Butterfly_Rises
The truth will hurt, but the lies will kill you
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LE is just not interested in looking for a missing middle-aged pot grower!
LE is just not interested in looking for a missing middle-aged pot grower!
https://www.northcoastjournal.com/humboldt/the-humboldt-35/Content?oid=7775161Many families who were expecting loved ones to call or return home from Humboldt County only to have them go missing find the process of searching for them to be frustrating. Vikki Joseph, whose brother Jeff Joseph disappeared in June of 2014, says that she has found community with other families whose loved ones disappeared, many of whom, like Jeff, were involved in the cannabis industry.
"It's hard to connect with anyone who understands what it's like to have a missing family member up there," Vikki Joseph says. Since Jeff went missing, she has corresponded with the families of Danielle Bertolini, Sheila Franks and Chris Giauque, all of whom disappeared under suspicious circumstances related to the cannabis industry. (Bertolini's remains were found in 2015.)
Jeff Joseph, a dispensary owner from Los Angeles, was visiting his farm near Weitchpec when he suddenly stopped returning calls from his sister and girlfriend. His cell phone last pinged off a tower near Bloody Camp Road near Hoopa. Vikki Joseph believes her brother was murdered in connection with his cannabis grow and says his partners were not cooperative with the sheriff's investigation, nor would they let his family access the property to gather Jeff's belongings. The partners allegedly told her brother and uncle that if they crossed the gate, they would be shot. She found their refusal to cooperate with her family or help investigators suspicious.
"Where I live is very suburban, it's not forest, it's not remote, we don't lose cell phone service," she says in a phone interview. "It can be very dangerous. When you mix growing big amounts of weed and lots of money, it's a recipe for disaster."
Trying to keep her brother's name in the public eye and communicate with investigators from so far away has been challenging. While segments like the Crime Watch Daily piece keep a laser focus on photogenic young women, little attention has been given to Jeff Joseph's case outside of local news sites like Redheaded Blackbelt and it remains unsolved four years later. But you won't find Jeff's case on the AG's listings for Humboldt County. Because Vikki Joseph made the report in Los Angeles, that's where the case is listed. She says she worked closely with Humboldt County Sheriff's Office detective Todd Fulton but received no notice when he retired, finding out only three months later that the case had bounced to a different detective. Vikki Joseph has ended up doing a lot of investigative work herself, tracking down leads and hiring private investigators.
The sheriff's office wouldn't comment on the specifics of the case, stating it was an open investigation, but Freese says if they had a new lead, they would work it. In general terms, Freese says that if they had enough probable cause to cross a locked gate, they would request a warrant and do so. In the case of Jeff Joseph, she says, there's a lot she just can't share.
"We've done extensive work on it," she says, adding that it's imperative for family members to keep in contact with the department and encourage others who might have information to come forward. "I think they should call over to our department and see who is carrying the case. Often it's going to be a family member, what they forgot to say or didn't think of [that helps]. I am all about having family members call. Sometimes I will set up a day, every week or every month. I say, 'I will call you at 9 o'clock,' and update them on where we're at. That can bring some peace."
Vikki Joseph isn't satisfied. She describes herself as being in a double-bind, with plenty of information but a frustrating lack of options for what to do with it.
"I have things other families don't have," she says. "Things that could have all been researched. But there's only so much we can do. I can research it and research it, can provide them with all their leads and tips but I can't arrest anyone."
Although Jeff Joseph was originally listed as "voluntary missing," Vikki Joseph doesn't believe her brother would have disappeared on purpose. He was a loving, kind man, she insists. He was non-violent, refusing to carry a gun. When their mother was dying, Jeff was the one who took care of her, feeding her and changing her diapers. He would never go this long without letting his family know he was OK. It hurts Vikki Joseph to think about what he must have felt in those last moments, the fear and betrayal. She just wants to know where his body is to bring him back to Los Angeles County.
Asked what she's going to do once that happens, Vikki Joseph doesn't hesitate.
"I'm going to put him to rest next to his mom," she says.
BBMHello all, My question is remotely tangential (or perhaps not) to Jeff's case. Did Jeff ever live in Portland, Oregon? I ask because there was a Jeff Joseph involved in pot and hemp stuff back in the early/mid 90's in Portland. I never met him, but the name rings a bell. At that time, a friend was in the process of suing one of Portland's leading MJ advocates. My friend stated that Jeff, who apparently had some knowledge (none of it good) about the person being sued, had a pretty good idea of the seamy underside of the industry and was keeping my friend informed about some of the local characters and their dealings.
Thanks for the response, Lilibet. Yes, as an alumnus of UC I am one of Oski's progeny. I've spent the past few days thinking about what I posted, and I don't want to start wild conjecture or a conspiracy theory. In 1995, when my friend had his lawsuit against The Advocate (as I shall refer to him), he had a difficult time because lots of folks in PDX knew all about The Advocate's shady deals but wouldn't talk. The Advocate had been threatening people with a lawsuit for libel, slander, or defamation if anyone discussed his dealings. Furthermore, what little I know of the scene in PDX, threats of violence aren't uncommon. But there were a few people like Jeff who would talk, and it helped my friend win his case to the tune of $40k. Jeff obviously did not tell The Advocate that he couldn't stand him or what he really thought of him. I don't think Jeff feared retaliatory violence back in the mid 90's. The Advocate is a medical marijuana titan and has connections all over the place, including California. He travels there regularly. On his Facebook page, he has posted an item or two about Jeff's disappearance. I began to wonder since my last post whether The Advocate, who professes to be mystified, knows anything about Jeff's disappearance or the people associated with Jeff, particularly in Northern California. There is tangled web of relationships in the MJ industry that spans this country, not simply Oregon or the Pacific coast. So, the more I have thought about this over the week, I am convinced that some who profess not to know anything about Jeff's disappearance (like The Advocate) may actually know a critical detail or the whole story behind what has happened.
I have a bit more to add. It seems to me that Jeff Joseph is, indeed, the name of a person who was in PDX long ago. If the Jeff Joseph in question has a middle name beginning with V and was born in 1963, there is a Jeff Joseph who shows up in Oregon's court records system.
The cases mostly involve traffic/parking violations, a small claims case, and an eviction of a hemp business.
Jeff was working with someone named Christina Cody at HEMP DEPOT. The eviction seems to have been resolved by some sort of an agreement. The business ran from 2003 to 2005: HEMP DEPOT 120 SW ANKENY ST PORTLAND , OR 97204.
Previously, Jeff registered and ran this business from 1993 until 1996: CANNABIS HEMP CLOTHING CONNECTION LTD. 4616 SE HAWTHORNE PORTLAND , OR 97215
However, I do not see any other court records or business registry information much later than 2005.
Not the same guy.
Sorry, I don't know how to link from my phone, but according to namus the missing Jeff Joseph's middle initial is K, and if he was 45 years old in 2014 he was born in 1968 or 1969.
I just found this article. Two years ago, Jeff's remains may have been found.
Redheaded Blackbelt: http://kymkemp.com/2016/02/07/griev...mains-found-near-hoopa-belong-to-jeff-joseph/
Also: http://kymkemp.com/2016/01/29/human-remains-found-2/
http://kymkemp.com/2016/06/07/human...-hoopa-identified-as-arthur-cricket-ruiz-iii/Human remains discovered January 28 off of Redwood Grove Road in the Hoopa area have been identified by the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office as that of Arthur “Cricket” Ruiz III, age 42. Ruiz who was born in Sonoma County was a resident of the Hoopa area.