For quite some time, the residents of North Pond were left puzzled before the disappearance of everyday items in their homes. In order to explain this strange occurrence that happened in multiple homes of the town, they even came to think that some mythical creatures were coming into their homes and taking the food and the items of clothing. Many residents would wake up in the morning and find pants and t-shirts and other clothes missing from their dressers and cans of food or other commodities missing from their pantries.
As you might have guessed, it wasn’t, in fact, the doing of elves, fairies, gnomes, goblins. It wasn’t either any other fictional beings that were stealing the residents’ household items. In 2013, the truth was finally exposed and it was perhaps even more surprising than what they thought it was.
1. A normal childhood
Christopher Knight King lived in a normal life in Central Maine with his 4 brothers and sister. All the kids were resourceful are worked around the house to contribute to the family’s livelihood.
2. Adulthood
Shy, Knight had some difficulty making friends when he was young. He enjoyed being alone and even when he found a job installing vehicle and home alarm systems, he didn’t socialize with his coworkers.
3. His sudden disappearance
Knight disappeared one day and didn’t leave a note. His car was found near a forest and the police were involved. The strange thing was that the keys were left in the car.
4. His family’s suffering
Even though his family was worried, they never filed a missing person’s report. They were extremely sad but didn’t want to involve the authorities.
5. Where is he?
His family thought he was dead since no one had heard a peep from him or about his disappearance or his whereabouts.
6. Housebreaking and thieving in North Maine
While Knight was missing, the residents of North Maine were experiencing mysterious events like missing produce and clothes from their homes. There were no signs of violence or disturbing noises. The residents were confused.
7. A connection, perhaps?
The police had no suspects until they uncovered something else and were able to link two things that had bothered the residents of Maine for a long time. 27 years after disappearing, Knight was found alive in the forest.
8. Knight is arrested
Knight was nicknamed “The North Pond Hermit” and was arrested for theft. Terry Hughes was the one who captured video footage of Knight in his backyard. He was taken to the local jail and his arrest led to a commotion. So, what really happened while he was away?
9. Life changing decision
The day before he left his car in the forest, Knight quit his job and returned his tools. He decided he wanted to travel alone so he got into his car and drove away from his hometown. He eventually got to Florida and explored the coast for a few days. He drove back to Maine.
10. Living alone
He abandoned society but there was no clear reason why. He had camping supplies, clothes, food but nothing more. He left his car at the edge of the forest and never looked back.
11. Telling his story
He really enjoyed living alone in nature but at some point, his supplies started running out. He needed to find food in order to survive. He spent entire days without eating. Finally, he found a solution.
12. Surviving
Christopher did not want to go back to society. He enjoyed his freedom and enjoyed living alone. For over a decade, he went into homes and took the supplies he needed.
13. His tricks
When the residents started noticing their food and household items were disappearing, Christopher had to adapt his tricks. Since he was knowledgeable about home security alarms, he would sometimes disable the system and remove memory cards from the surveillance cameras.
14. The man who arrested him
Terry Hughes was the man who arrested Christopher. When he caught Christopher, they walked back together to his home in the woods. Hughes was amazed at how he moved in the wilderness.
15. His strategies
Hughes was impressed at how well he survived. He never left any tracks or footprints behind him. He would also wake up at 2:30 am in the wintertime to use a little camp stove to melt snow for drinking water.
16. People’s reactions
Knight didn’t only steal food from the residents. He also created worry and stress for them. Some of the victims wanted him to go to jail while others did not mind him and saw him as a harmless housefly. Everyone wanted to know why he chose this life.
17. People’s question
People wanted to know why he isolated himself from society. 27 years without any social interactions is a long time!
18. The opinions of behavior experts
Behavior experts needed to examine him to diagnose him properly. Emotional trauma, mental illness, and intense social awkwardness were some of the things that pushed him to isolate himself from society.
19. He finally breaks his silence
He finally shared his story with the world. He survived in the wilderness by reading books he stole from homes, he ate more during the fall so he could eat less in the winter, he also avoided treks that would leave footprints. He wrapped himself in sleeping bags so he didn’t have to make a fire.
20. Why did he become a hermit?
He just wanted to be alone.
21. The real reason for leaving his life behind
Knight was looking for contentment and happiness and could only attain this by leaving everyone and everything behind. He did not feel like he fit in normal society so he preferred staying alone.
22. He plead guilty
He was admitted to the Co-Occurring Disorders Court and was ordered to work and live in the area and report weekly to a judge.
23. During his hearing
He told the authorities he was responsible for burglaries in the East Pond, Little North Pond and North Pond. His jail time would be 7 months. The judge wanted him to succeed through the program.
24. Reclaimed items
The police collected all of Knight’s stolen items and the victims of the burglaries were able to reclaim their possessions.
25. Where is he now?
He was arrested in April of 2013 and satyed in jail for 7 months. After his sentence was over, he worked for his brother in exchange for room and board. He still is not a big talker. He now volunteers in his community and helps his family.
Source: Coolimba
