The strange disappearance of Jason Knapp from Table Rock State Park
Jason Andrew Knapp disappeared April 12, 1998, Table Rock State Park, Pickens, South Carolina
Revised July 2024
Jason Knapp, 20, was last seen at his apartment in the 100 block of Calhoun Street in Clemson, South Carolina, on Easter Saturday, April 11, 1998.
That evening, Jason rented a movie with two of his roommates, and at about 10.30 pm, they left him alone watching the film. It’s the last time anyone saw him alive.
His car turned up at Table Rock State Park, 30 miles from his home, but there was no sign of Jason. He had vanished without a trace.
Who was Jason Knapp?
In the fall of 1997, the Michigan college that Jason thought would move him forward wasn’t working out, so he transferred to Clemson University in South Carolina to start a mechanical engineering degree. In the spring of the following year, Jason was doing well academically and would talk to his mother nearly every day, sharing her plans to find an apartment with a friend for the summer and fall.
Jason was in good spirits and had just been inducted into the elite Pershing Rifle Corps at Clemson University. He was looking forward to school ending and making plans for the summer.
The disappearance of Jason Knapp
Some of Jason’s fellow Army ROTC friends became concerned that he had not attended physical training and ROTC classes for a few days and called the apartment inquiring about him. Jason’s roommates then became concerned as to his whereabouts.
At first, they thought he had just taken off for a few days and would be back. They contacted a close friend of Jason's who was attending college in Pittsburgh, PA, thinking that maybe he had gone to visit her for a few days. She informed them that they had not talked to each other for over a week.
When Jason did not return by Friday, April 17, 1998, the roommates decided to call his mother, Deborah A. Boogher. The same roommate who had last seen Jason placed the call. She immediately contacted the police, and they went to the apartment to search for him.
His mother said, "I did not find it unusual that he did not call me that week. I knew that most of the problems that were upsetting him had been resolved and that he would be studying for finals and getting all his assignments up to date. I just assumed that we would be talking over the weekend and making final arrangements about a new apartment for the following school year, and deciding on a date for me to come down and help him get packed up to return home for the summer. How wrong my assumption would be."
Jason’s vehicle found at Table Rock State Park
Jason’s 1990 white Chevy Beretta was found on April 21, locked and parked in the first row of spaces along the lake at Table Rock State Park in South Carolina, around 30 miles from his home. He was more of a mountain biker than a hiker, but he could have gone to walk the trails.
Inside the car, authorities found a Park pass that had been bought between 3 and 5 p.m. on Easter Sunday, and tests later showed Jason’s fingerprints on the pass. Also inside the car were receipts from earlier in the day at a Wendy’s restaurant near his Central apartment and an Ingles grocery store in Seneca, where he had bought a six-pack of root beer and some fruit juice.
A park ranger at Table Rock State Park had seen the car for more than a week but wasn’t suspicious at first because hikers often left their cars parked for several days without signing the guestbook at the trailhead.
Around 3,400 man-hours of searching by volunteers and search and rescue professionals, including dog teams from North and South Carolina, were done. No clue was found to prove Jason was ever at the park except for his car. He had vanished.
Investigations
Investigations by police also indicated that Jason had withdrawn $20 from his bank account and that no other activity had taken place on the account since then. Fifty dollars in change was found in the console of the car.
Checks on his apartment showed his checkbook was there and subsequent examination of his bank account showed it contained a considerable amount of money, which had been untouched. His suitcase, all of his clothes and other personal belongings were still in the apartment.
There was no evidence that he planned to harm himself, as his rifle and some ammunition were found in the closet of his bedroom in the apartment untouched. His bed had been stripped, and the bed linens rolled into a ball as if he had planned to return to do laundry.
His mother, Deborah, pointed out to investigators how obsessed Jason was with his car stereo. In 1998, having a detachable face on a car stereo was normal, and they said it was very unusual for him not to remove it on the day of his disappearance if he was to go hiking. He was obsessive about removing it, mainly if he was leaving the car in a public parking lot at Table Rock, where petty crime could easily occur.
She also wrote 2011, "We have no idea what happened to Jason. He never talked to me or anyone else about this park. On December 26, 2000, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Even though the doctors assured me that all of the cancer was removed, and I received a clean bill of health in November 2001, it has made me acutely aware that something could happen to me before I find out what has happened to my son. I have made a pact with God to keep me healthy and give me the strength to find him. I will not die without knowing what has happened to Jason. I have spent the past four years trying to get Jason's story on national television. It has all been so frustrating. I want to find my son. I need to find my son. He was my whole world and I miss him terribly. The longer he is gone the harder it gets. The pain does not go away. There is this gaping hole in my heart that will never heal. I sincerely hope that you can help us in our search. Perhaps your help could provide the clue that would help the police locate him. Please find it in your heart to help me find my only son, my only child."
Exclusive articles for members of StrangeOutdoors that are not available elsewhere on the site.
See the latest Exclusive members-only articles on StrangeOutdoors.com
Read other strange stories from Carolina
The strange disappearance and death of Susan Clements at Clingmans Dome
The Strange Disappearance of Polly Melton from Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Member
Sources
http://charleyproject.org/case/jason-andrew-knapp
https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/653pm1/the_disappearance_of_cadet_jason_andrew_knapp/
http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-549432
