Video Shows 'Missing Person Shrine' Found in Huntington Woods

A man walking through the woods in Huntington's Berkeley Jackson County Park on Monday recorded a video that has since been seen by more than 200,000 viewers of what he and many others believed to be “evidence of a serial killer or a body dump.”

One of the videos Facebook user James Rankin shared online has gotten more than 230,000 views in less than 24 hours. In the video, Rankin stumbles on an area in the woods that had a gallery of missing persons posted on several trees and a shelter area that appears as if a person or persons was living there.

Watch Rankin's videos here. (Warning: explicit language is used)

The missing persons on the posters were actual people from all over the country who went missing. Some were found dead, others are still missing while some showed up years later. Commenters on a Reddit thread concluded that several of the cases have already been solved and none of the murders are connected.

A Facebook user who commented on one of the videos said Rankin may have discovered another body dump area similar to Gilgo Beach.

Reddit users, however, came to different conclusions, including:

• It’s a viral promo for the new "Blair Witch" movie.
• It’s an an old independent film location that didn't clean up after itself.
• It was created by a copycat killer. “Sometimes sociopaths will worship similar acts to their desires that already have been (presumably) committed,” Reddit user heart__of__gold wrote.

Rankin said he went to the police shortly after discovering the area. Patch contacted Suffolk County Police, who said they received a complaint from Rankin of a suspicious finding at Berkeley Jackson County Park on Monday. Police said the situation is active but had no other updates or explanations.

Patch contacted Rankin and has not heard a response from him. He has since updated his Facebook page to say that police contacted the owner of the adjacent property, who said the area was set up for a Halloween party and will be taken down after Oct. 31.

Rankin, who was possibly trespassing on private property, also wrote in his status that he heard the residents will be setting up fences and "no trespassing" signs in the area.

Several commenters did not believe the decorations were up solely for Halloween as they appeared worn-in by the weather in the video. One Facebook user provided insight into the situation: “The guy who owns the property is my friend and it is for a Halloween party. Sorry to disappointe everyone but its not real. I'm also going to be involved in decorating the woods. He did a summer Halloween party in August too so they were left over from then. Everything that is in the video are all props.”

Huntington Patch reader James Charlton said in a Facebook message to Patch that the incident needs to be investigated further and parents and children of the nearby areas should be aware of this discovery, whether it was made by an actual killer or not. "There's nothing OK about using real missing persons as decoration," he said. "I also don't see any reason why on October 3 there would be weather proofed paper 'decorations' on the trees. It seems very unusual."

Feel free to tell us your theories on the discovery below!

Images via YouTube screenshot