Sasquatch Country

A captivating real-life mystery about two missing hikers that sparks a jarring examination of the contemporary outdoor community, the relationship between news media and police, and distortion of public perception

On Christmas morning, 2024, Dean Pommerville and Eric Straughter were reported missing. Three days later, their frozen bodies were recovered, and what should have simply been a tragic ending to an ill-fated adventure became a sensation for news outlets around the world.

Deep in Washington State’s rugged Gifford Pinchot National Forest lies Skamania County. Once the wealthiest county in the state, it now depends on the more than 2 million people who visit each year in search of Bigfoot. Locals stereotype city dwellers that enter the woods as amateurs unprepared for the wilderness. The sheriff’s office conducts over sixty search-and-rescues a year. So when news of Dean and Eric’s disappearance became known, they were labeled as Sasquatch hunters. The real reason behind their fatal hike told a very different story.

Based on interviews with the families, rescue volunteers, and law enforcement, journalist Chuck Thompson reconstructs the search-and-rescue mission in a white-knuckled race against the elements. Dean and Eric’s tragic deaths reveal a much larger story—one of media sensationalism over the myth of bigfoot, the pressures of an overwhelmed sheriff's office, and the mourning families who just want answers to what happened to their loved ones. Sasquatch Country provides a singular, compelling trek into the heart of mythology, death, and truth.