A lost hiker in Idaho was found a year later at the bottom of a cave, almost unrecognizable.

The flashlight batteries were dead.

The notebook, however, raised far more questions.

Most pages contained basic survival notes — dates, estimated water supplies, attempts to map exits. But the final entries became increasingly unsettling.

The handwriting deteriorated over time, becoming shaky and uneven.

One entry read:

“I hear movement at night.”

Another:

“I thought someone answered me.”

Then, several pages later:

“The cave doesn’t look the same anymore.”

Investigators later stated there was no evidence anyone else had been inside the cave during the time Daniel was trapped there. Experts believe disorientation, dehydration, darkness, and prolonged isolation likely caused severe psychological distress.

Still, one detail continues to haunt those familiar with the case.

According to rescue personnel, scratch marks covered sections of the cave walls near where Daniel was found — deep enough to suggest repeated desperate attempts to climb out.

The shaft itself was nearly vertical in places.

Authorities believe he may have fallen accidentally while exploring and survived the initial drop, only to become trapped beyond any possibility of escape.