CA CA - Matthew Weaver, 21, Santa Monica Mountains, 10 Aug 2018

[joeconejo]

Would he have been able to get his car going again or had it quit working?

If the car was still drivable could he have driven it away from the side of the cliff (where the rear wheel was hanging off it) or did it appear to be impossible?

Do you think he was trying to back up when the rear tire went over the edge?

Sorry for what seems to be silly questions but I'm trying to visualize
what he was trying to do at the time.

There was no indication he was trying to back up when the car got stuck. It was over the edge because the road got that narrow - no other way around. It took 3 different tow trucks to get the car out so I would say it was nearly impossible to back out.

 

[Alethea]

@L7335 I am just catching up on the case and live on the East Coast so I am not familiar with the area. Thank you for the maps. Is this a popular hiking spot? If there is video and GPS data that put his car at the entrance to the Topanga Tower Motorway at 7:15am (possibly as early as 5am), but it was not called into police until midnight, does that mean no one hiked the trail all day? Hikers passed the car but didn't bother to call 911 all day? I am trying to imagine how many hikers would hike this trail on any given Friday in September.

 

[hardeeboy]

Any signs he was trying to hide from someone there or was chased down there by another vehicle in a road rage type incident...??? People take it rather personally in those parts if you dare to drive less than 15 miles over the speed limit or need to turn, much less turn around. or... Someone he knew could have tailed him there. It is surreal that a young person who is probably constantly connected to a range of devices and apps--- can vanish in broad daylight in a low population, low crime area and somehow evade any form of detection or surveillance. I hope Matthew's family & friends' efforts pay off soon.

 

[Roxxi3535]

He

frequented the area driving around but not hiking,

I thought this was a hiking trail? Is there a designated area to take a scenic drive that im unaware of?

 

[Roxxi3535]

Thank you and no, I'm not offended. I just stumbled on this thread and felt like clearing things up.
I'm sorry but I don't feel at liberty or qualified to discuss Matthew's possible mental state. I will answer to any facts we have though.
Not sure where you read of a friends belief of his mental state- I must have missed that . Regardless, in the interest of clearing things up I can only take that as an individual opinion and not fact. If you could direct me to that discussion I would appreciate it.
Yes, he had roommates and that situation has been looked at.
Ask away, I can assure you I'm not exactly thrilled with the reporting, but we appreciate any coverage we can get.

I totally understand, no need to apologize for not feeling comfortable about answering anything i ask you. I dont mean to pry, just trying to better understand Matthew's intentions that day.

*modsnip*/ discussing non verified info

 

[joeconejo]

Thank you for joining us @joeconejo! If the car was seen driving up the trail to Rosa's Overlook at 7:15am, was it there all day? Did any hikers report a random car up on the hiking trail? It seems like that's something that would stick out.

Has LE asked anyone who hiked that trail on the 10th to come forward? Someone must have seen something.

The vehicle was there all day. No reports from hikers, although most people going out there are headed for the overlook and his vehicle was on the trail next to it, so it would not have been visible unless you took that route.

LE and family have been asking since day one, we posted information flyers all over there in hopes someone frequenting the place would come forward.

 

[joeconejo]

I thought this was a hiking trail? Is there a designated area to take a scenic drive that im unaware of?

No designated area to drive. He went down a road that is normally gated. The road then turns to off-road gravel / rock trail.

 

[joeconejo]

@L7335 I am just catching up on the case and live on the East Coast so I am not familiar with the area. Thank you for the maps. Is this a popular hiking spot? If there is video and GPS data that put his car at the entrance to the Topanga Tower Motorway at 7:15am (possibly as early as 5am), but it was not called into police until midnight, does that mean no one hiked the trail all day? Hikers passed the car but didn't bother to call 911 all day? I am trying to imagine how many hikers would hike this trail on any given Friday in September.

The trail goes around the side of the main destination, so it is possible nobody hiked past it.

 

[joeconejo]

View attachment 149158

H'okay - I guess people are still catching up. Here's a map view from Google. Three streets meet at the "Lois Ewen Overlook". There's a small parking area here. If you face north (top of map like usual) you'll see the San Fernando Valley up and a little to your left. If you turn around and face south you see the ocean and Santa Monica.

The "Topanga Tower Motorway" peels off from the paved Lois Ewen Overlook and you must enter it through a gate. The Topana Tower Motorway us paved for a bit but then turns into a very rough, rocky fireroad which is shown by a dotted line on the map. It ends at the "Rosas Overlook". (New name to me: I've always heard it called the Topanga Fire Lookout.) Same thing, same place but the "Topanga Tower Motorway" gets its name from the fact there used to be a fire lookout tower out there.)

So: "the valley at the trail". I think that means: "hey - here's a picture of the taken from the trail, aka Topanga Tower Motorway". Or possibly Weaver was standing some portion of the hiking trail that peels off at the base of the rise in the fire road, (motorway) that leads up to the concrete platform (Rosas Overlook). I hope that helps with orientation.

Correct. Thank you. First I've heard it called Lois Ewen Overlook.

 

[joeconejo]

I totally understand, no need to apologize for not feeling comfortable about answering anything i ask you. I dont mean to pry, just trying to better understand Matthew's intentions that day.

This is where i read that the female said he was not in a good emotional state...

Not a problem at all. I was not aware of another family member on here with privileged information.

MalibuBarbie79 - if you could please message me and identify yourself.

 

[Roxxi3535]

@joeconejo the media has reported that Matthew's vehicle was discovered by hikers who reportedly saw someone stuck on the trail and called 911. Is there any truth behind this?

 

[passepartout]

@joeconejo, has it been established why the gate was open that day?

I'm asking because whoever would have been working up there that day (gas/utilities/FD etc) might have seen something.

From the scent dog info, it sounds like someone might have picked MW up and driven him to a different location. Is this something that's being explored?

 

[joeconejo]

@joeconejo the media has reported that Matthew's vehicle was discovered by hikers who reportedly saw someone stuck on the trail and called 911. Is there any truth behind this?

Matthews vehicle was discovered by the first LE on scene after being called out when hikers called in and reported hearing voices calling for help and/or fighting.

 

[Alethea]

I wonder was there evidence of any other car on the trail? Could someone have chased him up the trail and backed down? The last text message posted on The Local site sounded like he was being pursued or was in danger.

 

[joeconejo]

@joeconejo, has it been established why the gate was open that day?

I'm asking because whoever would have been working up there that day (gas/utilities/FD etc) might have seen something.

From the scent dog info, it sounds like someone might have picked MW up and driven him to a different location. Is this something that's being explored?

It is highly likely the gate was open that day- Friday morning the 10th. We were out there this past Friday starting around 6:30 a.m. and the gate remained unlocked all day , lots of construction traffic going up to the old microwave tower. We ( family and PD) have spoken with the workers at the tower, nobody has seen anything thus far.

According to some people more familiar with search and rescue, the dog scent trail can be unreliable based on several factors. It is uncertain if the dogs picked up a verifiable scent to begin with. It was really hot that day which I'm told depletes the scent faster .
We (family) are exploring the idea of him being picked up. That seems like the next logical scenario since we have found no trace of him out on the trails. LE may or may not be entertaining that same idea, they do not tell us everything.

 

[joeconejo]

I wonder was there evidence of any other car on the trail? Could someone have chased him up the trail and backed down? The last text message posted on The Local site sounded like he was being pursued or was in danger.

There was no evidence of another vehicle, but that does not rule out the possibility. If someone had a taller truck /vehicle you could get in and out without making it obvious, just like the search and rescue folks did.

The last message is still a big question and open to interpretation. It could have been as you state, or it could be something like "uh oh, I just did something really stupid"
With no communication past that, the meaning is uncertain.

 

[Steph9676]

It is highly likely the gate was open that day- Friday morning the 10th. We were out there this past Friday starting around 6:30 a.m. and the gate remained unlocked all day , lots of construction traffic going up to the old microwave tower. We ( family and PD) have spoken with the workers at the tower, nobody has seen anything thus far.

According to some people more familiar with search and rescue, the dog scent trail can be unreliable based on several factors. It is uncertain if the dogs picked up a verifiable scent to begin with. It was really hot that day which I'm told depletes the scent faster .
We (family) are exploring the idea of him being picked up. That seems like the next logical scenario since we have found no trace of him out on the trails. LE may or may not be entertaining that same idea, they do not tell us everything.

It is supposed to rain this week and I hear dogs have better smell when it rains. Maybe you can look into that?

Can you answer if his phone records Indicate if he texted or talked to people that morning?

When the drone companies do the search do they also later on review the footage again to see if they missed something? Has all the footage from last week been reviewed.

 

[joeconejo]

It is supposed to rain this week and I hear dogs have better smell when it rains. Maybe you can look into that?

Can you answer if his phone records Indicate if he texted or talked to people that morning?

When the drone companies do the search do they also later on review the footage again to see if they missed something? Has all the footage from last week been reviewed.

We will ask Investigators about the dogs - thank you.

I will need to ask the Detectives if I can discuss his phone records.

Drone companies review the footage and we have it as well. I am in the process of reviewing last weeks footage.

 

[Alethea]

There was no evidence of another vehicle, but that does not rule out the possibility. If someone had a taller truck /vehicle you could get in and out without making it obvious, just like the search and rescue folks did.

The last message is still a big question and open to interpretation. It could have been as you state, or it could be something like "uh oh, I just did something really stupid"
With no communication past that, the meaning is uncertain.

That's a good point. Did the friend he was with explain to LE or the family what type of partying they were doing? The last message also sounds like something from a bad trip or hallucinations, particularly if LE believes he was alone on the trail. (I'm not asking you to share, I know that's private. Just throwing out another idea from reading the message)

 

[Alethea]

We will ask Investigators about the dogs - thank you.

I will need to ask the Detectives if I can discuss his phone records.

Drone companies review the footage and we have it as well. I am in the process of reviewing last weeks footage.

In the recent case of the hiker lost near Vesper Peak in Washington, Sam Sayers, her family created a group to ask for volunteers to review drone footage. If LE approves and there is a lot of footage, I'm sure people here would be happy to help review the footage if anyone thinks that could be helpful to you in spotting something.