I've mulled this case over for a while. Unfortunately I can't say that I have read absolutely every post, or even remember all of the posts I've read! So please gently remind me if I put forward something that has already been dismissed.
The point I keep using as my central thought, is that Lyle didn't want his identity known. Why not? I can think of two broad reasons:
1) he was paranoid (mental health issues, either schizophrenic or PTSD?); or,
2) he was ashamed.
Regarding point #2, why might he be 'ashamed'?
1) his family would disown him (if they hadn't already) or be embarrassed.
- religious beliefs?
- sexual orientation?
- failure at school?
2) he had committed a crime.
- killed someone?
- sexual assault?
- terrorism?
In the end, I suspect that something must have precipitated his actions. What could that have been? 9/11 is one event that could have been a trigger. As for other possible triggers I looked at other people who disappeared or other unidentified people who were found around the same time. The only ones that stood out were:
The
unidentified male who was found near Deep River Ontario on Sept 5, 2011. Woodland already highlighted this individual as possibly connected. It seems odd to me that an individual (not from the area) would be hiking alone in that area. Deep River is fairly isolated and is known for its nuclear research facility. What if Lyle was a member of an eco-terrorist group, such as ELF? What if Lyle was traveling with this person, and his companion suddenly died? (from overuse of caffeine and weight loss pills?) Let's say that Lyle put as much distance as he could from the situation and headed out to the west coast. Then, the 9/11 attacks took place. Perhaps Lyle began to question what the heck he was doing. Far-fetched, but possible. According to Wikipedia (can there be a more reliable source?
) the ELF was classified as the top "domestic terror" threat in the United States by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in March 2001. Also of note, according to Wikipedia, "Craig Rosebraugh served as an unofficial spokesperson for the ELF Press Office in North America from 1997 to
early September 2001". It makes me wonder what the signficance of early Sept 2011 was. The only thing I can think of is 9/11.
O.K., I admit that this is far-fetched, however I can't discard the possibility that 9/11 changed things, and that this was somehow a trigger for Lyle and the actions he took a few days later.
Still with me? When I looked for people that might have disappeared just prior to Lyle's suicide (that would make him feel guilty or ashamed), the only one that jumped out at me was
Kyle Tolley. Kyle, 17 and from
Boise Idaho, was last seen on Aug 17, 2001. He was camping with his brother and his brother's friend at the time. Of particular interest was that the address Lyle gave was in Meridian Idaho, a suburb of Boise, from what I can tell. Is there a possible link here? The specifics of Kyle's disappearance are quite sketchy at best. Were Lyle and Kyle gay? Did they meet each other? Did something go awry?
Sorry for being so long-winded. There are so many different possibilities.
