Friends Vanished on a Camping Trip — Five Years Later, Police Make a Chilling Discovery in an Abandoned House

In October 2016, five college friends drove Kayla Dawson’s black Jeep deep into the Cherokee National Forest for a weekend of “digital detox.” Their selfies showed laughter and promise. They never came back.

When authorities reached their campsite, everything was untouched: sleeping bags still rolled, food unopened, no Jeep, no tracks, no sign of struggle. Theories swirled—maybe they got lost, maybe they fell into one of the ravines. After six months of searching, the case went cold. Five families were left with questions and grief that never faded.

A Horrific Breakthrough After Five Years

In October 2021, two hikers stumbled upon an abandoned house off an old logging road. The windows were black with dirt, the roof half-collapsed, and in front—buried under leaves—was Kayla’s Jeep. On the wall, a warning in red paint:
“There is nothing in this house worth dying for. Stay out or be carried out.”

Inside, on a rusted table, lay Kayla’s sunrise keychain. In the basement, five purses lined up, five phones, scratch marks across the walls, and five names carved into the doorframe: Kayla, Brittany, Amber, Jenna, Taylor.

Police and FBI sealed off the scene. The basement door was reinforced steel, locked from the outside, its frame covered in bloody fingernail marks. Inside: five sleeping bags, empty water bottles, prayers scrawled in charcoal—“Day 43,” “Please God,” “Mom, I’m sorry.”

A Diary of Horror and Hidden Truths

Under the floorboards, investigators found a journal written by the perpetrator. The entries were cold and systematic:

“Day 3: Kayla fights the most. Brittany cries. Amber prays. Jenna negotiates. Taylor is silent.”
“Day 10: Moved Brittany upstairs. Four hours later, she was compliant.”
“Day 15: Saw Cooper’s search team. Two miles west. They’ll never find this place. Family property since the 1940s, not on any map.”

Hidden pages written by Brittany revealed more:

“He knows us, knows our families, watched us plan the trip at the diner. He says we’re his finale.”
“Day 18: He brought someone else today, younger. They argued. The other said, ‘This has to stop.’ He replied, ‘After this group.’”
“Day 24: The younger one brought water, medicine for Taylor. He looked at us like he was sorry, but couldn’t help.”

A Circle of Evil: The Monster and His Accomplice

The house belonged to Dale Hutchkins, a local who had joined the search for the missing girls. His son Tommy died in a “hunting accident” in 2020. But Tommy had ordered the red paint, sent anonymous tips to the FBI, and kept evidence in a bank safe.

Investigators discovered Tommy had been forced to help his father, keeping Brittany alive for four years, creating false leads to misdirect police. When Tommy tried to expose the truth, Dale killed him, burned Brittany’s holding site, and moved her again.

Rescue and a Network of Human Trafficking

Brittany eventually escaped. Her testimony exposed a sprawling trafficking ring involving judges, police, businessmen, and teachers. The investigation led to hundreds of arrests nationwide, 73 survivors rescued, and 249 bodies recovered.

Brittany and Jenna—two of the original five—became key witnesses, helping unravel decades of horror.

A Town Cursed, Truth Buried

Milbrook collapsed. Half the population left, leaders were arrested, the economy crashed. But the truth was out. Tommy Hutchkins—a victim and a hero—died saving Brittany, who in turn saved dozens more.

Ryan, Kayla’s brother, and Brittany, both survivors, visited the graves each week, carrying memories and pain that would never fade.

Scars That Never Heal

Ultimately, truth did not bring happiness, only survival. Milbrook will always be haunted by the missing girls, the community’s silence, and the evil that wore friendly faces.

The survivors will never forget:
“There is nothing in this house worth dying for. But Tommy died to save one, and that one saved dozens more. In the arithmetic of horror, that’s the only equation that matters.”

Some stories don’t have happy endings—only survivors, carrying the pain and searching for justice for those who never came home.