Found Deceased CA - Paul Miller, 51, Canadian missing in Joshua Tree Natl Park, San Bernardino Co., 13 Jul 2018 #2

[ispy4u]

I looked at the RCMP website and it says that if you have a missing person, the family will be asked to file a missing person report with the appropriate Canadian police force, which will then use Interpol channels to request the cooperation of foreign police.

 

[CPL593H]

Joshua Tree National Park employs new technology in search for missing Canadian hiker

Stephanie Miller has told The Desert Sun her husband of 26 years left the hotel at about 9 a.m. and was due back in time for the 11 a.m. checkout.

.....................

Not a whole lot of time for even a brief hike, even halfway on the 49 Palms Oasis trail.

The hike was only 3.2 miles, which you could totally do in 2 hours. But as someone mentioned upthread, it just doesn't leave any room for error, and doesn't leave much time to explore either.

 

[MaryG12]

Also, at this point, the remains are likely to be in a condition that young child, or even an adult, wouldn't recognize them as remains, unless they can get a good look at the skull. Not saying it wouldn't be traumatic, but I don't think there's much danger.

And truthfully, when you look at the places where unidentified remains have been found, it's as likely to be beside the road or in the brush patch behind a building as it is in a well-traveled park. A lot of them were found by kids playing.

Would most children be able to recognize a human skull alone? Versus an animal skull? I'm sure most children would recognize a full human skeleton in the desert (I do not mean to have that sound cliched) if such was found.

 

[eucalyptuz]

Again, how did he tell time?

Many people seem to have a good sense of time without referring to watches, clocks or phones etc.
I think him not having a phone with him is a flag-raiser for many reasons but the need to mark out 2 hours is not one of them.
Many hikers look at the time indicated on trail-heads as very, very generous. Most averagely-fit people can often complete trails - breaks and siteseeing included - well within the times suggested by Parks departments etc.

 

[eucalyptuz]

Although I agree that this would be traumatic, I think the odds of a child randomly stumbling upon his remains are extremely low. It’s a very big park, and most of the foot traffic covered by the majority of visitors, especially children, would be, by definition, in the well-traversed areas, not some remote gully or crevice where he likely is.

I agree totally with this point.
If a child discovers this hiker’s body, it’s because the child has ventured quite far off-trail probably not within sight of parents...
I don’t think human remains will be found 50m either side of the trail or within 200m of either the oasis or the trailhead.

 

[RickshawFan]

Re water, didn't I read above that his company's business was purifying water using uv radiation? Could he have carried some pocket purification device rather than [any/enough] water?

Steripen uses UV light. It's designed for backcountry and other bad water locations (e.g. travel in developing countries). You hold it in your hand and stir in clear water for a certain amount of time. The water is ready to drink as soon as you're done: it does not take hours to set up like some methods.

 

[RickshawFan]

His wife saw him leaving

Yes, she says she saw him leaving.

 

[RickshawFan]

Very good to hear!



There was nothing mentioned about a health condition when he went missing. There was discussion here about whether he brought enough water and that he was not dressed in UV protectant clothing.

He wasn't dressed in a whole lot of anything appropriate for that hike. It sounds like he had sturdy shoes, but that's about it. Never mind the UV feature.

 

[Toddp76]

I looked at the RCMP website and it says that if you have a missing person, the family will be asked to file a missing person report with the appropriate Canadian police force, which will then use Interpol channels to request the cooperation of foreign police.

Did family list him as missing in the system.

 

[tarabull]

Joshua Tree employs new technology in search for Canadian hiker

Stephanie Miller has told The Desert Sun her husband of 26 years left the hotel at about 9 a.m. and was due back in time for the 11 a.m. checkout.

.....................

Not a whole lot of time for even a brief hike, even halfway on the 49 Palms Oasis trail.

THAT two hour window Paul's sister said he had.

At this point I have to wonder if Paul left a note, but he would have written it after his wife decided not to join him on the hike that morning...after he said "see ya"....as the wife has stated he said.

Maybe he left a note in the car???

:SMH: :NFC:

 

[ispy4u]

So, I leave for a hike down a trail I don’t know. I have to drive to Las Vegas to catch an international flight. I challenge myself not to take anything with me that let’s me know what time it is. Why?

 

[tarabull]

So, I leave for a hike down a trail I don’t know. I have to drive to Las Vegas to catch an international flight. I challenge myself not to take anything with me that let’s me know what time it is. Why?

Ed Zachery (AKA EXACTLY)

 

[tarabull]

I wonder about a note because IF one had been left behind, for me I think it would make it a little easier to leave & go home after 5 days.....IF he left me a note.

:thinking:

 

[rosesfromangels]

Here's another good video of the trail. It's just so easy to see why we haven't found him yet.

 

[zecats]

Here's another good video of the trail. It's just so easy to see why we haven't found him yet.

Seems a pretty straightforward hike though without much possibility of losing the trail. I worry more about his getting turned around while at the oasis and headed in the wrong direction. If he suffered heatstroke it’s even easier to become disoriented.

 

[tarabull]

Snipped...
...A typical vacation for them was camping in the backwoods, hiking and kayaking and they had hiked across Canada, North America and Mexico.

 

[rosesfromangels]

If you do a search for "Bill Ewasko", you will find an incredible gold mine of info about search and rescue at JTNP.

 

[CPL593H]

If you do a search for "Bill Ewasko", you will find an incredible gold mine of info about search and rescue at JTNP.

The Bill Ewasko case demonstrates just how easily someone can seem to vanish without a trace in that landscape. People have been regularly searching for him for 8 years, in a professional and systematic way, and they still haven't found him. Last summer, a couple went missing from another nearby trailhead at the end of July and weren't found til October, and that was mainly due to the guy's father relentlessly leading the search. I wonder if Paul's family will get more involved in the search once the weather cools down.

 

[carbuff]

Would most children be able to recognize a human skull alone? Versus an animal skull? I'm sure most children would recognize a full human skeleton in the desert (I do not mean to have that sound cliched) if such was found.

Well, depending on the age. I was thinking preschoolers, who would recognize it as a skull but wouldn't necessarily associate that with it being a dead person. More like, "Halloween decoration" or "pirates."

 

[MaryG12]

Here's another good video of the trail. It's just so easy to see why we haven't found him yet.

Thanks for posting that video! I'd love to hike in JT someday just to experience the wildflowers (love the blossoming cactus!) and wildlife. That's a cool tortoise. In fact one of the things I miss the most about Tucson are the huge Saguaro cacti in full bloom - beautiful flowers!