Inspired by 1969 Tennessee case, woman investigates connection between caves and missing people, and her findings raise serious questions

A Facebook creator named Kela Holifield has gone viral after sharing a scary theory. She suggests that missing persons cases in national parks might be connected to underground cave systems across the country. Holifield used the strange 1969 cold case of Dennis Martin to support her claim. Her viral video has got people talking online about whether something or someone is hiding underground.

According to Bro Bible, Holifield told the disturbing story of Dennis Martin, a young boy who disappeared in 1969 in Tennessee. Martin was playing hide and seek with his brother and ran behind a tree. He vanished just moments later. This case became the largest search and rescue mission in national park history. Park rangers, volunteers, and even the Green Berets joined the search.

“Thousands of people have gone missing in the national parks under mysterious circumstances. So I decided to overlay this map with our underground system map and see what happens,” she said on her Facebook reel. “If the missing people match the caves, and the caves match the corridors, and the corridors match all of RAND’s maps, what is going on underneath our feet? And who’s down there?”

The maps show a pattern that seems too odd to ignore

She showed viewers two maps side by side. One map showed thousands of mysterious missing persons cases in national parks. The other showed the country’s cave systems. Holifield claimed the locations matched up perfectly. She asked a big question that is now driving discussion online. She wants to know what is going on underneath our feet and who might be down there.

Before anyone cancels their hiking plans, it is important to look at the facts. The maps Holifield used were not created by her. These two maps have been circulating in online theories for at least six years. The missing persons map is not a complete list of all cases. It is actually a specific list of mysterious disappearances put together by David Paulides for his Missing 411 series.

This detail matters a lot because Paulides is also a Bigfoot researcher. Critics say he often leaves out important information that would explain why someone disappeared without anything supernatural involved. 

Using data filtered by someone with a predetermined theory can make you see patterns that are not really there. Missing persons cases continue to puzzle investigators nationwide, including a Nashville woman’s disappearance after an Uber ride. Also, many cave systems are located inside national parks, so it makes sense that two maps focused on those areas would overlap somewhat.

For the Dennis Martin case, official explanations do exist. While no one knows exactly what happened, experts generally believe the toddler likely got lost in the wilderness. The search was massive but faced problems due to difficult terrain, a recent rainstorm, and poor organization. Many experts say the huge size of the search actually hurt the effort because crucial evidence may have been destroyed or trampled early on.

Holifield’s claim about blocked Freedom of Information Act requests is probably less dramatic than it sounds. Requests can be rejected for normal reasons, like being sent to the wrong department or containing too much personal information. The redacted documents she mentioned are actually available for viewing on the U.S. National Park Service website.

Holifield stands by her work and says she does not claim definitive answers but explores possibilities and patterns. She believes the conversations are valuable because they educate people about wilderness safety. While some disappearances have straightforward explanations, others remain mysterious, such as a Michigan mom’s arrest for her children’s deaths.