Unsolved Mystery: Sandra Johnsen Hughes Disappears After Camping Trip, Young Boy Claims to Have Seen Her Ghost

In the world of unsolved mysteries, some cases intertwine between the natural and the supernatural. 

These cases make us question our understanding of reality. 

One such case is that of Sandra Hughes.

She is a woman who disappeared in 2020 during a solo camping trip in the Sierra, south of Yosemite. 

One year after her disappearance, a strange encounter with a young boy has reignited interest in Sandra’s case.

While camping with his family, the boy claimed he saw the missing woman asking him for help.

Could it be that Sandra's spirit is trying to communicate from beyond, seeking help to solve her own disappearance?

Sandra Johnsen Hughes

Background

Sandra Johnson Hughes was a 54-year-old woman with a deep love for the outdoors. 

She had recently moved from Maui, Hawaii, to California in June 2020. 

She was seeking solace in nature during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sandra was a known outdoor lover and was no stranger to the wilderness.

She had trained as a park ranger in college and was well-versed in outdoor survival. 

In late June 2020, Sandra set out on a solo camping trip in the Sierra, an area south of Yosemite National Park.

It was meant to be a peaceful retreat, but it soon turned into a mysterious and haunting case that remains unsolved.

Disappearance

The last known sighting of Sandra Hughes was on June 26, 2020. 

Shortly after she was last seen, her campsite was found by the Madera County Sheriff's Office near Johnson’s Meadow. 

While investigating the site, authorities suspected that something was wrong.

The campsite was found in disarray, raising concerns about Sandra’s safety. 

Adding to the mystery, Sandra’s silver Subaru Outback was found few days later on July 5, 2020.

It was located in Chequito Creek, north of her campsite. 

The car had apparently crashed into a tree at low speed before rolling into a ravine. 

Despite this alarming discovery, Sandra was nowhere to be found. 

Over the next few days, hikers reported seeing Sandra barefoot on July 4, 2020. 

They reported that she had a bruise on her face that day and, when they offered help, she declined.

This would be the last confirmed sighting of Sandra Hughes. 

Search efforts were extensive during the investigation into her disappearance.

It involved officers, volunteer search and rescue teams, dog teams, the California Highway Patrol, and even helicopters from the California Air National Guard. 

Yet, no trace of Sandra was found.

Investigation

The search for Sandra Hughes was thorough but ultimately fruitless. 

The investigation focused on the area around her crashed car, but no significant leads came up.

Then, on August 9, 2020, nearly two months after her disappearance, a potential lead emerged.

Two hunters reported seeing a woman who matched Sandra’s description. 

She was seen leaning against a tree near Road 5S01, close to Besor Road. 

The woman did not greet the hunters, nor did she appear to be in distress. 

It wasn’t until the hunters returned home that they recognized her from a missing person’s flyer and contacted park rangers. 

Sandra was described as visibly thinner than in her last known photographs.

At the time of her disappearance, she was a white female, approximately 5 feet 3 inches tall.

She had brown eyes and was wearing blue shoulder-length hair, although her natural hair color was brown.

Despite the hunters' sighting and the search efforts that followed, no further evidence emerged, and Sandra’s whereabouts remained a mystery.

Sandra Johnsen Hughes

Recent Development: The Ghost Sighting

Fast forward to July 21, 2021.

Nearly a year after Sandra's disappearance, an unsettling event occurred in the Madera County mountains.

A family from nearby Coarsegold, California, experienced what can only be described as a ghostly encounter. 

Jake Gorba, his wife Victoria, and their three young children were out on a family outing.

During their outing, their 3-year-old son, Kaden, began talking to someone they couldn’t see. 

The family had stopped for lunch near a trail when Kaden pointed towards a meadow.

He insisted that there was a woman lying face down with her legs up.

Kaden, normally a reserved child, became visibly agitated and insisted that the woman needed their help.

He told his parents, “She’s already dead, but she needs our help.” 

Kaden then described the woman in great detail.

He said she was wearing a black shirt, and blue jeans, and had blue hair. 

Despite his insistence, Jake and Victoria found nothing when they checked the meadow.

Spooked by the encounter, the Gorba family decided to end their trip early. 

When they returned home, Victoria posted about the strange event on Facebook.

She asked if anyone knew of a missing woman matching Kaden’s description. 

To their shock, they discovered that Sandra Hughes had gone missing in the same area the previous year. 

Kaden’s description was eerily accurate, right down to Sandra’s blue hair. 

When Victoria showed Kaden photos of Sandra Hughes, he immediately recognized her as the woman he saw in the meadow.

Ongoing Efforts

The story caught the attention of Madera County Sheriff Corporal Chris Williams.

He had been investigating Sandra’s disappearance since she was first reported missing.

Intrigued by the potential connection, he contacted the Gorba family and arranged to revisit the meadow with them.

A few days later, two sheriff’s deputies, accompanied by Jake and Kaden, returned to the site to search for any clues.

Unfortunately, no new evidence was found.

The case remains open, and authorities are not ruling out any possibilities.

Local news reporters confirmed that the Madera County Sheriff’s Office took Kaden’s sighting seriously and decided to investigate further.

The search yielded no new leads, but the Gorba family’s experience added a chilling layer to the already mysterious case of Sandra Hughes.

Could it be that Sandra’s spirit is still out there, trying to guide searchers to her final resting place? 

The truth remains elusive, but one thing is certain: Sandra Hughes’s disappearance continues to haunt her loved ones, who are yearning for closure.

If you have any information about this case, please contact the authorities.