The Mysterious Case of Imagigen Owen: A 4-Year Disappearance and the Cult of the “Temple of Stone”

In June 2018, Imagigen Owen, a 33-year-old architect from Denver, set out on a solo hiking trip in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. Her plan was simple: hike a segment of the Colorado Trail and return within five days.

But on June 22, 2018, the world lost track of her. It wasn’t just a missing persons case—it was the start of an enigmatic disappearance that would haunt authorities and those who loved her for years.

What followed was a mystery that gripped the nation—until the truth clawed its way back into daylight four years later.

The day Imagigen was last seen, she had purchased supplies and headed toward the Mullis Pass trailhead. She signed the visitor’s log at 7:00 a.m., leaving a simple note: “Return on Tuesday.”

But Tuesday came, and went, and Imagigen never returned. Days of intense search efforts yielded nothing. No signs of struggle, no tracks, no indication of what happened. For four long years, the case remained open but unresolved—until September 2022.

On that fateful day, a group of geology students from the University of Colorado, conducting research near an abandoned quarry in Llata County, made a chilling discovery.

A small structure was spotted by drone, a makeshift hut, hidden between boulders and trees. But it was not the hut that left them in shock—it was the pale woman standing motionless in the doorway.

Her appearance, thin, gaunt, with a stare that seemed to pierce through them, sent a cold chill down their spines. When questioned, she responded only with a single phrase: “He is building a temple. We are the foundation.”

The truth of her haunting words would soon unravel a chilling tale of survival, isolation, and cult-like manipulation.

A Mysterious Life Behind Closed Doors

The woman in the hut was confirmed to be Imagigen Owen, who had vanished from the San Juan Mountains four years earlier. But what had happened in those four years?

What had caused her to retreat into the mountains and vanish from civilization? And why did she seem so detached from reality, speaking only cryptic phrases about a “temple”?

Imagigen was found in a state of severe emaciation and psychological distress, but there was more to the story than just isolation in the wilderness.

As investigators delved deeper into her case, they discovered troubling details that connected her disappearance to something far darker than simply being lost in the mountains.

Her story began to take shape when authorities realized that Imagigen was not alone in her hiding place. Upon further investigation, it was revealed that Elijah Stone, a man with ties to a now-infamous religious group, was a key figure in this mystery.

The group, known as “The Light of the East,” had once been a thriving cult with radical beliefs about purification, physical labor, and the creation of a sanctuary or “temple.”

Stone, who had once been an active member of this group, was the one who had led Imagigen into the wilderness. He had spent years building an underground shelter and preparing for the construction of a “temple” in the remote mountains, a project that was shrouded in secrecy.

The drawings Imagigen created during her time in isolation pointed to a structure that closely resembled architectural blueprints for a religious monument, complete with symbols and intricate designs.

As investigators continued their search, they discovered even more disturbing evidence. A diary belonging to Elijah Stone was uncovered, revealing a deepening obsession with the idea of building this “temple” and his belief in the sanctity of the mission.

The writings inside his diary were chilling—speaking of the foundation of his temple, the stone, and how the structure would “come to life” when completed.

The significance of the diary, along with the strange symbols found inside the makeshift shelter, led investigators to believe that Elijah Stone had created a cult-like system, using individuals as tools for his twisted vision.

The Dark Truth Behind the “Temple”

But what did Imagigen have to do with this? Why was she part of Elijah’s hidden world? As her health improved and her mental state began to stabilize, she reluctantly began to share fragments of her memories.

She recalled how Elijah had manipulated her, convincing her to join his isolated community.

Her drawings, which were analyzed by psychiatrists and criminal investigators, depicted strange symbols, circles, and pyramids, all resembling plans for the construction of a monumental structure.

Investigators found that Stone had been living under a fake identity in the area, hiding in plain sight, while he recruited vulnerable individuals like Imagigen to work on his architectural project.

As the story unraveled, it became clear that Imagigen had been living under Elijah’s control for years, isolated from the outside world and manipulated into creating plans for the “temple” with her drawings.

The Shocking Discovery of the “Temple”

In December 2022, the investigation reached its most chilling stage. Federal agents and local authorities were led to a remote gorge near the Stony Pass where a thermal anomaly was detected.

There, hidden between boulders, they found a small settlement, complete with wooden structures and a central building resembling a roofless tower.

Inside, the agents discovered more disturbing evidence of the cult’s operations. There was a makeshift altar in the center, with a pyramid-shaped stone that seemed to connect directly to Imagigen’s drawings.

Further exploration revealed that the area had been meticulously maintained, with tools, food supplies, and primitive living conditions, all suggesting that this was no ordinary shelter. Elijah’s obsession with building a “New Jerusalem” in the mountains was now a terrifying reality.

A Cold Confrontation

The most shocking moment came when the agents finally confronted Elijah Stone. Sitting calmly at the entrance to the shelter, he showed no resistance as he was arrested.

His calm demeanor, even in the face of capture, sent a chilling message: Elijah Stone believed his work to be sacred, and his arrest was just a part of his twisted plan to fulfill his religious vision.

As investigators continued to comb through his belongings, they found notebooks, blueprints, and documents detailing his plans to complete the temple, along with strange symbols and references to “atonement” and “purification”.

The stone altar, the pyramid symbols, and the rituals had all been part of Elijah’s warped vision, one that he believed would bring about a new era of enlightenment.

The Aftermath of the Discovery

Elijah Stone’s capture and the discovery of his hidden cult shocked the local community, but the consequences were far-reaching. Imagigen Owen, now recovering in a psychiatric facility, could only dimly remember her time in the mountains and the horrors she had endured.

Her testimony, along with Elijah’s diary, helped piece together the terrifying reality of the “temple” and its purpose.

The FBI and local law enforcement continue to investigate the extent of the cult’s influence, while the psychological scars left on Imagigen and other survivors are profound.

The “temple” may have been destroyed, but the legacy of Elijah Stone’s fanaticism lives on, forcing the world to confront the reality of how far a man’s delusions can take him—and how easily a vulnerable mind can be manipulated by such a vision.

This isn’t just the story of a missing woman found in the wilderness—it’s a shocking revelation of human vulnerability, manipulation, and a chilling belief system that used its followers as mere tools to fulfill a deranged vision.

What other dark secrets lie hidden in the remote corners of our world? Find out more about the twisted truth of Imagigen Owen’s disappearance and the horrifying cult she was trapped in.