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The Winstead Brothers

Nicholas Winstead

Nicholas Winstead (born 1960) was a journalist for Columbia University paper. He was studying journalism and was competing among hundreds of other candidates for an internship at the top news company in the country. Out of desperation to get the position, and an obsessive fascination with the case of Marshall Lakewood, he decided to chase the story and search the forest himself after the police had called off their own searches.

Upon being advised not to go, he reportedly told his close friends that there could be “no bad outcome” to this excursion - either he finds Lakewood and becomes a hero, or he emerges unscathed and writes a good story about it. When warned about the other missing person cases, he dismissed it, saying that he “would rather die than miss out on the internship”.

Nicholas did very little research into wilderness survival, reportedly relying on the knowledge he’d gained ten years prior as a boy scout. His younger brother, Benjamin stated in the 1983 documentary Looking for Lakewood: “Nick was smart, but when he was fixated on something, he became a true idiot”.

Gregory Winstead

Gregory Winstead (born 1955) is the older brother of Nicholas & Benjamin. He worked as a lawyer in New York City and had recently graduated from Harvard Law. 

Upon learning of his brother’s plans to venture out into Wildwood forest in search of Marshall Lakewood, he had called his parents and warned them to stop him. He had reportedly also tried to convince Nicholas not to go, promising him an internship at his law firm if he agreed to stay behind. Nicholas initially agreed to this proposal, but many believe he only did so to appease his brother and get him off his back, intending to go anyway. As soon as Gregory heard that Nicholas had boarded a flight to Hollow Point City, he booked one for himself and followed him out there. He had intended to accompany him, but the two never saw each other again. By the time Gregory made it to Wildwood, Nicholas was already a day’s hike deep into the forest. 

Rangers on the outskirts of the forest and along the hiking trails reported talking to Gregory about the whereabouts of his brother, also warning him to turn back as going off trail almost guaranteed death. Gregory ignored them and attempted to track his brother’s trail, before getting lost himself. 

Police searches were conducted as far as where the trail ended. Many members of the public protested this decision and attempted to organize search parties, which were then banned by law enforcement in an attempt to prevent further disappearances. 

One week later, Wildwood park rangers went on strike, demanding pay rises and for more ranger stations to be built deeper in the forest. Their demands were honoured six months later and there were no disappearances for five years after. 

source: Looking for Lakewood (1983), HPNN broadcast (oct 1982), Wildwood Journal 1982. 

Benjamin Winstead

Benjamin Winstead (born 1967) is the only surviving Winstead sibling. He was 16 when both of his brothers went missing in Wildwood National Park. As of 2012, he resides in Hollow Point City, not too far from where his brothers disappeared.

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