7-Minute Less Taken IV: Walking Sam (Pine Ridge, SD)

There’s something walking the roads of Pine Ridge… and people say it’s still out there.

In this 7-Minute Less Taken, we explore the terrifying legend of Walking Sam—a shadowy figure tied to real-life tragedy on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Described as impossibly tall, with glowing eyes and a voice that whispers to vulnerable teens, Walking Sam’s story blurs the line between folklore and horror… with devastating real-world echoes.

What began as an urban legend among Lakota youth has since drawn national attention from media outlets, mental health advocates, and paranormal researchers. But where did this figure really come from? And why does he still haunt late-night conversations across the Great Plains?

This episode references suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out. Help is available. Call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.



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If you're new to LT, Season Four: Hollowlands contains four different episode types:

1. Full-length real-life horror stories (~1 hr)
2. Previews of full-length stories
3. 7-Minute Less Taken stories
4. Transitional/Crossover episodes call 'Roads Less Taken'


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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Let's take it contains content that may not be suitable
for all audiences. Listener's discretion is advised. Less night settles
over the reservation. The starlight is sharp, almost piercing, but

(00:25):
the tree line is still pitch black, darker than usual.
A boy walks alone along the road near porcupine. His
phone buzzes once, no name, no number, and then goes black.
Ignoring the miscall, the boy chooses to move onward. He

(00:50):
doesn't turn back in just the head the woods await.
At least a dozen kids stand beneath the towering trees.

(01:12):
No flashlights, no voices, just old branches swaying overhead and
something else. Ropes, they swear to God. They see them
strung between the limbs. Some are made out of twine,

(01:32):
others from extension cords or torn bed sheets. Each hangs
low enough to reach each one, tied with care. The
kids still aren't talking. Some hold their phones with dark
screens reflecting the stars. Others simply stare. No one's filming.

(01:57):
They are not here on a dare. They are waiting.

(02:18):
Two tribal officers moving quietly. They've heard rumors of gatherings
like this one before, but they've never confirmed them. An
officer asked another boy, what brought all of them here?
He gestures slowly toward the tree line, then cutting in.

(02:40):
A girl speaks. Her voice is steady, in matter of fact,
she says, walking Sam, Walking Sam. The name spreads across

(03:03):
the reservation. Elders hear the name spoken or whispered in
school hallways, on bus rides, in ostensibly unsupervised conversations on
front porches. Young adults and children seem compelled to share
the story, to share the legends. They say he's just
a shadow, a tall, faceless figure who haunts the fringes

(03:27):
of the playgrounds and schoolyards. Others claim he wears a
long coat and a wide black hat, and he appears
out of darkness before vanishing again, as though he himself
is the darkness. Some tell counselors they see him in
the mirror. Others insist he waits outside of their bedroom windows.

(03:48):
They say his presence lingers like a chill that won't leave.
Between twenty thirteen and twenty fifteen, more than two hundred
suicide attempts are reported on Pine Ridge. Nine young lives,
many barely into their teens, are lost. Tribal leaders even

(04:10):
testify in the matter before Congress. Emergency funds and counselors
are sent, but often too slowly and too little. All
the while, the name Walking Sam persists, whisper to messages
in the quiet despair that now pervades their community. Patterns

(04:30):
emerge social media and anonymous messages urge kids to come
walk with me, to don't be afraid. Some say it's
a hoax designed to mass community pain. Others swear it's
something more, a symbol for a deep, unresolved grief. Regardless,
the would still bear the marks. News is found hanging

(04:52):
from branches, along with names and messages left behind. Maybe
Walking Sam isn't a t agible person at all. Maybe
he's the embodiment of despair, a ghost forum from neglect, isolation,
and the sorrow of too many lost voices. Or perhaps
he is real, and he is already besides you when

(05:15):
you feel the most alone. Even years later, the legend persists.
New newses are discovered. A fourteen year old vanishes for
days and returns with a haunted silence, barely uttering the
words he walked with me all night. I'm seeing Humphreys

(05:38):
and this has been another seven minute less Taken real
life horror stories from the Midwest. We're at Less Taken
pot on Facebook, Instagram, and threads. It is at less
takenpod dot com for merch, show notes and more. A
quick note on our storytelling. While we do our best
to stick to the facts, we sometimes take creative liberties

(06:01):
to maintain narrative cohesiveness. While many claim walking sam Leeward
some Natives to suicide, it's important to recognize other causes,
such as lack of mental health services, discrimination, and other
social challenges that drove many to such dark depths. If
you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of

(06:22):
suicide or self harm, please know that help is available
and the United States called the nine eight eight Suicide
Prevention Lifeline or one eight hundred two seven three eight
two five p five At any time, you are not alone.
Thanks for listening, and I hope you join us next

(06:44):
Tuesday as we continue our journey through South Dakota uncovering
even more real life horror stories from the Midwest. Es