Buried Bones: "Out Cold Pt. 1" – Episode Summary

Date: December 3, 2025
Hosts: Kate Winkler Dawson (journalist & author) and Paul Holes (retired cold case investigator)
Podcast: Buried Bones (Exactly Right & iHeartPodcasts)

Episode Overview

In this two-part episode, Kate and Paul tackle one of history’s most enduring cold cases — the 1959 mystery of nine experienced Russian hikers who perished under strange circumstances in the Ural Mountains. Known as the Dyatlov Pass Incident, this case has spawned decades of conspiracy theories and speculation. Using their investigative and forensic expertise, Kate and Paul reconstruct the group’s journey, unpack the evidence found at the scene, discuss the challenges of forensics in extreme environments, and begin to analyze what could have led to the bizarre injuries and deaths. Part 1 focuses on the context, discovery of the scene and the first four bodies, and early analysis of clues and injuries.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Setting the Scene: The Hikers and Their Expedition

• Nine Hikers (seven men, two women), all highly experienced, most technical university students or alumni in physics, engineering, and related fields.
• The trip: An ambitious winter trek in the Ural Mountains, above the tree line at “height 1079.”
• Conditions: February 1959, -30°F at night, snow five feet deep, wind gusts up to 65 mph.
• Group Details: They belonged to a sporting/expedition club and had trekked in similar conditions prior. Originally 10, but one member left early due to illness.

“All kinds of certifications and whatever they needed to do. They've done really, really difficult things in the past, but they haven't heard from them. And so there's a search party that goes out.”
– Kate Winkler Dawson [12:23]

The Search and Discovery

[11:27–14:28]

• Search Team: University volunteers and local indigenous Mansi people.
• February 26, 1959: Searchers find the hikers’ tent on a 30° snow slope, partially collapsed, slashed, but undisturbed inside.
• Initial Clues:
  • Tent is slashed from the inside.
  • Essential supplies, boots, warm clothes left behind; a flashlight still working atop the tent.
  • Ski poles, a jacket, and all nine sets of skis organized beneath the tent.

“Something happens that causes...do they leave voluntarily, or does something else happen?... this, the, you know, the damage to the tent...my immediate thought is, okay, well, you mentioned the wind...Do you have damage to the tent as a result of weather? Do you have damage to the tent as a result of, you know, large animal...And then, of course, do we have maybe another group that had bad intent?”
— Paul Holes [15:46]

Analysis of the Tent & Exit

[17:21–39:15]

• Inside the Tent: Gear is meticulously organized; food, alcohol, axes, cameras, compasses, and diaries untouched.
• Clues of Hasty Departure: Food and items frozen in place, cocoa jug iced over, stove not lit, belongings untouched—a "frozen moment in time."
• Tent Slashes: Confirmed by expert seamstress as made from the inside, using a sharp cutting instrument. Significant fabric removed, some possibly torn out for a purpose.
• Departure Evidence:
  • 8–9 sets of bare or socked footprints (one with a single boot), orderly, not running, leading away from the tent and disappearing into the snow about a quarter-mile away.

“They're not going to voluntarily just leave that stuff behind.”
— Paul Holes [17:21]

“Why would somebody do that? The way that that's drawn, that's not done by an animal. I don't see this occurring as a result of weather... experts claimed it was done from the inside.”
— Paul Holes [36:22]

The First Bodies & Clues at the Treeline

[41:49–58:02]

• Fire Site: Next day, searchers find a charred fire at the base of a cedar tree, about a mile from the tent.
  • Tree branches (12–17 ft high) broken, and multiple clothing items left around.
  • First Two Bodies:
    • Yuri Doroshenko (21), face-down, stripped to undergarments, multiple abrasions, burnt extremities, frostbite, hands clenched.
    • Georgi "Kriva" Krivounis (23), close by, face up, also mostly undressed, severe burns, signs of beatings, missing skin from finger (found in his mouth), frostbite.
  • Both appear to have been beaten (“being beat in the face,” “possibly fighting back”), extensive trauma but officially attributed to hypothermia/exposure.

Continuing Discoveries: Two More Victims

[58:15–62:15]

• Igor (leader) and Zina (one of two women) found half a mile from the fire, facing the tent, slightly better dressed but still underprepared for the cold.
• Injuries: Non-fatal blunt force trauma, facial bruising, frostbitten extremities, hands and fingers scraped, post-mortem indications of body movement (“livor mortis” on back while body found face-up).
• Theory forming: Paul suggests they may have been able to flee an attack, only to die from exposure.

Autopsy Findings & Forensic Interpretation

[63:11–72:49]

• All four deaths labeled “violent and accidental” but caused by hypothermia. Autopsy details support extreme exposure—frostbite, overfilled bladders, specific autopsy signs of cold exposure (Vishnevsky spots).
• Significant Forensic Clues:
  • Tissue missing from Kriva’s finger found in his mouth.
  • Some bodies show post-mortem movement (lividity patterns).
  • The state of undress may be related partly to hypothermia-induced delirium (paradoxical undressing), but Paul is skeptical it explains the injuries and departure.

“It may not have been fatal, but they are being beat significantly. There may be aspects of the victims after that where now they're not thinking straight. But, you know, they didn't just walk out of the tent because of hypothermia. They are forced out of the tent and march a significant distance away.”
— Paul Holes [72:49]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Theories and Speculation

• Paul Holes fixates on the tent slashing:

  “It's very possible that whoever did this Was using this fabric...to bundle something up, you know, like a little to make a carrying case. Or ... wrap a body in.” [38:32]

• Kate contextualizes the magnitude of the case:

  “This is a really big story. So it's a two parter. And I for sure need your help because there's a lot of snow avalanche talk, like what is happening in this scene? And I know nothing about the mountains, so I think you're gonna have some good insight.” [06:31]

• Paul’s initial hypothesis:

  “They're not going to voluntarily just leave that stuff behind.” [17:21] “My sense is, is that both Yuri And Kriva prob as a result of blows, maybe, you know, repeated blows to the head. But there's a lot, there's violence. There's a lot of violence going on to both of these victims.” [57:02]

• On forensic difficulty with frostbite & mountain environment:

  “I would say if it's a good snow, it's still cold enough to where the snow is solid. That's probably better than having to process a crime scene in the rain.” — Paul Holes [09:06]

• On the human factor of victimology:

  “They were all students or recent alumni in economics, nuclear physics, machine building, radio and civil engineering... they're all experienced and they were trained to become nuclear power and weapon and radio and aerospace engineers.” — Kate Winkler Dawson [52:55]

Emotional and Human Touches

• Kate opens with a personal note:

  “This is one of my favorite days of the year.. because it’s my twin’s birthday.” [03:16]

• Paul reflects on birthdays and mortality:

  “It’s a reminder that, you know, there’s less life left than what has been lived.” [06:01]

• Kate’s mother’s perspective on aging:

  “She just turned 82 and she said, I am going to shout it from the rooftops every year...” [06:06]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:15] – Personal intros, birthday talk
• [06:31] – Introduction of case and general setting
• [07:48] – Setting the scene: Ural Mountains, 1959, search begins
• [13:18] – Tent discovered, first analysis of items left behind
• [15:46] – Paul’s initial hypotheses about tent damage
• [17:21–39:15] – Tent contents, departure, footprints, forensic breakdown
• [41:49] – Search party follows footprints, fire and first bodies
• [43:35] – Detailed examination of first two victims (Yuri and Kriva)
• [58:15] – Discovery of next two victims (Igor and Zina)
• [63:11] – Autopsy discussion and early interpretations
• [73:16] – Cliffhanger conclusion, preview of Part 2

Flow & Tone

The conversation is inquisitive and methodical, with Paul alternately playing detective and skeptic — constantly probing the logic of potential scenarios, dissecting forensic findings, and raising critical questions about each clue. Kate steers the narrative, weaving in research tidbits, emotional perspectives, and context about the victims’ lives and Soviet-era mountaineering culture.

Despite the grim nature of the case, their discussion remains thoughtful and respectful, occasionally grounded by personal anecdotes and their usual on-air chemistry. The hosts maintain a balance between technical forensic deep-dives and an empathetic focus on the victims as individuals.

Conclusion (to be continued...)

The hosts leave off with five hikers still missing, the scene set for more forensic investigation, conspiracy theories, and suspect profiles in Part 2. Paul Holes is skeptical of simple explanations and leans toward foul play or group aggression, repeatedly citing the violence and post-mortem movement. Kate promises more intricate twists, possible scapegoating, and highly speculative (even outlandish) theories as the investigation continues.

Next Episode Tease:
“Not only do we have five more missing people, but we have a lot of conspiracy theories and a particular group of people who are targeted with very little evidence. So there's a lot of speculation that happens in the second half of this.”
— Kate Winkler Dawson [72:49]

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