Tourist Vanished at Snoqualmie Falls — 3 Years Later He Was Found Beneath the Rocks

For most travelers, Snoqualmie Falls is one of Washington State’s crown jewels: a thunderous 82-meter cascade, wrapped in mist and often crowned with rainbows. But for one family, this beauty spot became a place of haunting silence. It was here, in August 2020, that 28-year-old photographer Josh Milner vanished without a trace.

His disappearance launched one of the most extensive searches in King County history, baffled investigators for three years, and finally ended in a discovery that turned accident theory into murder mystery.

The Photographer Who Loved Forgotten Places

Josh Milner was no ordinary tourist. Raised in Seattle, he combined a love of the outdoors with a keen photographer’s eye. He ran a small but loyal blog called Lost Waters, documenting abandoned dams, crumbling hydroelectric plants, and hidden waterfalls across the Pacific Northwest.

“Josh was fascinated by where nature and industry collided,” his sister recalled. “He believed every forgotten tunnel or half-broken bridge had a story to tell.”

On August 16, 2020, Josh texted a friend: “Heading to Snoqualmie. Want to photograph one of the lower waterfalls that isn’t on the maps. Should be back by evening.”

That was his last message.

A Search With No Answers

When Josh didn’t return, his family assumed he was on another of his solitary expeditions. But after five days of silence, police were called. His Subaru Outback was found locked in the main parking lot near the falls. Inside: nothing unusual.

A hundred meters away, searchers found his open camera bag with a cracked lens inside. The sight suggested a fall—or a struggle. But there was no sign of Josh himself.

What followed was a massive search. Over 500 volunteers and professionals combed the forests, riverbanks, and steep moss-covered slopes. Helicopters circled overhead. Divers plunged into the churning pool at the waterfall’s base. Search dogs tracked his scent to a pile of slick boulders at the river’s edge—and stopped cold.

The official theory hardened: Josh had slipped, been swept away, and drowned. Yet despite weeks of effort, no body surfaced. By late August, the sheriff’s office called off the active search. His case was left open but cold.

For the Milner family, grief settled into the unbearable limbo of no closure.

Nature Gives Up Its Secret

Three years later, in September 2023, a string of violent autumn storms lashed Washington. Torrential rain triggered floods and landslides around Snoqualmie Falls. One night, locals heard deep underground rumblings. By morning, part of the rock ledge downstream had collapsed, exposing fresh yellowish stone and a tangle of new debris.

A group of local climbers seized the chance to explore the freshly exposed crevices. Deep inside one narrow crack, they saw something dark and unnatural wedged between boulders.

Descending on rope, one climber was hit by the unmistakable odor of decay. His headlamp revealed the truth: a torn green jacket, a boot pinned under stone, and human remains.

911 was called immediately. Extraction was dangerous—rescuers worked 12 hours with hydraulic struts and pneumatic cushions before carefully lifting the remains.

But one look told investigators this was no accident. The body’s hands were tied behind its back with nylon cord. A skull fracture marked the fatal blow. Josh Milner had not slipped—he had been killed.

Forensics Reopen the Case

Dental records and DNA confirmed the identity. Forensic analysis revealed chilling details.

Cause of death: a single devastating blow to the back of the head, likely from a pipe or rock.
Bindings: nylon cord identical to the drawstring on Josh’s own camera bag—suggesting his killer improvised with items at hand.
Chemical traces: benzene and ammonia on his jacket, pointing to an industrial environment rather than wilderness.
Key evidence: in a zipped pocket, investigators found a white key card marked only with “101.”

Detectives began checking archives of decommissioned hydroelectric facilities near the falls. Buried paperwork revealed a long-abandoned building: Technical Warehouse 101, closed in 2006 but still marked on old maps.

A Warehouse With a Dark Secret

Following the lead, officers hiked to the site. Hidden by ivy, the concrete structure looked derelict—until they noticed a modern electronic lock. The recovered key card slid through, the light blinked green, and the door opened.

Inside was not a dusty storeroom but an active drug transshipment point. Packaging, scales, and empty solvent cans littered the floor. Rapid tests confirmed cocaine residue.

Josh, the explorer of forgotten places, had stumbled into a working narcotics warehouse. That discovery gave police their first clear motive.

Linking to a Suspect

Informants and past crime reports pointed to one man: Rick Thompson, 35, with a criminal record and ties to local drug gangs. His father had once worked at the Snoqualmie dam, perhaps giving him knowledge of hidden sites like Warehouse 101.

As investigators dug deeper, another forgotten piece of evidence resurfaced: an old SD card Josh had pawned a week before his disappearance. With modern recovery tools, forensic specialists restored partial deleted images—photos Josh had taken inside Warehouse 101.

One blurry frame froze a man’s face staring at the camera in shock. Enhanced, the face matched Rick Thompson.

Police had their link.

Confession and Justice

Rick Thompson was arrested at his trailer without incident. In interrogation he denied everything—until detectives slid the recovered photo across the table.

His composure broke. Thompson admitted Josh had walked in unexpectedly while he unloaded shipments. Fearing exposure, he struck him with a metal pipe, killing him instantly. In panic, he tied the body with cord, drove it to the gorge, and dumped it into a crevice, convinced it would never be found. He destroyed the camera and main SD card, unaware Josh had sold an older card elsewhere.

In court, faced with his confession and overwhelming evidence, Thompson pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to life without parole for murder committed to conceal another crime.

A Family Finds Closure

At last, Josh’s family could hold a funeral. They cremated his remains and scattered his ashes in his beloved Cascades. His mother founded the Lost Waters Foundation to support independent photographers and raise awareness of solo traveler safety.

“The wilderness was never the enemy,” she said. “Josh loved these places. What stole him from us was human cruelty.”

A Tragic Reminder

The case of the Snoqualmie Falls disappearance now stands as both a solved mystery and a grim warning. A photographer seeking hidden beauty uncovered the darkest corner of human enterprise.

It took storms, rockfalls, and relentless forensic work to unearth the truth. In the end, Josh Milner’s story reminds us how thin the line can be between adventure and danger—and how sometimes only chance can force buried secrets to the surface.