues to fascinate true-crime buffs. Here is what we know about the story from various reports over the years.
Who Were Glen and Bessie Hyde?
Glen Hyde was a farmer from Twin Falls, Idaho. Bessie Haley was a divorcee from Parkersburg, West Virginia.
They met in 1927 while taking a passenger ship to Los Angeles. The following year, they married the day after Bessie finalized her divorce from her first husband, according to From Powell To Power; A Recounting of the First One Hundred River Runners Through the Grand Canyon.
The Hydes became famous in part because Bessie Hyde was set to become the first woman to run the Colorado River rapids through the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
Their attempt at making history happened in 1928, shortly after they got married.
What Happened to the Hydes?
Glen and Bessie Hyde apparently tried to run the Colorado River rapids as part of their honeymoon adventure in October 1928.
In addition to getting Bessie into the history books, Glen Hyde wanted to break the record for the quickest trip through the Grand Canyon, per From Powell to Power.
November 18 marked the last time anyone saw them. In December, one or more searchers in a plane saw their sailing dinghy, also known as a scow. The outcome of the Hydes remains a mystery. While some initially believed that the skeleton of a young man was Glen Hyde, authorities later disproved that theory.
NPR, Unsolved Mysteries, and singer/songwriter Marissa Nadler all created programs or stories based around the mysterious disappearance of the Hydes. What happened to them continues to remain a mystery.
