At Whitewell Industries, innovation is more than
just a mission. It's in our blood. Through collaboration
with our global subsidiaries, we're dedicated
to enhancing lives by solving humanity's greatest
challenges and creating opportunities for everyone.
We have transformed the medical field by pioneering
treatments for diseases once considered incurable.
We empower businesses of all sizes with the cutting
-edge resources and technologies they need to
succeed. We engineer vehicles that aim to redefine
safety, so you and your family are protected,
even if the unthinkable happens. But you don't
have to take our word for it. Why don't we hear
from some folks who've experienced the Whitewell
difference firsthand? At just 26 years old. My
world collapsed with a diagnosis of stage 4 terminal
brain cancer. Doctors told me there were no treatment
options. I was given just six months to live.
But a week later, hope arrived unexpectedly.
A representative from Pharmagenix reached out
about a groundbreaking clinical trial for an
experimental drug that could extend my life by
up to two years with minimal side effects. Six
months to the day of my original diagnosis, instead
of preparing to die, I was declared cancer -free.
Whitewell didn't just buy me time. It gave me
back my entire future. As the owner of a small
custom computer shop, having a reliable parts
and accessories supplier is essential to our
success. When our old supplier closed last year
without warning, we struggled to find a replacement
that matched our needs and price point. We were
close to having to... That's just about enough
of that. Dr. Evan Harbinger recording preliminary
case file setup summary and case review notes
for case file number 101 -224 -001. It is Saturday,
April 12, 2025. At 1146 p .m. I've been requested
by the Pennsylvania State Police and State Bureau
of Investigation to consult on a string of disappearances
occurring over the last two years in the forest
outside Derry Township, Pennsylvania. As of last
week, the number of missing people has climbed
to nine. The local sheriff's department has made
almost no progress with their investigation to
find the victims or any evidence of what may
have happened to them. Due to the considerable
lack of evidence available in these cases, I
have had to deviate from my standard consultation
procedures and travel from D .C. to view the
areas of interest in person. I am currently reviewing
the case files at the Westmoreland County Sheriff's
Office in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, in preparation
for hiking out to look over the disappearance
sites tomorrow morning. The sheriff, Cole Mason,
has made his disapproval of my presence very
clear. A sentiment clearly shared by the entire
department. I do have some concerns that this
may impact my investigation, but for now, all
my requests have been reluctantly complied with.
The facts I have collected from the existing
files as of now. 1. All the disappearances occurred
within a 1 .5 mile radius of the Bear Cave Hollow
Trail in Derry Township, Pennsylvania. 2. There
appears to be no preference to gender or age.
There are four women and five men missing, ranging
from age 19 to 57. Although no children have
been taken, this could be due to the lack of
availability and not a preference. Three. There
have been no bodies recovered, no eyewitnesses,
and according to local law enforcement, no physical
evidence to further the investigation. The crime
scene photos appear to be just unrelated pictures
of leaves, trees, and, confoundingly, one bullfrog.
4. Calls by hikers reporting screaming were received
for both victims 3 and 7 on the day they went
missing. However, by the time authorities arrived
to the area less than one hour later, there were
no signs of the victims or indications of a struggle.
I will be re -interviewing the callers as soon
as possible. 5. None of the disappearances are
local residents. All lived at least 70 miles
away. Seven of the nine victims came from out
of town for the abundant hiking trails in the
area. But the two outliers taken from the West
Trail access point off Highway 217 seem to have
simply pulled over while passing through the
area. After seeing the entirety of the case reports,
I have serious misgivings about the investigations
performed. A proper investigation and evidence
collection of the areas must be completed before
I can move forward with anything else. A fact
that all nine case reports fail to mention is
the proximity of each disappearance to one of
the nearby entrances to Bear Cave. As one of
the largest cave systems in the state, there
were five known entrances in Derry Township alone.
It seems like the perfect way for a suspect,
or even a predator of some kind, to move around
and hide easily. Yet I can see no record that
they were investigated as a potential factor.
I plan to make a cursory investigation around
the cave entrance while in the area tomorrow,
and to see if I need to send for my equipment
to conduct a more extensive exploration. End
of preliminary notes. Additional note. These
disappearances bear a striking resemblance to
the other missing persons clusters I've been
tracking near caves throughout the country for
the last few years. I don't have enough information
to make any substantial connections yet. But
my gut tells me there is something here. I felt
it almost as soon as I arrived. Something familiar.
Transcription and file notes. Rosemary, please
set up an official file as well as one for my
personal research. Usual procedures. Make two
copies of the transcript. For the official report,
leave out my additional note. Thank you. It's
after midnight. What are you still doing here?
I'm just finishing up my case review notes. Wanted
to have them done before hiking out to the area
tomorrow. Are you still thinking of going out
there alone? I could still make a call to the
ranger station and get you an escort. Wouldn't
be a great look if our visiting expert went missing
too. If it would truly make you feel better,
then by all means, make your call, Sheriff. I
plan to be on the trail by 7 a .m. sharp. If
they aren't there by then, I'm not waiting for
them. Fine. What is this? Wilderness survival
for dummies. Okay, okay, okay. Well, we definitely
can't let you go out there alone now that I've
seen this, so I'm going to go make that call.
Sheriff, one second. I wanted to get some clarification
on a couple of things I noticed in the case files.
Okay. Do you find it at all strange that not
one of the nine people that are missing are from
the local area? I didn't see it notated anywhere
in the reports, but my research showed several
dozen houses within a two -mile radius of the
disappearance sites. They would be just as easy
to grab someone from. Yeah, locals tend to avoid
the whole Death Valley area since the caves were
closed to the public back in 09. Bunch of teens
went out there to party and got pretty sick from
some rare bat fungus. Town's still pretty put
off by it. The foot traffic out there is mostly
travel influencers that don't know any better
and paranormal investigators looking to uncover
the secrets of the Pennsylvania Twilight Zone
for TikTok or whatever. The what? The Pennsylvania
Twilight Zone. It's what some of the very, uh...
open -minded call the Chestnut Ridge side of
the mountains, because there's been weird stories
coming from around there since people first settled
into this place. Right. Well, since you mentioned
the caves, I saw no mention of the caves being
investigated as a factor in the reports. Is that
somewhere else, or...? No. The caves aren't involved.
How can you be sure if no one even looked at
them? Well, sweetheart, it's my job to know.
Now, go get some sleep, Doc. Sounds like you
got an early day tomorrow, so I'll see what I
can do about that escort for your hike. And,
uh, Doc, those caves are still considered a hazmat
area. Stay away from them. Jesus Christ! Awfully
light for a lady to be on her own, don't you
think? I had some work to finish up. With the
sheriff in town. Well, you just be careful. Weird
things happen to strangers around here. Especially
at night. I'll... keep that in mind. Breakfast
is served between 5 .30 and 7 a .m. Would you
like to schedule a wake -up notification? Sure.
6 a .m., please. Done. Now, off to bed with you.
Sleep well. Evan, listen to this one. Hello!
Let me try one. What was that? Was it a bear?
I don't... Hey girls, time to come back to the
campsite and eat. What did I tell you about getting
too close to the caves alone? We didn't go in.
Dad, we heard something. It sounded scary. It's
probably an animal that's sick of being shouted
at. Now let's leave it alone and come eat dinner.
Okay. Can we do s'mores after dinner? Of course
we're going to do s'mores. We are camping, aren't
we? Don't be stupid. Don't... called me stupid!
Don't push me! Dad! She called me stupid! She
shoved me! Girls, be nice. You're gonna stress
out your mother. If you guys can't get along,
then... Chloe! Chloe? Chloe? Chloe! Evan! What
happened? Where's Chloe? I don't know. I think...
I think something grabbed her, but I... I didn't
see it. It was too fast. Is she... She was just
gone. I think she got dragged in there. Chloe!
Evan! Go back to the campsite and tell your mother
to call for help. Tell her to have the ranger
station send search and rescue ASAP. Hurry! Wait.
Where are you going? I'm going to get your sister
back. Dad, no. Please come back. This is your
wake -up notification. Breakfast is being served
in the dining room. What the fuck is wrong with
this place? I understand that, Rosemary, but
he was literally in my room. Next to my bed.
There must be something else within a reasonable
distance. Okay, thank you. Let me know as soon
as possible if you find anything. Did you get
the case notes? I can't tell if it went through
with this awful reception out here. There are
some instructions for you at the end, for the
file copies. Rosemary, I have to go. I'll give
you a call this afternoon, after I visit the
AOI. AOI? Area of Interest. It's an area that's
the most likely scene of a crime or other violent
event, but due to lack of evidence, is unable
to be confirmed. Right. Look, I have someone
from the Park Ranger's office coming to meet
you. Her name's Nikki Breslin. She's very capable.
I'm sure you'll get along swimmingly. She's going
to meet you at the parking area for the trailhead
at 7. You really didn't have to do that. It's
not for you, Doc. If you go missing or, God forbid,
get so much as a splinter, the paperwork will
be a nightmare. Well, meet me in the parking
lot after you finish your breakfast. I have some
supplies I'm positive you didn't think to bring.
I think I have everything I need. I very much
doubt it, Doc. There she is. You look like you
walked right out of an REI catalog. Where'd you
get that jacket? REI? Oh, well, this isn't a
fancy REI bag, but it is field tested and will
be better than... Doc, what is this? What is
that? Please don't tell me you were planning
to bring a briefcase into the woods. Why not?
It has all my supplies. Oh, that's worse than
I thought. Okay. You even have any water? Yes.
I grabbed this from my room. That wouldn't last
20 minutes. Alright, you're definitely going
to need this. It's got a basic first aid kit,
heavy duty flashlight, a full water bladder,
and a couple energy bars. There's a department
satellite phone in the side pocket, so if you
do run into trouble, hold down the side button
and it will connect directly to me. Thank you?
Like I said, it's not for you, Doc. Something
happening to you just means more paperwork for
me. And let me know when you guys are back so
I know not to send a search party. Oh man, Nikki
is going to kill me. Excuse me? Are you Nikki?
Better hope I am. Otherwise you have just walked
in on a very dangerous situation. I'm sorry.
I didn't mean to intrude. Dude, your face. I'm
just fucking with you. Nikki Breslin, District
Ranger for Westmoreland County. Dr. Evan Harbinger.
Forensic investigative consultant. Dr. Harbinger,
huh? Sounds ominous. Like some kind of supervillain.
You bring any weapons? Uh... I'll take that as
a no, then. Here, you can take one of my spare
utility knives. Try this. Seems like something
you could handle without causing too much harm
to yourself or others. Oh, no. Thank you, but
I'm fine. If we come across a bear, you may need
to defend yourself. Here. There aren't really
bears, are there? The guide said they weren't
very common in this area. It is the Bear Cave
Trail. But there are also foxes, coyotes, bobcats,
and even wolves in these woods. We could see
anything. There's not as much human activity
on the trails as there used to be, so animal
encounters are becoming more common. Some have
even gotten brave enough to approach local farms
to scavenge for easy food. If you do run into
something, you can't bore it to sleep with your
thesises. Will you please just take the knife?
Fine, I'll take it. But there's no need to be
rude. And it's theses. What? It's theses. Not
theseses. Oh my god, just take the knife. Did
you just drop my knife? You know what? On second
thought, maybe it is safer for us both if I hold
onto that for now. Alright, let's get moving.
Maybe we can be done before lunch. Is carrying
the shotgun really necessary? I mean, couldn't
you just use a tranquilizer or bear spray? Shooting
the animals seems... So inhumane. If the dose
on a trank isn't right, then a bear might get
halfway through eating you before passing out.
A bear spray might just piss it off even more
before it attacks. I prefer not to gamble and
avoid being torn limb from limb. I'll take a
live and inhumane over dead and having the moral
high ground any day. Huh. Point taken. Carry
on, then. Okay, we're getting close to the first
area I want to show you. We think four of the
nine people went missing pretty close to the
rock ledge up ahead, including the one last week.
How do you know? Based on their social media
posts and cell phone pings, mostly. It's also
pretty close to where the reports of screams
were heard. Okay, makes sense. So what's your
opinion on the caves being a factor in the disappearances?
The sheriff seems pretty adamant that they're
irrelevant. But I find that hard to believe,
given the pattern and proximity. I wouldn't completely
rule them out as a factor, but I haven't come
across signs on patrol in the area that suggest
they would be. I just feel like it's too much
of a coincidence that they're so close. I'd like
to take a look if we have time. Sure, we can
swing around that way before heading back. The
main entrance is only 20 to 30 minutes east of
here. That would be great. If there's nothing
there, I can at least cross it off my list. Has
anyone actually gone up and checked out the ledge?
Not that I know of. I can't picture any of the
local deputies climbing up there. That would
require effort. Is there a path? I'd like to
start there, if possible. If nothing else, it'll
give me a full view of the area's layout. There's
a rough animal trail on the other side of this
hill that sneaks around. Just be careful. The
rock here can be crumbly and can slip more than
you'd think. What are we looking for exactly?
Anything that looks out of place. Or any kind
of abnormal disturbance outside of regular animal
patterns. Even trash or debris someone could
have left up here might be helpful. Nikki! Everything
okay? What is it? What are you looking at? There.
On that tree. On all the trees. And the rocks
on the cliff there, too. We need to get out of
here. Now. Why? What is it? I just see claw marks.
Fresh claw marks from something way bigger than
should be in the area. Well, you said there were
bears and... Bobcats and all kinds of things
out here. Yes, things. Here, take the knife.
Now. No time to explain. Let's go. It's too late.
It's cut the return trail off. We need to find
cover and hide before it gets a visual lock on
us. What? What does that mean? I'll explain everything
if we live through this. But right now, you'll
just have to trust me. This has been The Veins
Below. Thank you for starting this journey with
us, and we hope you'll come back to find out
what happens next. Will Nikki and Evan escape
the monster? Why is Cole so weird about that
cave? And what the hell is Whitewell Industries?
Episode 2 is already available, and we will be
back with new episodes every two weeks. If you
want updates in the meantime, please follow us
on all of the regular social media sites at the
veins below. Follow us on Patreon to stay updated
about our future membership subscriptions and
perks at patreon .com forward slash The Veins
Below. The Veins Below is created and directed
by Eliza Dalrymple. This episode was written
and edited by Eliza Dalrymple and Libri. Production
and vocal edits are by Ali A. Sound design and
editing is by Aurelium G. Our amazing voice cast
was... Ray Lundberg as Dr. and Young Evan Harbinger,
N .J. Unwin as Sheriff Cole Mason and Dad Harbinger,
Maddie Gerrard as Ranger Nikki Breslin and Chloe
Harbinger, Aurelium G. as the creepy innkeeper,
with additional voices by Allie A. as the Whitewell
spokesperson, and Ray Lundberg and Nothing as
the Whitewell testimonials. The theme is used
with permission and edited from The Return of
September by Harbor Skyline. For additional sound
and other credits, transcripts, social links,
and contact info, visit our website at theveinsbelow
.com. See you soon.