Episode 78: Isolated For 27 Years (Case of Christopher Knight)

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In 27 years he only spoke one word. “Hi.”

For decades he lived without a mirror - he had forgotten what he had looked like.

He had no friends, no family, no pets, no emotional attachments - those were all cut off the day he disappeared.

When he is finally arrested after 27 years - the questions remain. Why did a 20 year old walk into the woods and decide to disappear? Was he running from something? Does he know something we don’t? And what happens to someone who has no social contact for 27 years?

Source notes:

Book - “The Stranger In The Woods” - by Michael Finkel

Documentary - “The Hermit”

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/north-pond-hermit-maine-knight-stranger-woods-finkel

https://www.pastemagazine.com/books/michael-finkel/stranger-in-the-woods-christopher-knight/

https://archive.ph/20140827104348/http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/maine/2013/05/25/north-pond-hermit-discovered-arrested-after-years-maine-woods/xSXsUlDOQVhqUMb8nkslxN/story.html

https://bangordailynews.com/2013/04/10/news/state/its-surreal-hes-surreal-officers-amazed-at-hermit-burglars-ability-to-survive-in-maine-woods-for-27-years/

https://www.gq.com/story/the-last-true-hermit

https://archive.ph/20210319004424/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/north-pond-hermit-maine-knight-stranger-woods-finkel

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/04/lessons-of-the-hermit/517770/

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/mar/15/stranger-in-the-woods-christopher-knight-hermit-maine

https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-48968502

DISCLAIMER: Some links are listed in the source material but the material may never be discussed in the podcast (I just wanted to list them because they gave me a deeper picture of the case in full). If there are un-verifiable sources (ie Reddit) - they are typically referred to as un-verified sources, opinions, and or theories in the podcast and not treated as fact.