In August of 2000, the dry desert heat of West Texas became the backdrop for a mystery that has haunted a Houston family for decades. Samuel Jones, a respected geology teacher known for his meticulous nature and deep love for the outdoors, set out with his 14-year-old daughter Simone on what was supposed to be a meaningful father–daughter trip to Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas.

The plan was simple yet special: hike to the summit, spend a night under the desert sky, and let Simone sketch the Milky Way from a place where the stars shone untouched by city lights. Before leaving in Samuel’s old Ford pickup truck, Simone asked her mother Eleanor if she thought she would be able to capture the Milky Way in her drawings. Eleanor smiled, telling her she would draw it better than anyone ever had. Neither realized those would be the last words exchanged before a silence that would stretch for years. When Friday evening came without the promised phone call from the summit, Eleanor’s worry quickly grew into panic. Park rangers were alerted the next morning, and an intensive search began.

Helicopters circled the rugged terrain, search dogs followed the trails, and teams of volunteers scoured the area. Samuel’s truck was found at the Pine Springs trailhead, and their names were written in the logbook, confirming they had started the hike. But beyond that, there were no footprints, no gear left behind, and no clear signs of distress. After five days, the official search was scaled back, and the disappearance was deemed a likely hiking accident. For Eleanor, the lack of answers felt unbearable. Samuel was known for his careful planning, and Simone was full of life and curiosity. It seemed impossible that they had simply vanished without a trace. Life went on around Eleanor, but she remained tied to that moment in 2000.

She kept Samuel’s geology books on their shelves and preserved Simone’s last sketchbook in a protective case. Friends urged her to move forward, but she clung to the promise Samuel had made before leaving: “We’ll call you from the top.” For 13 years, the questions remained. Had they strayed from the trail? Had they been caught in an unexpected storm? Or was there something more sinister at play? Then in September 2013, two experienced hikers exploring remote terrain far off the designated trails spotted a strip of fabric fluttering against a cliffside. As they drew closer, they found a sun-bleached tent anchored to a narrow ledge with bolts. Inside were human remains that dental records later confirmed belonged to Samuel and Simone.

The discovery raised more questions than it answered. The ledge was difficult to reach and required climbing skills Samuel was not known to have. The bolts used to secure the tent were heavy-duty and not typical of recreational campers. Among the weathered belongings were two backpacks, a corroded camp stove, and Simone’s sketchbook. Most of the pages were damaged, but several remained intact. One drawing in particular stood out: it showed Simone and Samuel hiking together, followed in the distance by a third figure wearing a wide-brimmed hat. The eyes of the figure were shaded, and next to it Simone had written a name—Caleb.

Detective Angela Miller, assigned to review the evidence, searched past park records and found a 1999 report describing a man named Caleb Brody, who had once harassed a family near Guadalupe Peak. He had lived on the park’s edge and briefly worked for a concessionaire before selling his property and moving away shortly after the Joneses disappeared. When investigators tracked Brody down in Oregon, he denied knowing Samuel or Simone. There was no physical evidence tying him to the case, and without more leads, the investigation remained inconclusive.

The district attorney ultimately declined to pursue charges, and the official cause of death was left undetermined. Some who participated in the original search admitted that early assumptions—that Samuel and Simone had simply gotten lost—may have limited the scope of the investigation. Thirteen years later, the sketchbook Simone left behind became both a personal treasure for her mother and an important reminder of why no detail should be overlooked in missing person cases. Today, Eleanor keeps Simone’s preserved sketches as a way of holding onto her daughter’s spirit. The drawings capture both a child’s dream and the haunting possibility of what might have happened on the mountain.

She has shared their story publicly in the hope that it will encourage future search efforts to leave no path unexplored and to keep an open mind about every possibility. Samuel and Simone set out to share a moment under the stars, bound by love, curiosity, and the promise of a phone call home. Instead, their journey ended in one of West Texas’s most enduring mysteries. The maps, notes, and sketches they left behind now stand as testaments to their lives and as enduring reminders that unanswered questions still linger in the shadows of Guadalupe Peak. Their memory continues, not only in the rugged trails they once walked, but in the determination of those who still seek answers to the mystery of their final hike.