A Fatal Wrong Turn Trivia Quiz

Answer: 2 adults and 2 children

The group consisted of 34-year-old Egbert Rimkus, his girlfriend, 27-year-old Cornelia Meyer (some articles reference her age as 28), his 11-year-old (again some cite his age as being 10) son Georg Weber, and Cornelia's 4-year-old son Max Meyer. The family arrived in Los Angeles on July 8, 1996, and over the course of their trip visited the Southern California area, stayed at the Treasure Island Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, and then drove to Death Valley National Park on July 22nd which would be the date of their last confirmed sighting, where they spent the night camping in the park, specifically Hanaupah Canyon near Telescope Peak.

Death Valley holds the distinction of being the hottest, driest and lowest of all national parks in the US and is located on the border of California and Nevada. It is a wide expanse covering more than 5000 square miles and is the largest national park in the contiguous US.

The family were expected to board their return flight to Germany on July 27. When this date came and passed without any evidence of the Germans returning, this, of course, raised concern. Egbert's ex-wife went to authorities, and a missing persons Interpol alert was eventually issued. The rental agency reported their vehicle as stolen in September after they failed to return.

Answer: minivan

On October 21, 1996, Death Valley Park Ranger Dave Brenner was on a routine drug surveillance operation aboard a helicopter flying over the southern area of the park when he spotted a green 1996 Plymouth Voyager which was a standard passenger minivan at that time. The vehicle was located in a remote area of the park known as Anvil Canyon.

After disembarking from the helicopter, Brenner noted the van's axles were buried in sand with 3 flat tires. Distinct tracks leading up to the van suggested it had been driven some considerable distance with flat tires. The route the Germans were traveling was very rugged with potholes and large boulders littering the trails. Their vehicle, of course, was not suitable for navigating the unforgiving terrain in that area of the park. The van being found disabled meant that the Germans had to attempt to walk to safety in the blistering summer heat of Death Valley.

Answer: beer bottle

Over the course of 4 days and the involvement of over 250 different search and rescue personnel that included field teams and support personnel, 2 helicopters and 8 horse mounted searchers, only a sole clue was found. On day 2 of the initial search, a Bud Ice bottle was confirmed to match bottles found in their vehicle. It was found planted upright adjacent to a bush 1.7 miles east of the vehicle's location. Next to the bottle was an imprint consistent with a seat mark towards the east side of the bush suggesting that one of the Germans, most likely Egbert, was attempting to seek shade from the relentless sun. This location was henceforth unofficially dubbed bottle bush and would later on help explain the route the Germans had ended up taking. After 4 days of searching, the formal search was eventually called off due to lack of substantial evidence found.

Other items of interest that were found in the van included a booklet subtitled "Death Valley National Monument Text" translated in German, an American flag from Butte Valley Stone Cabin, a Coleman sleeping bag, unopened containers of Bud Ice, and various spirits.

Answer: Mengle Pass

In the process of retracing the journey of the missing Germans, investigators discovered an entry made on July 23, 1996, at the visitor logbook for the Warm Spring Mine site signed by the group with a phrase, "We are going over the pass". This pass was referring to the Mengle Pass, a roadway that connects Panamint Valley with Butte Valley. However, upon getting closer to Mengel Pass it was speculated they had turned around due to the realization that the route was intended for 4x4 vehicles and would be impassable.

It was theorized that the Germans, running low on time, wanted to see Yosemite and catch their flight in time therefore they consulted a pamphlet for an alternative route. Their pamphlet had shown an erroneous and apparently shorter route in the form of a road down Anvil Canyon. After 2 miles of travel down this path, the group misjudged a fork in the road and went right when in fact the road veered left. This right turn transformed into a sandy and gravelly wash that ultimately led into Anvil Canyon. In an attempt to try to get back to the left fork the group tried to traverse the wash, but it was a futile attempt as their vehicle was driving on shredded tires at this point and was not suitable to cross the sand quickly enough to avoid sinking.

Answer: Mauled by a pack of wild coyotes

All of the other outlandish ideas to explain the disappearance were proposed by various persons involved with the original search and members of the general public alike. One theory at the time that had gained the most traction was that the group had decided to start new lives in America to escape custody issues with Egbert's ex-wife back in Germany.

Another posed explanation was the family had crossed paths with followers of Charles Manson due to the location of Barker Ranch which was formerly the headquarters of this bizarre group being in a location somewhat close by to where the Germans had disappeared. This theory concluded that the family was slain and the vehicle was dumped to hide the evidence. Alien abduction was even opined as the reason for the group's disappearance as there were claimed ufo sightings in the area.

Even though Death Valley is home to coyotes, these animals generally avoid humans and thus were never suspected in this case. As you can see, people desperate for answers will come up with various explanations to get a sense of closure or for some other reason.

Answer: False

Only the remains of Egbert were conclusively identified through confirmation of DNA testing from samples of bone. Other skeletal remains discovered nearby were characteristic of being female which would presumably have been Cornelia and smaller bones which would either have belonged to Max or Georg, however, this was never officially confirmed or announced.

Answer: True

It would actually be more than 13 years later, in November 2009, to be exact. During the initial search, the areas focused on were north and west of the location of the stranded vehicle, and included notable locations, such as Warm Springs Camp, a mine site where the guest book log entry was found, Geologist's Cabin, a nickname of Butte Valley Stone Cabin, an abandoned mining camp approximately 4 miles west of the vehicle's location, and Mengel Pass, the route which had proved to be a fate sealing decision.

Around the area of the remains, miscellaneous articles were also found that included a journal written in German, health insurance identification cards, a wine bottle (probably used to fill with water if a source was found), bank identification cards, and a sole of a shoe thought to be a child's, although this was never conclusively determined.

Answer: Military Installation

During the original search in 1996, searchers were focused on the west and northwest sections of the park from the stranded vehicle due to the location of the Stone Cabin, or Geologist's Cabin, approximately 4 miles away. The cabin, now a landmark, was formerly a mining camp established in the 1930s for prospectors in the region, and was one of the stops the group had taken due to the presence of a flag labeled with the cabin's namesake found in the German's vehicle. Had the Germans reached the cabin by foot, this would have likely led to survival due to it being routinely stocked with provisions and having an out flowing pipe with freshwater. Its status as a landmark which would have had visitors occasionally stop by who would have been able to provide assistance or contact authorities.

However, for reasons unknown the Germans set course on foot towards the southern area of the park. According to one of the individuals who had retraced the steps of the Germans, it was theorized they may have seen an AT & T tower and headed for it, however, it was determined at the location of the cell tower that the line of sight from the stranded vehicle would have been obscured by a mountain.

The landmark that was believed to be the German's destination to perceived help/rescue was the military installation, Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, that was observed on a park pamphlet. The outer perimeter of the base was at the southern-most boundary of Death Valley National Park. The theory cited was that back in Germany, the group would have been accustomed to seeing military bases with foot soldiers actively patrolling the fenced perimeter, however, the China Lake site would not have this feature due to being located in the remote desert. Ultimately, they failed to reach the perimeter of this facility. The Wingate Airfield was another feature in the area that refers to a mock dirt strip that functions as a target range for the China Lake Naval Air Weapons center.

Answer: Off duty volunteer search and rescuers

Les Walker and Tom Mahood, both members of the Riverside Search and Rescue Unit (RSRU), discovered the remains. Mahood first became interested in the disappearance during the Summer of 2008, and conducted many interviews with many of the original search and rescue volunteers, along with field research gathered by literally by hiking into Death Valley and retracing the steps of the Germans backed by his own interpretation of the known facts at the time.

This effort paid off as Mahood and Walker both located the suspected remains in a remote area that was in a southbound direction which was originally dismissed as a direction to focus search efforts during the initial search. Perhaps remains may have never been found if there was not a continual interest into solving this disappearance.

Answer: 8

This was an incredible feat and a testament to the human will for survival, considering that in July 1996, the park had recorded peak temperatures of over 120 degrees Fahrenheit. The human body can lose up to 1-3 liters of water per hour in extreme heat and more than that if strenuous activity is involved. A 150 pound man on average will comprise of 42 liters of water and 15-25% loss of water will generally lead to death.

With limited-to-no fresh sources of water available for the Germans, traversing the remote desert wilderness of Death Valley spelled a death sentence as the family eventually would have succumbed to severe effects of dehydration. Just the thought of Cornelia/Egbert carrying Max/Georg in that sweltering heat as they desperately searched for rescue is very harrowing. As mentioned earlier, it was believed the Germans were headed towards the perimeter of the China Lake Naval Base which explained the remote location of their remains.