Unsolved mystery

Murphy occasionally checked on the cabin over the years and had noticed a bad smell, but assumed rodents had died inside. He never thought to check the chimney, blocked as it was by furniture. And given the cabin’s remote location, no one would have heard Josh’s cries for help.

For Josh’s family, the discovery ended years of uncertainty but offered little comfort. Kate admitted the situation didn’t make sense. They had expected Josh to be somewhere else, far from home.

“It’s a real conundrum. A tragic, terrible story,” Murphy reflected. “We’ll never really know what happened to him. It’s a horror story in my mind to imagine what my brother must have gone through.”

“All I know is he did not go down that chimney. I think it will remain a mystery. One of those sad stories.”