During an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, author and investigator David Paulides claimed the National Park Service had blocked some of his efforts to obtain records tied to disappearances in remote wilderness areas.
Paulides also discussed several cases he believes remain unexplained — including the disappearance of 14-year-old Stacy Arras in Yosemite National Park more than four decades ago.
Rogan at one point asked whether Paulides believed "supernatural" or "extraterrestrial" explanations could be involved in some cases. Paulides said he did not know what was behind the disappearances, but claimed many shared unusual similarities, including victims vanishing when isolated or separated from groups.
The Yosemite Case That Stuck With Paulides
Paulides said one of the earliest cases that deeply affected him involved Arras, who disappeared while on a horseback trip in Yosemite National Park.
According to Paulides, Arras had traveled with her father and a small group to a High Sierra camp before leaving briefly to photograph a nearby scenic viewpoint. He said she walked toward a wooded area near a lake and never returned.
Paulides claimed that despite one of the largest searches in Yosemite history, the only item ever recovered was her camera lens cap along a trail leading into the trees.
He also alleged that Freedom of Information requests tied to the case were repeatedly denied by federal officials, even after appeal. Newsweek has not independently verified those claims.
Rogan Presses Paulides on Alien Theories
During the discussion, Rogan directly asked Paulides whether he believed alien abductions could explain some disappearances.
"There's a lot of people that disappear that don't have a memory," Paulides said. "Historically, those people have been abducted."
Rogan then asked whether he meant alien abductions, which Paulides appeared to confirm before adding that he could not definitively explain the disappearances.
Paulides argued that many victims disappear at what he called "points of separation," moments when they become isolated from larger groups.
Claims Featured in 'Missing 411'
Later in the episode, Paulides discussed his documentary "Missing 411: The Hunted," which examines mysterious disappearances involving hunters and wilderness workers.
He described one account involving tree planters in Washington state who allegedly claimed they witnessed a UFO lifting an elk off a mountainside before flying away. According to Paulides, the workers later quit their jobs because they feared they could be targeted next.
Paulides also referenced a separate story involving a Wyoming hunter who allegedly claimed he encountered two unidentified beings after firing at an elk. The man later said he had been taken aboard a craft before being released. Newsweek has not independently verified either account.
Pentagon UFO Release Fuels Renewed Interest
A page included in a National Security Agency file details a UFO that "looked like a large star."
The release followed President Donald Trump's February announcement directing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to declassify additional materials.
The documents included reported UFO sightings, accounts tied to several Apollo missions and multiple images released by federal agencies, including FBI materials connected to unexplained aerial incidents.
That release also included numerous photos purporting to show UFOs, among them a cluster of FBI images from an event that took place over the Western United States, an undated Defense Department photo taken in Iraq and a composite sketch of a 2023 incident shared by the FBI.
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