The Mojave Desert, located in the southwestern United States, is a brutal and unforgiving landscape.
Sprawling over parts of four states; California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah, the area is so vast that entire European countries like Ireland and Iceland could fit comfortably within its boundaries.
The “high desert” is prone to extreme temperatures and arid conditions. In November of 2014, an American hiker named Kenny Veach had a strange encounter with a mysterious cave in the Sheep Mountain area, just north of Las Vegas.
Born in 1967, Kenny Veach loved the outdoors and connected with other hikers and outdoorsmen on social media. He was funny, creative, and energetic. He was also obsessed with the desert.
Once, he posted: “I hike over mountain top after mountain top and sleep on peaks under the stars . . . Sometimes I have to scale giant cliffs to get myself out of a jam, but I always make it back.”
He was proud of the fact that there was only one time that he had to be rescued on one of his adventures, and that was when he injured his leg at the top of a mountain.
Tired of the daily Monday-through-Friday grind, Kenny wanted to be his own boss, be in charge of his own life, and have the free time to immerse himself in his desert explorations.
So, he quit his day job and decided to be an inventor. He started a YouTube channel, documenting his creations and his forays into the desert.
It was in June of 2014, using the name Snakebitmcgee, Kenny left a comment in response to a YouTube video that read: That ain’t nothing. I am a long-distance hiker. One time, during one of my hikes out by Nellis Air Force Base, I found a hidden cave.
The entrance to the cave was shaped like a perfect capital M. I always enter every cave I find, but as I began to enter this particular cave, my whole body began to vibrate.
The closer I got to the cave entrance, the worse the vibrating became. Suddenly, I became very scared and high-tailed it out of there. That was one of the strangest things that ever happened to me.
Unbeknownst to Kenny and the rest of the world, that comment would have tragic consequences.
Where’s The Proof?
Kenny’s comment on that video sparked a flurry of requests for him to prove his claim.
Since he hadn’t documented the first trip to what would become known as “the M cave”, he needed to go back to the area to locate it and, this time, document what he found.
On his second search for the cave, he went armed with a 9-millimeter handgun and a video camera.
When he returned from this hike, he uploaded the video of his excursion to his YouTube channel. In what has famously become known as the “M cave video,” Kenny was light-hearted and enthusiastic about his hike.
He documented some wildlife and found a whole horde of pine nuts that he gleefully ate on camera. He stood next to an abandoned mine shaft and rather sheepishly declared that he was unable to find the cave on his second hike.
Much to Kenny’s dismay, that video was met with criticism. Many thought he had made the whole thing up, and the public demanded proof of his claim of a mysterious cave with supernatural properties.
Viewers actively encouraged, and some even dared Kenny to go back out to the mountain range a third time.
However, one comment on his video, which has since been deleted, read, “No! Do not go back there. If you find that cave entrance, don’t go in, you won’t get out.”
Whether that comment was made by somebody teasing Kenny or whether it was a serious warning by somebody who was personally familiar with the cave is unknown.
Regarding the M cave, Kenny said, “I solo hike across mountain tops that most people wouldn’t dare go. I have been in more caves than I can count. I play with rattlesnakes for fun. But this one particular cave was beyond anything I had ever encountered.”
A Fateful Decision
Hoping to put the naysayers in their place, Kenny hiked out to the territory a third time.
On the 10th of November 2014, Kenny once again made his way to the Sheep Mountain area, which is close to the U.S. Air Force installation called Area 51, known for its speculated connection to UFOs and secret government experiments.
It’s located near Groom Lake and is within the Nevada Test and Training Range. As late as 2012, the U.S. government denied the existence of Area 51, and it is still closed to the public.
Kenny had informed his loved ones that he would be gone for a couple of days. When he failed to return home on the third day, his girlfriend, Sheryon Pilgrim, reported him missing.
Both ground and aerial searches were conducted, but no sign of Kenny could be found.
Dave Cummings from Red Rock Search & Rescue reported finding Kenny’s cell phone next to an abandoned vertical mine shaft, where he filmed part of the M cave video.
Specially trained individuals were called in to conduct a search of the mine. Unfortunately, aside from his vehicle and his cell phone, no trace of Kenny was ever found.
Theories
There are three main theories as to the fate of Kenny Veach: death by natural causes, murder, or suicide. Quite simply, the desert could have swallowed Kenny.
Any number of things could have happened to him while out on a three-day hike. Numerous predators live in the desert that could pose a threat to human life.
In addition to mountain lions and big horn sheep, several venomous snakes make their homes under rocks and in caves. Kenny himself had survived a rattlesnake bike.
Scorpions and venomous spiders also live in the numerous nooks and crannies throughout the desert. Kenny could have fallen from a cliff, broken his leg, or busted his hip. He could have simply tripped over something and hit his head on a rock.
Some people believe that Kenny intentionally left his phone at the mine shaft so that he could not be tracked any further.
He could just as easily have dropped it, and later, when whatever emergency occurred, only then realized he was unable to call for help.
The second theory was that Kenny was murdered. Nefarious individuals sometimes conduct business in the isolated desert, and it is not beyond reason to think that Kenny could have easily witnessed something that he shouldn’t have.
The other idea is that the mysterious M cave could have been part of a secret installation conducting scientific experiments. Kenny described the feeling when he approached the cave as his “whole body vibrating.”
Sonic and ultrasonic weapons are very real things. Ultrasound or high frequencies can be focused to produce concentrated energy at a target.
These types of weapons can be used to keep intruders out of restricted areas or even as crowd control.
Could Kenny have gotten close enough to the M cave on the third try that he succumbed to high-powered sonic or ultrasonic warfare? Or could he have somehow made it through the sonic line of defense and was then killed by the military assigned to protect the cave?
The last theory is that Kenny went on that third excursion to look for the M cave with the intention of never returning. Some think Kenny was despondent at the failed venture of starting his own business. Quite simply, he was running out of money.
Kenny’s girlfriend Sheryon made a long, meaningful post on Kenny’s M cave video stating: “So many people are wondering what happened and guessing different things. You are heartfelt about the sadness around what has happened with Kenny.
He has not been found, and I feel that he probably will not be found for many, many months, if ever . . . I want you to know that I do not think Kenny had an accident. I believe he committed suicide.
He battled depression for many years and would not take medication or see a doctor . . . They did find his cell phone by the mine shaft in the video . . . It is my feeling he left it behind so that he could not be tracked from the GPS in it.
He also did not take his video camera with him on this solo hike. It was left in his home. So, he had no intention of filming everything . . .”
As of 2024, Kenny Veach has still not been found, even though more than thirty search and rescue team members scoured the Sheep Mountain area on three occasions.
Kenny’s family and friends mourn his loss but take comfort in the fact that he died doing what he loved, taking in the splendors of the desert.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area_51
https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/mysterious-stories-blog/kenny-veach
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