Found Deceased CA - Alex Holden, 25, Sacramento, 31 Dec 2019

[Trudie]

This video shows the homeless population along the American River in Sacramento. I suppose it could be possible that he fell into the water, but I'm finding it hard to fathom it would go unnoticed. I've also read the river banks are poo mine fields from the homeless. Not a place where one would go to have a drink or smoke. Notice it's mainly a wide lazy river. Video is dated
Jan 8, 2020

Great video @gliving

 

[gliving]

Thanks @gliving - I didn’t know if the website was approved to be referenced here as an official source. I might be behind but I thought only the Facebook page was approved. I was hoping LE would release something official. Assuming the ping info is correct, I’d think that’s the same tower his phone pings off of when he’s inside his apartment. Thoughts? MOO

It's almost like he never left the apartment. No cell or airpod location noted elsewhere, no sightings on cameras... I'd like to know more about 11:30 pm when he got home until 2:30 am when PK said he left. Three hours at home.

If he's found in water, an autopsy would show if he was alive when he entered the water.

Good thing the family hired a PI.

 

[mysteryfan96]

I’ve kind of latched on to this case at random, and it’s pretty perplexing. But to me, the clear starting point for which theory (crime, accident, self-harm, runaway, etc.) to investigate first is three questions: 1) what did AH and his girlfriend argue about before his disappearance, 2) what was his mental state when he left the apartment, and 3) what was his physical state when he left.

I know me saying that isn’t exactly ground-breaking news, and that many others have suggested as such. But everything else in this case seems to be just noise.

1) The Argument- although it’s none of our business what they argued about that night, I do feel it very well could be central to uncovering what happened to AH. Also, I feel like the police know what it was and aren’t saying for a reason. In other words, I don’t think it was something as innocuous as “hey, you’re home a little later than you said you’d be” or “you said you’d wait up for me”. They would likely reveal that to the public, describing it as an everyday quarrel over mundane stuff with no real consequences. I suspect they argued over something a bit more significant or potentially personal/embarrassing, and that’s why it’s been kept a secret. I will say I don’t think the girlfriend had ANYTHING to do with his disappearance at all. So what they argued about isn’t, at least in my opinion, important from that standpoint. Maybe she didn’t like how much he had been drinking that night or lately in general. Maybe she didn’t like the company he had kept that night. Maybe she felt like he was being irresponsible. Maybe it had something to do with him drinking at gay bars. Maybe he talked to a girl that night at a bar and she got angry when she found out. Or maybe it was about another aspect of their relationship. Sometimes alcohol can be a bit of a truth serum. So maybe the liquid courage was all he needed late that night to bring up something that had been eating at him for a while.

2) His Mental State- this kind of ties in with #1, but I do wonder what his mental state was when he left. Did their argument leave him angry/vindictive? Was it serious enough (possible breakup, she threatened to tell others his secrets, etc.) that he was depressed and/or desperate? Or was it really no big deal, and he was just carefree and only leaving the apartment because he wanted the fun to continue at his buddy’s place? Maybe it wasn’t “forget this, I’m out of here!!”, but rather “ok, I know you need your sleep, but I’m gonna head over to his place to stay up and hang out some more”.

3) His Physical State- just how intoxicated and/or tired was AH when he left the apartment. We know he made it home from his night out at the bars a couple of hours before leaving again, but in what state did he arrive home? Did he drunkenly stumble his way home, or was it more of a very slight buzz from just a couple of drinks? Either way, minus any more consumption that night, it’s likely that he was at least semi-clear-headed if not 100% sober by the time he left. But did he drink more at home during those two hours?

Answer those 3 questions, and a likely scenario starts to form. For instance, if their argument was a mild one about nothing important and AH was both in a fairly decent mood when he left and pretty sober, then it seems much more likely he was the victim of a crime. If their argument was about something very serious (potentially life-changing) and he left very emotionally upset and maybe a bit tipsy, then self-harm begins to come into play. I know that everyone says he was a well-adjusted guy. But sometimes things can be much worse under the surface and... who knows... maybe things were worse at work than he let on... maybe he felt at odds with his parents... maybe he thought his girlfriend was going to end it with him or perhaps reveal something controversial about him she had just learned (infidelity? alternate lifestyle?). Any combination of those things, especially when combined with alcohol, might be enough to drive a seemingly happy man to commit self harm, especially if he saw the turning of the calendar to 2020 the next night as a decade he just couldn’t face. And the last combination of the three outcomes I will speculate on is small fight with the girlfriend, relatively positive mental state, but very inebriated state when he left. Then an accident like falling into the river or stepping out in front of a car becomes a much greater possibility.

I do think that AH is unfortunately deceased at this point. I hate to say something so grim, and I really hope I’m wrong. But the only realistic scenario where I can see him still being alive is if he chose to run away. And yes, technically that’s still a possibility. But I just really don’t get that vibe from AH from everything I’ve read about him from his family and friends. Stranger things have happened, but it just seems like such a remote possibility at this point. And he would have been discovered or passed away due to dehydration/starvation by this point had he fallen into an inaccessible area or gotten trapped somewhere. And being held as a kidnap victim with no ransom being demanded is such a very low probability here, too. I think it’s going to wind up being a tragic accident, a case of self-harm, or a crime of opportunity via someone whose path he unfortunately crossed that night.

I really hope his girlfriend and parents can get closure to his case very soon, whatever the result may be.

 

[MSCJgrad]

All possible outcomes here! Alex is from Springfield, MO., where three women vanished in 1992, and have still not been found. This area has grown but is still overall a close knit community, and Alex’s disappearance has triggered some fearing the worst, which is vanishing forever just as those 3 women did 28 years as go ;-(.

Oh I can’t wrap my head around it either. It’s baffling to me how these cases can play out. Like Bryce Laspisa, or the gentleman in San Diego from 5 years ago that was mentioned upthread. Where people just are never heard from again and there is no trace.

As for my theories with AH, none of them are good! But at this point I think maybe one of the following scenarios could be what happened:

1) he was inebriated/high and left in an emotional state and got lost, and was either mugged and killed, or fell into the river.

2) a friend(s) were with him and something bad happened such as an accidental overdose, or an altercation, and the friend(s), panicked and disposed of his body.

And I share that with respect to his family and friends as I’m not pointing a finger at any specific person but am just giving my general hypotheses as a complete outsider.

Good ol’ Occam seems to tell me that it’s one of those 2 scenarios. Completely MOO.

 

[MSCJgrad]

All possible outcomes here! Alex is from Springfield, MO., where three women vanished in 1992, and have still not been found. This area has grown but is still overall a close knit community, and Alex’s disappearance has triggered some fearing the worst, which is vanishing forever just as those 3 women did 28 years as go ;-(.

Oh I can’t wrap my head around it either. It’s baffling to me how these cases can play out. Like Bryce Laspisa, or the gentleman in San Diego from 5 years ago that was mentioned upthread. Where people just are never heard from again and there is no trace.

As for my theories with AH, none of them are good! But at this point I think maybe one of the following scenarios could be what happened:

1) he was inebriated/high and left in an emotional state and got lost, and was either mugged and killed, or fell into the river.

2) a friend(s) were with him and something bad happened such as an accidental overdose, or an altercation, and the friend(s), panicked and disposed of his body.

And I share that with respect to his family and friends as I’m not pointing a finger at any specific person but am just giving my general hypotheses as a complete outsider.

Good ol’ Occam seems to tell me that it’s one of those 2 scenarios. Completely MOO.

 

[cb73]

I still have questions.

1. It was said that he'd walked to Natomas before. But did he ever walk there in the middle of the night? And in Birkenstocks rather than running shoes? No one has ever said.

2. So assume that he's walking, in the Birkenstocks and already thinking that this was a bad idea. Someone that he recognized from one of the pubs pulls up--not someone that he knows, just has seen several times before--would he get in their car? I don't think this was ever asked.

3. If he always went to the pubs with the same people, wouldn't a group photo trigger someone's memory? If I always saw a particular guy with two other people, I'd be more likely to remember him if I saw the whole group at once. I don't know if anyone has suggested this, but I get the impression (my opinion only) that his friends don't seem to want to be identified. Maybe for some other reason, I don't know.

The assumption--from the flyers, the official website--was that he left alone, walked somewhere alone and didn't return. It seems like so many other scenarios were possible and ignored. This is what happened. Period. Don't ask questions.

There doesn't seem to be any more searches going on. Other than requests to hand out flyers, I'm not sure if anything else is going on or not.

Now I guess we just wait.

 

[Vail]

Because it’s probably not always the case. Usually some of those sites have trolls on them that post whatever rumors they want and try to pass them off as fact. Also, there is no way to verify if these people are who they say they are in relationship to the missing person. FWIW

There was a huge search yesterday which included part of the river
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=112904656914520

 

[Suglo]

This article is about the man who was found hanging near I80 in Roseville. Seems his girlfriend was found dead also. I don’t think we started a thread for him but we did mention him in this one.

California woman found dead from ‘significant trauma’ 4 days after boyfriend found hanging in tree: authorities

 

[inmyhumbleopinion]

There was a huge search yesterday which included part of the river
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=112904656914520

I couldn’t get the link to work for me. Is this the one?

Yesterday [Sat., Jan. 18th] at 7:29 PM [PST]
”Today was full of hope and fear that we would have some closure, this amazing team of volunteers from several counties, Sheriffs, Dog teams, boat teams, Red Cross and countless other wonderful people worked tirelessly to search a very large area. Unfortunately we have no answers at this time. We will keep praying and hoping for Alex to return to us.

#HelpfindAlexHolden
#SacramentoSherrifs
#RedCross
#Sacramento
#Natomas
#SacramentoPoliceDepartment
#caladvocatesforthemissing
#MidtownSacramento
#DiscoveryPark
#K9
#marathonrunner” (BBM)

Help Find Alex Holden

White dot on the map: Alex’s Residence per the map linked to Help Find Alex Holden Facebook page;

A in a white circle: Discovery Park per Google Maps;

B in a white circle: Natomas per Google Maps:

Google Maps

It appears to be about an 1.5-hour walk or 4.5 walking miles from Alex’s residence to Discovery Park:


“Danger: Rivers Can Kill
Sacramento County and the Department of Regional Parks is warning everyone to beware of the dangerous river conditions along the Lower American River. During the summer season of 2015, several people have drowned at the confluence of the American and Sacramento rivers at Discovery Park. The conditions at this location make it dangerous even for strong swimmers. Visit our Water Safety page for information on how to protect yourself and your loved ones.” (BBM)
American River Parkway - Discovery Park

 

[distracted]

There was a huge search yesterday which included part of the river
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=112904656914520

The link is broken. Or, it's been removed from Facebook.

 

[distracted]

I couldn’t get the link to work for me. Is this the one?

Yesterday [Sat., Jan. 18th] at 7:29 PM [PST]
”Today was full of hope and fear that we would have some closure, this amazing team of volunteers from several counties, Sheriffs, Dog teams, boat teams, Red Cross and countless other wonderful people worked tirelessly to search a very large area. Unfortunately we have no answers at this time. We will keep praying and hoping for Alex to return to us.

#HelpfindAlexHolden
#SacramentoSherrifs
#RedCross
#Sacramento
#Natomas
#SacramentoPoliceDepartment
#caladvocatesforthemissing
#MidtownSacramento
#DiscoveryPark
#K9
#marathonrunner” (BBM)
View attachment 226779 View attachment 226780 View attachment 226781
Help Find Alex Holden

White dot on the map: Alex’s Residence per the map linked to Help Find Alex Holden Facebook page;

A in a white circle: Discovery Park per Google Maps;

B in a white circle: Natomas per Google Maps:
View attachment 226783
Google Maps

It appears to be about an 1.5-hour walk or 4.5 walking miles from Alex’s residence to Discovery Park:
View attachment 226784

“Danger: Rivers Can Kill
Sacramento County and the Department of Regional Parks is warning everyone to beware of the dangerous river conditions along the Lower American River. During the summer season of 2015, several people have drowned at the confluence of the American and Sacramento rivers at Discovery Park. The conditions at this location make it dangerous even for strong swimmers. Visit our Water Safety page for information on how to protect yourself and your loved ones.” (BBM)
American River Parkway - Discovery Park

Oh my goodness. They must have had a strong lead to take that much manpower there.

I wish they had found him.

 

[Razz]

I wonder if they ever use Geiger counters? The sticks that find metal?

 

[OnlyFacts]

I wonder if they ever use Geiger counters? The sticks that find metal?

That's not what a Geiger counter does. It measures radiation.

 

[broadviewren]

I wonder if they ever use Geiger counters? The sticks that find metal?

You mean metal detectors.

 

[gliving]

Great post @inmyhumbleopinion !!

 

[inmyhumbleopinion]

Oh my goodness. They must have had a strong lead to take that much manpower there.

I wish they had found him.

It certainly appears that way.

I’m sorry to bring this up again, but I have a question for those who are familiar with the area:
GREGORY J. HOLMAN | SPRINGFIELD NEWS-LEADER | 2:58 pm CST January 8, 2020
“Late Monday [January 6th], the Reddit user said ‘the detectives took Alex’s sneaker for a strong scent’ on that day.

‘The dogs led the detectives around Arden/Northgate area by the river but no true conclusions from this area,’ the poster wrote, referring to neighborhoods north of Alex's apartment.” (BBM)
Sacramento police: 'No new information' on Alex Holden, missing since Dec. 31

Is this also where Discovery Park is located?

 

[cb73]

It certainly appears that way.

I’m sorry to bring this up again, but I have a question for those who are familiar with the area:
GREGORY J. HOLMAN | SPRINGFIELD NEWS-LEADER | 2:58 pm CST January 8, 2020
“Late Monday [January 6th], the Reddit user said ‘the detectives took Alex’s sneaker for a strong scent’ on that day.

‘The dogs led the detectives around Arden/Northgate area by the river but no true conclusions from this area,’ the poster wrote, referring to neighborhoods north of Alex's apartment.” (BBM)
Sacramento police: 'No new information' on Alex Holden, missing since Dec. 31

Is this also where Discovery Park is located?

Discovery Park is about 2 miles west of the Arden/Northgate area. If the map I copied works, the Arden/Northgate area of the river is basically where it says "American River Parkway" and you can see Discovery Park to the left.

 

[gliving]

From what I've read, the Arden/Northgate area is where AH was possibly headed to visit his friend and coworker AM. Per his family's FB page, it wouldn't be unusual for his scent to be there as he's visited the area several times.

 

[Razz]

You mean metal detectors.

Yes, thank you. Metal detectors. Sorry, I was born before the Civil War.

 

[onegiantarm]

Waking up every day hoping he shows up, saying that he just needed some time alone. I'm sure we all wish that for every case posted here. Hoping for the very minor chance you return safely, Alex.