It began as a simple family outing. In August 2013, Serena Quaid, 32, her husband Kalin Vancraftoft, 33, and their six-month-old daughter Ela packed their car for a three-day hike in California’s legendary Redwood National and State Parks. The trip was meant to be gentle—a chance to introduce their baby to the towering groves, with easy trails and short distances.

By all accounts, Serena and Kalin were responsible, experienced travelers. Kalin, an environmental consultant, was skilled in wilderness navigation. Serena, a graphic designer, was cautious by nature, especially after becoming a mother. Their plan was low-risk: scenic loops, photo opportunities, and evenings back at camp. But they never came home.

The First Signs of Trouble

When Serena failed to call her mother, Odilia Hasting, at the scheduled time, Odilia’s concern turned to alarm. Repeated calls to both Serena and Kalin went unanswered. The following morning, Odilia contacted local police, who quickly located the couple’s car parked at a trailhead. Locked and undisturbed, it hinted that the family had set out as planned—but never returned.

A cloud-synced photo from two days earlier offered the only clue. It showed Kalin carrying Ela in a chest carrier, Serena at his side, both smiling beneath the canopy of ancient trees. A stranger had taken the picture—a German tourist who later confirmed he had seen them continue down the main trail. After that, the family seemed to vanish into the woods.

An Exhaustive Search, No Results

Search and rescue teams launched one of the most intensive operations the redwoods had ever seen. K-9 units, helicopters, and hundreds of volunteers combed ravines and trails. But the canopy blocked aerial views, the forest floor hid tracks, and visibility was limited to just a few yards. For weeks, not a single sign emerged—not a diaper, not a piece of clothing, not a scrap of food packaging.

Investigators considered everything: a tragic accident, a wrong turn, even foul play. At one point, evidence of illegal redwood poaching fueled suspicions that the family had stumbled onto dangerous criminals. Yet no proof tied those operations to the disappearance. By late autumn, the search was scaled back. The family of three had simply vanished.

A Haunting Discovery

Four years later, in the summer of 2017, the forest finally gave up one of its secrets. A team of graduate students from Oregon, studying fungal growth patterns, noticed a bizarre, brightly colored mass at the base of an oak tree deep in the park. Curious, they began digging. The odor was unmistakable: decomposition. Beneath layers of black plastic tarp lay human remains.

Authorities airlifted forensic teams to the site. The remains were identified as Kalin Vancraftoft. He had not died in an accident. He had been deliberately buried, hidden far from public trails.

The discovery was both an answer and a new nightmare. Kalin was dead—but Serena and baby Ela were nowhere to be found.

A Case Grows Darker

The forensic investigation deepened the mystery. Kalin’s body bore no clear injuries. There were no gunshot wounds, no stab marks, no broken bones. The cause of death was undetermined. Yet the methodical burial suggested intent, not chance. Someone had gone to great lengths to conceal his body.

For Serena’s mother, Odilia, the agony intensified. The discovery of Kalin’s grave shattered the “lost hiker” theory once and for all. Serena and Ela had not simply disappeared into the wilderness—they had been taken.

Questions Without Answers

Why was only Kalin buried? What happened to Serena and Ela? Were they victims of the same crime—or were they taken alive? Investigators re-examined the old photo, the family’s car, and witness statements. They found nothing new.

Meanwhile, Odilia refused to give up. She pressed investigators, pleaded with the media, and kept her daughter’s name alive. “Finding Kalin proves there’s more to this,” she told local reporters. “Someone knows what happened to my family. Someone buried him. Someone walked away.”

The Redwoods Keep Their Secrets

To this day, Serena and Ela remain missing. Their faces, preserved in a smiling family photograph, are haunting reminders of what was lost. Kalin’s grave proved the family’s disappearance was no accident. But the forest has yielded no further answers.

For the Hasting and Vancraftoft families, the redwoods are no longer a place of awe. They are a place of grief, silence, and unfinished stories. Somewhere in those vast, shadowed groves lies the rest of the truth.