On a trip with her boyfriend, one woman took a seemingly-innocent photo that ended up going viral on the Internet because of one alleged photobomber. Find out the truth behind the confusing image and the lengths she took to uncover the mystery...
Picturesque Views
Dundas Peak in Ontario, Canada is a popular destination because of its beautiful views and scenic hiking trails. It's a major tourist trap because of the sudden dropoff and natural design of Tew's Drop, which is both beautiful and dangerous. One woman would learn this the hard way...
Blink and You'd Miss It
Jennifer took a relaxing vacation near Dundas Peak. One day on a hike, she took a typical photo overlooking Tew's Drop like many tourists always did. However, there was something hidden in the background of the photo that made her blood run cold when she looked at it later...
Several Missing Person's Cases
Because the trail is so vast and the peaks drop off so suddenly, Dundas Peak has been a hotspot for missing hikers. Since 2016, more than 140,000 tourists have visited the peak despite the warnings. One particular hiker had no idea they'd play a very important role in the peak's history after their visit...
One Particular Photo
The photo in question, which looked similar to this one, was no different from countless other photos taken at the edge of the peak. At first glance, there was nothing out of the ordinary to see here. Aside from the man perched on the edge of a rock, there was something else lurking in the background...
Recreating The Photo In Question
Jennifer had taken the photo of her boyfriend, and after she'd examined the strange scene, she and her friends decided to go back to the peak and take a second look. When they reached the peak, they stopped and took a long look around. Jennifer sat in the same spot her boyfriend had sat and they took more photos...
Something Hidden Below The Peak
Jennifer saw something shiny from where she sat at the edge of the cliff. She risked death looking down, but from where she as perched, there was a set of keys hanging from a nearby branch. Jennifer wondered if she was able to reach it...
A Found Car Key
Carefully, Jennifer reached down and grabbed the car keys. Whoever lost them was probably needing them badly. She laid down on her stomach and stretched out on the rock so she could reach, and little did she know that that moment would be incredibly impactful on the trail's already scary history...
An Empty Trail
Jennifer decided she should go back to her car when the sun started to set. It was policy to leave the park before it closed, and considering all of the missing person cases, Jennifer didn't want to push it. On her way off the trail, something unexpected happened...
Strange Sight
As Jennifer and her friends approached the parking lot, it was dead quiet. It was now dark, and the lot was nearly empty except for two cars: Jennifer's and a stranger's. Jennifer hit the unlock button on the found key and watched as the other car's lights flashed...
A Missing Woman
On their drive home, Jennifer and her friends heard a radio report about a missing woman who was last seen on that very trail. Could it be that the car they'd found belonged to her? Jennifer decided she should probably call the police...
Revisiting The Photo
When they got home, Jennifer took a closer look at the photos she'd taken of her boyfriend on the ledge. If the woman had gone missing the same day, maybe there was a clue in the background? She kept searching the images for a sign...
Coming Up Short
Most of the photos looked like this one, taken by her boyfriend. she couldn't see anything strange in the photo, so she just had to hope that the woman wasn't hurt or lost and had just taken her time getting home. But something kept pulling at the back of her mind, so she kept looking...
The Photo That Went Viral
It all came down to this particular photo. Jennifer had taken this one, and after a second look, she couldn't believe she'd missed this. There, in the background, was another person...
Could It Be The Missing Woman?
Jennifer's friends looked at the picture as well, and she assured them that there was no way it was just a random hiker because that spot was completely inaccessible. If it wasn't a person, she wasn't sure what else it could be...
Was It a Trick of the Light?
Jennifer did some research and found that the mysterious person wasn't in any other photos taken the day she'd been at the park. Was it maybe just a shadow or trick of the light? There had to be some explanation...
Was It Paranormal?
It had crossed Jennifer's mind that maybe what she'd seen was a ghost. She knew that a lot of the missing people from the trail had never been recovered, so maybe the peak was haunted? She didn't rule it out but didn't want to think she'd actually seen a real ghost...
She Took To The Internet
Jennifer posted the photo on Reddit to see if anyone could help her figure out what she'd seen. She still hadn't heard any news on the missing woman, so maybe it hadn't been her after all. Comments poured in about various theories, blaming the angle of the sun, the way the rock had eroded, even the changing seasons...
Someone Claimed It Was Actually Them
One user, "thearchitect42," claimed they were the figure in the photo Jennifer posted. They'd climbed Dundas Peak several times, and it was likely they were the one in the background of the photo. They wore a similar outfit to the figure, so maybe Jennifer had her answer...
An Unfortunate Reveal
After even more research, Jennifer learned there had been a fatal train crash through Dundas Peak in 1934. Fifteen people died, and many locals theorized that the ghosts of those passengers haunted the trail. It was creepy, but it did offer some sort of explanation...
Taking Matters Into Her Own Hands
Jennifer had a sinking feeling about the missing woman. Nobody seemed to be worried and there were no reports from the park about anybody getting lost that day. Still, Jennifer decided it was time to file a report...
Explaining What She Saw
Jennifer went to the police station closest to the park. She brought her photos, the mysterious car keys, and all of the facts she could come up with about the situation. Surely the police would take her seriously since people tended to go missing on the trail often...
The Car Keys Could Be a Clue
Jennifer noticed the officer looked skeptical as she explained her story. However, when she got to the part about the missing car keys, he stopped her and asked some more questions. He said a man had come in the day before reporting his wife's missing car...
Had She Run Away?
The officer explained that a distraught man came in explaining that his wife had left their home not too far from the park three days ago. The car seemed to match the keys Jennifer brought in, but something didn't seem right. If she'd willingly left the house, maybe she wasn't missing. Maybe she ran away...
A New Case To Solve
Now, Jennifer had some questions of her own. Maybe the woman fled her husband for a reason. She'd left her car abandoned in the hiking trail parking lot and had thrown her keys into the woods. Foul play seemed unlikely. How much had they questioned the husband, and why hadn't they filed an official missing person's report yet?
Nobody Seemed To Be Looking For Her
Usually, a missing person's report is filed right away and then—especially given the area's history—a search party goes out and looks for the victim. But that wasn't the case this time, and Jennifer wanted to know why. She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach that this woman's biggest danger wasn't the woods, but her husband...
A Background Check
Because Jennifer seemed to distressed, the officer told her the name of the missing woman's husband. He probably just assumed she knew them and was upset, but she needed his name for another reason. She went home that night and did some research of her own...
A Criminal Record
Jennifer discovered that the woman's husband had a long history of domestic abuse. He'd been charged several times for disputes and his wife, Anna, had made multiple other attempts to escape. Why hadn't the police told her that this was part of a criminal case?
Back To The Missing Car
That night, Jennifer drove back to the abandoned car herself. She hoped to find some more clues about what was going on. When she flashed the car's headlights from the key fob, she realized she wasn't actually alone...
Missing Woman Found
Jennifer couldn't believe it. The missing woman was standing in front of her, and she appeared to be searching for her keys. Jennifer got out of her car and handed them to her. She explained that she had, in fact, fled from her abusive husband and was trying to hide out here until she could come up with a plan...
A Safe Escape
Jennifer gave the woman her keys back and told her she could stay with her and together they'd go back to the police station and put her case to rest once and for all. Sometimes it pays to listen to your gut feeling when you think something isn't as it seems...