Horror in the High Desert 2: Minerva (2023)

[bunniefuu]

The disappearance

of outdoorsman Gary
Hinge stunned the nation

when we shared his story.

It captured the hearts
and fears of millions

and we've had everyone
from park rangers

to paratroopers offer to
help find his remains.

And yes, you can trust

that we are still
following that story.

Thanks to tips from viewers
who also live in the area,

we've made another
stunning discovery.

Just over a year after
Gary went missing,

in the late night hours
of September 28th, 2018

the young woman was found dead

in her locked home
off of Highway 50.

Hours later, another
woman would vanish

along the same stretch
of remote desert highway.

Once I started looking
into this I realized

all of this is part
of a bigger mystery

than I could have ever imagined

and it was unfolding
right in front of us.

I first heard about
this when I was working

in Northern Nevada on a different
story at the Hotel Nevada.

And I was waiting
for the elevator

in the lobby and
it's an old hotel

so, you know, the
elevator takes a while.

And I noticed this
woman is staring at me

and right when the doors
open she rushes over to me

and she tells me,
I know who you are

and you have to do a story

on what happened to
that girl Minerva.

So we stepped aside

and I let the
elevator doors close

and I listened to
what she had to say.

Turns out she was a
former 9-1-1 dispatcher

from the neighboring
town of Cypress, Nevada,

where this event
had taken place.

She rambled on for quite a bit

but what really
caught my attention,

was when she said,

"When her friend came to
collect her belongings,

they accidentally gave her
all the paintings and tapes."

The night this all happened

it was only my second
week living in Cypress.

I had moved there just for
this open E-M-T position.

My old job, it was working
for a private company

and it just didn't
have the excitement

that you think you're
gonna get when you go

to school to become an E-M-T

and work on an ambulance.

On paper, Cypress is the
perfect place for a guy like me.

I love mountain biking,
I love climbing,

I love camping, I love hiking.

But,

by the time the sun
came up the next day,

I was looking for another
job in a new town.

After what happened
to that missing hiker,

we were watching it on TV

and, you know, he had the video.

As soon as my husband saw it

he said to me, "Oh my
god, they're back."

In the ambulance on
the way out there.

We were talking about
how weird it would be

to live out there.

So creepy and unsettling.

As we pulled up,

the scene was bizarre.

The thing I remember the most,

is the position her body was in.

So my buddy is
working on the patient

and I go into the trailer to try

to see what
medication I can find,

see if we can get a
medical history on her,

see how we can treat her better.

And, um

yeah, only way I can
describe the feeling is that,

it felt like when I
was still in training

and we went to a call

and it was at a warehouse

and it was a stabbing
victim and the cops

they told us, "Alright, stay
back a little, treat them,

but the suspect
is still at large.

We're searching the
warehouse currently."

And I was just nonstop
on edge watching my back.

That's the only way I could
really describe that feeling.

So I go in and
I'm searching and,

it was weird, it was like empty.

I mean I found some medication

but I was just thinking
like, who is this woman?

Everybody keeps talking

about this one woman
that was a student.

And you know, I
was assuming that,

you know, she was a high
school student, you know,

but it turns out

that she was in her thirties

and she was taking
a college course.

I had to track down this friend

that the police just
gave evidence to.

And as I was doing that,

I found out that
Minerva goes by Minnie.

- This all started when we were

on a camping trip
in upstate New York.

The woman who ran
the campgrounds,

she ended up being a geologist

and the more she would
talk about her work,

you could just see
Minnie's eyes light up.

She became enthralled

with everything that
this woman was saying.

You know, this woman saw this

and said this is great,

you know, you
should take a class.

After the camping trip

and meeting this woman
that really inspired her,

she started to take
class at Brooklyn College

and she met a former
student who told her

about this semester
in Cypress, Nevada.

The semester in Nevada
was basically a program

uh

That worked with various
colleges and universities

and would bring students out

to a town called Cypress,
Nevada where there was

an actual working mine

and the students would work

in the field with
actual geologists.

At the time, Cathy
was working as a nurse

at the Beth Israel
Hospital in New York City.

She was working the night shift

in the E-R and these
are 12 hour shifts.

So during the day
she was sleeping

but she wanted to
let Minerva know

that she was there for her

that she supported her in this
decision to go to Cypress.

So they would send
video messages back

and forth to each other.

Anyway, New York misses you.

Here, I'll show you where I am.

And it's through these videos

that we are able
to get a glimpse

of Minnie in the last
days of her life.

She gets to Cypress

and there's not a
space for her there.

Somewhere along the line,
someone dropped the ball

and they did not
account for her.

So there's literally not a space

for her in the dorms,
it's packed as it is.

So their solution was to put her

in this single wide trailer

that the school were
planning to convert it

into offices at some point,

but for the time being they
gave it to her as housing.

When she lived here
in this trailer,

that trailer was sitting
on this cement slab.

Not to my knowledge.

So shortly after, you know,

my husband and I
took over the ranch.

My father used to allow
these hunters to come hunt

on our land.

For years, they were
hunting on our land

and what happened was
apparently there was a hunter

that really didn't know what
he was doing when it came

to hunting and sh**ting g*ns
and my husband was shot.

Fortunately he didn't k*ll him,

so it was no longer
okay with us.

So I had to go to the
hunters, you know,

to let them know that
they can no longer hunt

on our land anymore.

And they were really,
really pissed about it.

They went and cut
like one of my fences

and then there uh was a
sheep pen where, you know,

the little gate that kept it
closed was destroyed, you know?

So I called the police
and um they told me though

that they couldn't do anything
until I get actual proof.

There was this one
night my husband and I,

you know, went to bed early,

we heard noises coming
from down in the barn.

So my husband, you
know, got the camera

and said, "Okay I'm gonna
get, you know, the proof now."

And he went out there
but they weren't there.

And then all of a sudden
he looked further up

and he saw them running.

No, it's sitting off to the side

because it's getting
ready for demolition

and the company doesn't
want anybody near it.

When I first moved
into this area,

there was a a housing shortage

and I stayed in
my car for a while

and one afternoon as I was
on my way home from work.

I happened to find this house.

It's a little yellow house
about five miles out of town.

I found that it was
empty, that it was livable

and I was able to
uh find the owners

and I was able to rent
the house from them.

They helped me unload all
my stuff I had in a trailer

and we spent most of the day
getting that stuff moved in

and get settled in and by
the time I got all done

and everything it was
dark when they left.

And as I had started
settling into the house

and sitting back and
relaxing a little bit,

I started getting a
really funny feeling

like there something
was just outta place

and I couldn't quite
figure out what it was.

One night, I was
uh, I went to bed

and I had fallen asleep

and all of a sudden
my dog woke me up.

He was just growling
and snarling

and at over at the front door.

I got up and went
over to the door

thought maybe somebody had
broke down on the highway.

I opened up the door

and the dog was just
sitting there barking

and growling and really
snarling and looking up,

like he was standing
there looking at somebody.

There was nobody there.

Slowly worked his way out

on the porch and
out into the yard.

He is just like he
was chasing them off

and he's looking up and
there was nobody there.

Hey girl!

Welcome to Nevada

and my semi furnished
single unit,

slash trailer.

Um

Yeah, so,

I was definitely excited
not to have a roommate

Watching the first video
that she sends Kathy.

I have to stop and think,

why she even was
living in that trailer?

It wasn't ready for
anyone to be living in.

I mean, construction
was still happening.

There's sheet plastic
in the living room.

All right girl,

let me know what you think.

Miss you, love you.

You're gonna have to visit soon.

Talk to you soon.

All righty, bye.

When she turns the
camera to herself,

you could just see
she was beaming.

I was able to relax.

You know she's, she's fine,
she's gonna be fine there.

What he told us

that his reason why Minnie
thought he was so weird-

Was... pretty chilling.

And I just got into bed

and I can start hearing
this uh noise outside

and I sat up,
listened for moment,

and realized it was
a, it was an owl

and I was out in the tree.

So I went out there
and grabbed some rocks

as I went around there

to the side of the house
where the tree was at

and started throwing
rocks up there

and started yelling a little
bit and cussing at it and

I started hearing
this noise coming down

from up on the mountain.

In a way I sounded
like a woman singing

but it wasn't quite
a singing voice

it was just a,

a real odd sound.

It was sort of like be
a high pitch then low

and then just different
sounds coming down and

and it would just fade
in and out and echoing.

And I couldn't quite really tell

where it was coming out
'cause it just sounded

like it was coming
from different places.

I get a phone call
from my landlord

and he tells me that
there's gonna be a lady

that's gonna move into the
trailer next door to me

and then the next day this
lady moves in, this geologist,

and I go over there and
welcomed her to the area and

and while we were
sitting there talking,

I started telling her
about this weird sound

I heard coming down from
the top of the hill there.

And she was just sitting
there looking at me like,

I was just, like,
I flipped my lid,

you know, she just
thought I was,

looked like, looking at me
like I was totally crazy.

Whenever I started
getting this feeling

that I was being watched,

I would just start
getting physically sick.

I would get really nauseous

and it would just get worse

and worse and worse
as time went on.

Almost immediately she starts

to have these really
odd physical symptoms.

Look no hands!

I got a tripod at
the dollar store

and it's holding
my fancy phone so

that I can do fun stuff,

like open this wine
and talk to you.

My eyes are starting to bug me.

I can't breathe at night.

I keep waking up and
I'm just kind of foggy.

I like, I can't fall asleep,

I can't wake up.

When I lay down and go to sleep
I can hear my heart beating.

And then when I
was home earlier,

there were some things that
were not where I left them

and a couple of things
that I just couldn't find.

Whatever was going on,

her physical state
started to deteriorate.

So I'm going to see a doctor
in the next town tomorrow.

He recommended she go back
to where she was staying

in this trailer and possibly
look for black mold.

It didn't even occur to me

but it's the perfect explanation

for all of her symptoms
and everything.

And I said, "You really need
to go look for this right now,

like inspect your
trailer right now."

She goes back to her trailer

and while she's looking
for this black mold, um

she finds this canvas bag.

At the time it wasn't
really a big deal

because we were way more focused

on her health at that point.

So I said, "Okay fine, send
me some pictures of it later

but let's keep
inspecting your place"

and uh tore the place apart

and there is no mold.

This is the bag

that police would
end up giving Kathy,

thinking it was part
of Minnie's belongings

and the contents in this bag-

Cathy is devastated over
the loss of her best friend

which is actually more
of a sister to her.

She knew something
had to be done.

That's when she decided to
grab Minnie's belongings.

I went through it just

to see if there was
anything that could help us.

And she found the canvas bag

and inside she finds
a really old tape

and some really
bizarre paintings.

And she also found her phone.

Cathy and Minnie are both
avid podcast listeners

and they especially
love this one,

where the host always
tells their listeners

to make an if I
go missing folder.

And basically what's in
this folder is, you know,

your passcodes, your
social security number,

anything that someone would need

to basically crack
open your life

and you entrust
it to one person.

And because of this,

Cathy has Minnie's
cell phone passcode.

So she's able to open her phone

Safety checklist,
verification process.

There are three
levels of control

and each requires a
verification process

to be performed by
either an instructor,

a supervisor or manager.

Areas of safety for
ongoing improvements.

There are specific
tools for the-

And then you slowly start
to hear Minnie breathing.

She's she's not snoring yet

but it's like this
deep sleep breathing.

You could hear
something else going

on in the background.

I thought maybe is
she sleepwalking?

Is that what's happening here?

There's someone talking,

it's a man's voice.

I can't really make
out what he's saying

but it's definitely
a man talking

and she's asleep
through all of it.

You know, after listening
to all of these recordings,

they really got under my
skin and into my head.

You know, I couldn't
sleep that night

'cause they were playing
over and over in my head.

I didn't go to
work the next day.

And then Robbie came home
with the tape transfer.

Right from the start.

You could tell that
this thing was dark.

This person's voice
is... unhinged.

And the minute I realized
that it was filmed

inside of the trailer itself,

my stomach just dropped.

Aah!

Slog slog slogging over Africa

foot foot foot foot

slogging over Africa.

Boots boots boots boots

Moving up and down again

There's no discharge in the w*r.

Seven six eleven five

nine and twenty mile today

four eleven seventeen

thirty two the day before.

Boots boots boots boots

moving up and down again

there's no discharge in the w*r.

Don't don't don't don't

Look at what's in front of you.

Boots boots boots boots

Moving up and down again

Men men men men

Men go mad with watching them.

There is no
discharge in the w*r.

Count, count, count, count-

The b*ll*ts and the bandoliers

If your eyes drop they
will get atop of you.

Boots boots boots boots

moving up and down again-

There is no discharge
in the w*r -

We can stick out

hunger thirst and weariness

but not not not

not the chronic sight of them

boots boots boots boots
moving up and down again-

there is no discharge in the w*r

'Taint so bad by day
because of company

But night brings long strings
of forty thousand million

Boots boots boots boots

Moving up and down again

There is no discharge in the w*r

I have marched six weeks

in hell an certify

it is not fire devils
dark or anything but

Boots boots boots boots
moving up and down again

there's no discharg in the w*r

try try try try

to think of something different

oh my God

Keep me from going lunatic

Boots boots boots boots

Moving up and down again-

there's no discharge in the w*r.

They tore the porch down

and removed the trailer
from its foundation

and where the
basement was located,

right after Minnie died,

and right before Kathy
realized what was on this tape.

I'm just getting back.

But I am pretty sure

that I might be the first
Korean to ever move to

or live in or visit
Cypress, Nevada.

Um the guy at the gas station,
asked me if I was Oriental,

um then one of those
guys in my class,

um I mean he was sweet,
he was trying to be sweet.

He said that I look
like a China doll.

And so, right, well
everyone's really sweet.

It's not like r*cist or anything

um it's just kind of like,
I don't know, long stares.

Um alright, talk to you later.

Love you.

Bye.

From 1993 until it was
acquired by the mine,

it was rented out to so
many different people

and those records are
pretty much not existent

because everything was kind
of done under the table.

Basically, this trailer
was just a revolving door.

Most of what we see on
this video has no context

because the tape itself is
actually so badly damaged

and warped that even

though we can hear the
person that made the video,

we can't actually
hear like the cadence

of their voice and what
they really sound like.

The woman in the pink
sweatshirt has been identified

as Charity Henderson.

She went missing in
the late nineties.

Okay, stop with that thing.

So weird.

Hello?

You're acting funny,
you're not talking.

Hello?

There are other
victims on this tape

but we never get a clear
look at their faces.

You know, back when
I was a little girl,

you know, I was
sleeping in my bed

and it was late at night

and I heard my parents
like, you know,

shouting and I
cracked open the door

and I looked, you know,

and there was my dad
with a shotgun and my mom

and they were staring
out the window

and they were yelling
and I overheard,

you know, my mom say,
you know "What kind

of people would be like
walking out this far?"

And my dad said,

"I don't think
those are people."

I was checking out
my security footage

from my security system

and I had seen this
guy come walking down

from up behind my house,

down toward this lady's house.

This is right
about the time that

before she had passed away

and I figured that
maybe had something

to do with her passing away.

So on top of everything else,

there's a critter,

some kind of animal in my walls

that I can hear crackling
when I'm laying down.

For months trying
to fall asleep.

There's now this animal.

I did.

I called 'em right away

and I came up and they looked
at it and I showed them.

The only cause of death
they could come up

with was hyperthermia.

The officer that arrived
at her trailer said

that it was so hot in there

that it was like the furnace
was just out of control.

And so he had to
take her outside

and wait for the
medical responders

to arrive because he couldn't
even stand to wait inside.

It was just unbearable.

It's a shame this didn't
happen in the next county over

because the White Pine
County Sheriff's Department

they would've
handled it properly.

This highway here
is, you've heard

of the Loneliest
Road in America.

You could literally see
no car for 200 miles.

Five miles up this
canyon is the entrance

to Cypress, the town,
right below the mine.

So the highway here, heads down,

five miles down the road splits.

Left, goes town of Copper
Flat about 20 miles out

or you can go right and go down

about two hours to Caliente.

If you pass Caliente,

you're taking the
scenic route to Vegas.

The Brasher girl was coming

from Vegas through
Caliente to Cypress.

Our ranch is right
off the highway.

It's about 30 minutes
outside of Cypress.

That night my husband
and I were home

and we were waiting
for our daughter

to get home from Las Vegas.

We were watching
our grandson, Mason.

Yes, you-

From Las Vegas to our ranch is

about a four hour drive.

Well you've got cell
service for the first half

up to about Blacktop,

but once you pass
Blacktop there is nothing.

So we have this family policy,

you stop the car and you
call home at Blacktop.

That way we know that
if you're not home

within two hours we gotta
go out and look for you.

When Ameliana's
mother was younger,

she also broke down
in a similar area

and when they were
in the car waiting

for her grandfather to show up,

this creepy old guy came

by the car and was
kind of harassing them

and didn't leave until her
grandfather actually came.

There just wasn't
something right about him.

And he just looked at us

with this kind of
sh*t eaten grin

and went pow!

And so Ameliana's mother
has kind of a rule

that if you ever break down
on this part of the highway,

you are not to
remain in your car.

You go off into the dark,
you hide, you watch your car

and when you see that
the person showing up

to your car is
someone that you know

and is there for you
then you can get out

and you can go to them,
but not until then.

So that night she
reached Blacktop

and called us in,
right about midnight.

A little over an hour
later, she called us

and said that she'd broken down.

She'd broken down right around
the area of Lehman Summit.

She knew the area really well

'cause well it was this area

that when she was little we used

to take all the kids out there

to this mining camp
was right by there.

So she knew that if she just
hiked right up the mountain,

she could get
service and call us.

I told her, you'll know it's dad

because he's gonna
be flashing his light

and then you can come
on out of the trees.

Right after my husband left,

I called it into the
police so they'd know

that she was up there

and he was looking for her.

We have a police
scanner at the ranch.

So I sat right
next to that thing

for the next hour at least.

Of course I was a little anxious

but I wasn't too worried

until they'd found
her car but not her,

and they were starting
to search for her.

Just about daybreak,

I saw the patrol car
come up the dirt road

and this police officer gets out

and asks me if I knew how

to access Em's cell phone,

if I'd come down to the station.

You know eventually,

they found her dash cam
was rolling the whole time.

And that is not my dad.

This car has turned
around three times

to look at my car.

Stop!

Oh!

Oh my god no no

No No

Vroom.

Where are you going?

Later that night
after my shift ended

I texted my
girlfriend at the time

to see if she was available
'cause it was late.

And so we're talking
and can't even talk

for more than five minutes

and my boss calls,

and he says he needs
me back right away.

A car got found and the
woman who was supposed

to be driving that
car was missing

and it was an all hands
on deck situation.

My buddy Ron, he
was just saying,

"She probably got dragged

off by a mountain lion

and we'd be just
searching for a body."

There's only four of us, but
we can't wait any longer,

we have to start the search.

So we basically just start
at her car and spread out.

The police tipped us off

that her mom told them
that she might be hiding.

So I found a patch of trees
headed in that direction

'cause it looked like a
good hiding spot to me.

Hello!

Ameliana!

If you're out here,

we're looking for you,

I'm with the volunteer
fire department.

Ameliana!

I'm with the volunteer
fire department!

Ameliana!

Ron?

Hello?

Hey Ron.

Where are you guys at?

,

,

,

Aah!

,

,

,

By the time I made
my way out of there,

feeling around in the dark,
making my way to the door,

they were starting to get there.

We searched everywhere
for that poor woman,

we didn't find her.

This is just something
that we're left with

and that we have to live
with, just questions

and I'm never gonna stop trying

to find out the truth
of what happened to her.

We're asked almost weekly
about the influencers

that have so-called
discovered the cabin

that Gary disappeared at,

and that story is
still developing

and we promise that we
will bring that story

to you when it is
ready to be presented.