In the vast, open stretches of the Nevada desert, a story of unsettling mystery unfolded in the spring of 2011, leaving a family with unanswered questions and a community with a lingering sense of unease. Patrick Francis Carnes, an 86-year-old World War II veteran, was a man of routine and affection, deeply devoted to his family and his cherished canine companion, a brown Akita-mixed breed named Lucky.
In April of that year, the pair embarked on a long-distance road trip from Reno, Nevada, to Toledo, Ohio. The purpose of the journey was twofold: to visit relatives and to explore retirement homes, as Patrick was considering a move back to his home state. Despite his age, his family described him as being in excellent health and mentally sharp. The trip to Ohio was uneventful, but the return journey would become the final chapter in the life he had known, a chapter that remains unfinished.
The journey home began on April 12, 2011, with Patrick and Lucky setting out in his dark green Subaru Forester. By the evening of April 13th, they were back in Nevada, traveling westbound on Interstate 80. At approximately 9:00 p.m., near the town of Wells, a Nevada Highway Patrol officer initiated a traffic stop because Patrick had failed to change lanes appropriately. During the brief interaction, which was captured on the trooper's dashcam, Patrick mentioned that he was following a truck driver who was headed to Elko. He was let go with a warning, and this would be the last confirmed sighting of Patrick Carnes. A short time later, he stopped for gas in Wells before continuing his westward journey into the night.
The following morning, just before 6:00 a.m., Patrick's Subaru was discovered abandoned off the Pumpernickel Valley exit ramp, about 20 miles east of Winnemucca. The vehicle was found stuck in sagebrush, facing the wrong direction, but was otherwise in operable condition with gas in the tank. Inside the car were Patrick's personal belongings, including his checkbook. There were no immediate signs of a struggle or foul play, and only a single set of footprints was found leading away from the vehicle. Both Patrick and Lucky were gone. Extensive air and ground searches of the desolate landscape yielded no clues as to their whereabouts. The disappearance is made all the more mysterious by the fact that another individual, Judith Casida, had vanished from the very same exit in 2006, her vehicle also found abandoned. While authorities have not officially linked the two cases, the coincidence is a chilling detail in the ongoing mystery of what happened to Patrick Carnes and his faithful dog, Lucky, on that lonely stretch of Nevada highway.Last Seen: Apr 13, 2011
