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The names Glen and Bessie Hyde have become famous at the Grand Canyon. Their story has been featured in true crime books and podcasts. It was even featured on the show Unsolved Mysteries in the early 90s. But how did an ordinary couple on the rafting trip of a lifetime become one of the Grand Canyon’s greatest mysteries? 

Well, Ladies and gents, you’re about to find out …. about the mysterious disappearance of Glen and Bessie Hyde.

The young couple were married in the spring of 1928 and planned a honeymoon of white-water rafting down the Colorado River. Glen was a seasoned rafter, who hoped to set a speed record for running the length of the Colorado. Bessie wasn’t nearly as experienced as her new husband, but she was excited for the trip. If they made it down the river successfully, Bessie would be the first woman to ever navigate the entire 277.1 miles of the Colorado River. 

That October, the Hydes set off for the Grand Canyon. The plan was to make their groundbreaking run down the Colorado, and then travel to California to visit Glen’s father. According to Bessie’s journal, the first leg of their journey was pretty uneventful. They were making good time and seemed to be having fun. On November 16th, the Hydes took a break from the rapids, and stopped by the Kolb Brothers’ studio. Emery Kolb immediately liked the couple, and invited them to stay for a bite to eat. He later recounted that, during this visit, Bessie confessed that she was sick of the trip and wanted to go home. She also said that Glenn had become mean and pushy with her. Emery offered the couple a room for the winter, or at least for a few days’ rest, but Glen refused. Emery noted that Glen seemed annoyed with Bessie. Nonetheless, Glen asked Emery to take a photo of the newlyweds. Emery snapped the photo, wished them well, and sent them on their way. As they left, Emery’s young daughter came out to say good-bye. Bessie admired the girl’s beautiful dress and–according to the daughter’s account of the day–Bessie sighed and said, “I wonder if I shall ever wear pretty shoes again.” It’s very likely that Emery’s daughter was one of the last people to see Glen and Bessie Hyde.

Meanwhile in California, Glen’s father, RC Hyde, waited anxiously for his son and daughter-in-law to arrive. They should have arrived by December 6th, but the day came and went. When they still hadn’t arrived by December 19th, RC set out to the Grand Canyon to find them. Emery Kolb helped RC form a search party, but after weeks of searching, the only thing they ever found was Glen and Bessie’s raft… Along mile 237 of the Colorado River… It was completely intact with all the supplies still bolted down, and Bessie’s diary safely tucked away in a backpack. 

No other trace of the Hydes has ever been found. Most historians and rafting experts assume they drowned, but a lot of amateur sleuths believe that foul play was involved. It’s entirely speculation, but some think that husband Glen was so fed up with Bessie’s complaints that he killed her and then fled. We also know Glen was angry because Bessie wanted to quit the trip. Or maybe Bessie found herself entangled in a salacious love triangle, and perhaps Emery Kolb killed Glen Hyde in a jealous rage! 

I mean, c’mon, there was a human skeleton—with a bullet hole in its head—buried in Emery Kolb’s house. Scientists are pretty sure that the skeleton belonged to a suicide victim from 1933, but since the body was never positively identified, some people still wonder... 

So, what did happen to Bessie? Well, during a commercial rafting trip down the Colorado in 1971, a rafter announced that she was Bessie Hyde. The woman explained that Glen had become abusive, so she killed him in self-defense and threw his body in the river. Then, she disappeared and started a new life. It was a plausible story. 

But it was also a complete lie. The woman later admitted to making the whole thing up. But it did make people wonder. Could Bessie’s relationship with Glen have been much more violent than she let on? Could she have killed him and escaped the Colorado River for a new life? Some people still say yes.

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