Urban legends have existed since the beginning of civilization and can be found in every culture. One urban legend that has gained recent attention thanks to the internet is the idea that there are feral humans in the Smoky Mountains.
While this theory has gained a lot of traction when it comes to areas around the Appalachians, it is something rumored to be true in national parks across the country.
Stories about feral people vary based on who you ask, and there are different ideas about where they come from and what they could be doing out there. Many of these rumors are based on real-life cases of disappearances.
Are there feral humans in the Smoky Mountains?
The answer to this question is covered in mysteries, legends, and myths. There have been rumors for many years about feral people in the Smoky Mountains, but there is actually no solid proof of it. It’s likely just a myth and urban legend. Below is what we do know and some reports that have been made over the years.
The theory behind it all
The theory about feral people inhabiting the Smoky Mountains is not specific to just the one mountain region. It is something with ties to national parks across the United States. While there are varying concepts to this theory, many of them claim that these feral people are cannibalistic. The idea of cannibalism has led some people to believe that these feral people are behind disappearances in National Parks.
There are numerous cases of disappearances in National Parks across the country, and they play an important role in this urban legend. Recent viral videos on TikTok have made this theory a trending topic, and a mystery that many want to get to the bottom of.
Are there wild men?
These theories of feral and wild people living in the Smokies have been around for decades, but the recent internet attention has made them a popular topic to discuss today. It could be argued the theory originated with the “Wild Man” of the Smoky Mountains.
He was supposedly first spotted in 1877, and dozens of similar sightings were reported across the country in the nineteenth century. These Wild Men were said to be half-man and half-beast. Some reports would claim the Wild Men had attacked them, and others attempted to catch them with no success.
The Tennessee Wildman, a type of cryptid similar to Bigfoot, has supposedly been spotted several times since the 1800s, with the most recent one taking place more than 20 years ago.
There have been disappearances in the Smokies
The cases of people vanishing in National Parks have only spurred the theories of feral people living in the forests. Many theories claim they are connected, and wild people are behind these disappearances. The same theories believe these feral people have turned to cannibalism.
Who is Dennis Martin?
One of the first missing person cases that were tied to feral people was the case of Dennis Martin. The six-year-old went missing in June of 1969 when on a camping trip with his family. They were staying near the Tennessee-North Carolina border of the Smoky Mountains as part of a Father’s Day trip.
While trying to play a prank on his parents, Dennis vanished. There was a massive search effort to find him but the only clues recovered were a sock and shoe that may or may not have belonged to him. Dennis was never seen again.
However, a family exploring Cades Cove nearby did not know about any search for Dennis, but later reported hearing a scream and seeing a figure running through the woods.
At the time, it was believed the man the family witnessed could not have possibly grabbed Dennis and gotten him that far away in the given timeframe. The incident has still been used as proof for the theory about feral people.
Other Cases
Since Dennis Martin, there have been other cases of people disappearing from the Smoky Mountains. Sixteen-year-old Trenny Gibson went missing in 1976 while on a school trip.
Polly Melton vanished from the National Park in 1981 while hiking with her husband and ten other couples. Months later a check made out to her was cashed, but investigators could not confirm if it had been her or not.
In 2012, Derek Leuking vanished after he visited the Smokies alone. His car was found full of gear with a note on the windshield that said “don’t try to follow me.”
While none of these cases has been solved, some theorists have pointed to the idea of feral people as one possibility.
TikTok urban legends
The theory of feral people gained online traction in 2021 thanks to a few viral videos. After a few creators posted videos talking about the theory of feral humans in national parks, others began voicing their own opinions and experiences. Not all of them had to do with the Smoky Mountains, but they had connections to other National Parks.
One woman posted a video where she claimed to have heard screams for help when camping in Big Bend National Park. She went on to say she and her husband filed a report with park rangers and police.
Other TikTok users made videos claiming lore about feral people in the Appalachians has been around for centuries.
The truth behind The rumor
While there are countless claims about feral people living in the Smokies and kidnapping and cannibalizing people, there is no definitive proof they exist.
Connections have been made between these rumors and disappearance cases, but there is no evidence to prove the existence of feral people. Since this theory has become so popular, several TikTok users took down their original videos.
Other explanations…
While conspiracy theorists have tied feral people to the disappearances in the Smoky Mountains, there are other explanations for what could have happened.
Given how vast the land in this National Park is, it is possible for visitors to simply get lost. There is also dangerous terrain to worry about, as well as freezing temperatures and storms. It is possible those that have vanished in the Smokies were the victims of bears or wild hogs.
Theorists have also turned to other supernatural explanations, including aliens, Wendigos, Bigfoot, and portals to other dimensions.
Despite the number of possible explanations, no one knows for sure what happened to everyone that has vanished in the Smoky Mountains.
The question remains
While there are no official reports of cannibals or feral people living in the Smoky Mountains, many people believe they are still there.
Given how vast the land in the mountains is, it could be possible these people have managed to stay hidden. There isn’t much evidence for their existence, but it is impossible to know for sure what is out there.