zecats
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I only noticed the business myself when I checked the distance between town and the trailhead. There is one business for each of the possible routes he probably took.
Found Deceased CA - Paul Miller, 51, Canadian missing in Joshua Tree Natl Park, San Bernardino Co., 13 Jul 2018 #2
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RSBM.
I have not personally heard of any U.S. national parks using CCTV in general and not for monitoring parking areas for criminal activity. I did do some Google searching, and all I could find about cameras in the national parks were 1) wildlife monitoring cameras at some parks and 2) EarthCams, which are like live feeds you can watch of some popular areas in certain parks; for instance, I think there is a live feed camera showing the Old Faithful area of Yellowstone. So IMO I really doubt there is CCTV footage or any sort of camera at the trailhead.
Also, the way the articles were worded were this: "Beyond finding Miller’s rental car parked at the trailhead on July 13, there have been few clues as to what might have happened to him, except one witness who told authorities he saw Miller on the trail." BBM and taken from this article: 'Desperate for answers:' Sister of missing Canadian Paul Miller in Joshua Tree, retracing his steps
So even though I agree with you that stories may be vague, this definitely sounds to me like the witness is an actual person who spoke to LE and/or park rangers.
I still think an accurate timeline is important. I will say this and then stop harping on it (lol). Yes, his wife did say "around 9" and while that could mean 8:42, it could also mean he actually left at like 9:12, which would make Neil's sighting less likely to be Paul. Time estimating can go both ways (earlier than 9 and later than 9), so I wish we knew for sure what time he left, which hopefully LE has figured out from hotel CCTV. All MOO.
rosesfromangels
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zecats
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I saw those too when looking at Oasis Visitors Center. And I got it mixed up with where he went myself. He was at 49 Palms Oasis trailhead. It’s not as close to those places you’ve listed. Fwiw 29 Palms is the town.
rosesfromangels
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I deleted my post. Thank you!
zecats
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Hey no worries. Those places are close enough and I did the same thing thinking the Oasis Visitor Center is near where he hiked. It gets confusing - 49 Palms vs 29 Palms.
I haven’t had a chance to listen yet as I need to charge my phone. Also, unsure if this has already been posted.
Ep. #2: Paul Miller - Joshua Tree National Park
Ep. #2: Paul Miller - Joshua Tree National Park
Thanks for the podcast link! I will listen after work tonight.
ETA: So I just started playing the intro and it states "He [Paul] called his wife Friday morning from the 49 Palms Trailhead." Well, that is new info! I had not heard anything about him calling his wife from the trailhead; in fact, we had read his phone was at the hotel? I'll be interested to listen to the whole thing.
ETA: So I just started playing the intro and it states "He [Paul] called his wife Friday morning from the 49 Palms Trailhead." Well, that is new info! I had not heard anything about him calling his wife from the trailhead; in fact, we had read his phone was at the hotel? I'll be interested to listen to the whole thing.
zecats
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I believe that is inaccurate reporting. He left his phone behind, as stated by his wife. And...cellphone service is almost non-existent from the trail. This was discussed once before somewhere on this thread, I do believe.
Wife of missing hiker from Canada describes 'hell' each day brings since Paul Miller disappeared at Joshua Tree
"He didn't take his cell phone, which was typical."
Auntie Cipation
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I just went back to the first thread looking for the article you've linked here, but while I was there I found this, which also mentions the call from the trailhead. Hiker missing for days at Joshua Tree National Park
I think the phone was in the car, and when she said "he didn't take his phone" she meant he didn't take it ON THE HIKE but doesn't clarify whether that meant "left it at the hotel" or "left it in the car". The two reports of the trailhead call suggest it was left in the car. IMO only.
zecats
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Another mystery of this case.
ETA Article says from trailhead. So either before he hiked or after he returned. Neither scenario makes sense to me. Why before he hiked? He had just seen her 10 minutes prior. And if after he returned, then no need to search the trail. FWIW I've never heard the wife confirm this statement.
zecats
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New article on park clean-up due to government shutdown, in areas where Paul went missing. Maybe they'll find a clue. Right to hope.
Thanks to volunteers and skeleton crew of staff, Joshua Tree park's toilets fare better than others in government shutdown
"Upcoming cleanups are scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday, focusing on areas that include Indian Cove and Fortynine Palms Oasis. Efforts could be expended if there are enough volunteers and anyone interested in helping should rendezvous at the Twentynine Palms Visitor Center, 73-484 Highway 62."
Thanks to volunteers and skeleton crew of staff, Joshua Tree park's toilets fare better than others in government shutdown
"Upcoming cleanups are scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday, focusing on areas that include Indian Cove and Fortynine Palms Oasis. Efforts could be expended if there are enough volunteers and anyone interested in helping should rendezvous at the Twentynine Palms Visitor Center, 73-484 Highway 62."
KaaBoom
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National Parks absolutely do have security cameras.
Surveillance Society: New High-Tech Cameras Are Watching You
You are absolutely correct that the National Park Service has security cameras at some of the locations it runs. This article discusses that there are security cameras at the Statue of Liberty. It states, "Liberty Island, name notwithstanding, is one of the most heavily surveilled places in America. Dozens of cameras record hundreds of hours of video daily, a volume that strains the monitoring capability of guards. The National Park Service has enlisted extra help, and as Emma and I strolled around, we weren't just being watched by people. We were being watched by machines." I don't dispute that at all. And it is a site run by NPS, so for sure I shouldn't say that NPS never uses security cameras. I should be more clear with what I mean.
I have been unable to find any proof of a surveillance system in an actual park--like Joshua Tree. Places out in the remote desert or forest and at a trailhead. None of my research has proven they have them, and I have not witnessed them at any of the parks I have visited. I am happy to be proven wrong on this, but I have not come across any info about it. The only NPS mention I saw in the above article was about Liberty Island, which is definitely a far cry from a trail at Joshua Tree, where Paul went missing. MOO
dulcinea
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Until tonight I don't think I knew a phone call had been made from the trail head. If this is accurate, I would assume it was made previous to Paul hiking. If it had been made upon his return to the car, I think they would have definitely mentioned that. I can imagining a statement saying something like, "After finishing his hike, Paul called his wife and that was the last time he was heard from." It sounds like they are considering the trail witness as the last contact Paul had. Please correct me if I am wrong. Also, I feel that if the call had been made after the hike, they would have mentioned how he was feeling. (Exhausted, out of breath, hot, perfect condition, etc. as I think he and his wife would have talked about that.)
However, I suppose an argument could be made that he called his wife after the hike and said, "I'll be back at the hotel in 10 minutes." Then when he didn't show up she reported him missing because she was expecting him and that's why she called so quickly. I doubt this, though, because I think they would have mentioned that in the articles.
If a call was indeed made, I believe it was previous to the hike.
I continued my search because 1) I am curious personally as a frequent visitor of national parks and 2) this could mean huge things for people like Paul who go missing. My Google search of "security cameras trailheads national parks" only gave me a couple results that seemed on topic.
This one discusses that some parks had hikers put some cameras out on the trails themselves (as well as off trail) specifically to see if animals avoided trails that were more frequented by humans. They definitely could still catch nefarious human activity, too, but unfortunately for this case, the article stated these happened in parks in the mid-Atlantic states, which wouldn't include Joshua Tree.
Are our National Parks for animals or people? | JHU Press
This next article was about the possibility of cameras coming to national park backcountry sites (I wouldn't classify Paul's hiking trail as backcountry though); however, in the article (from 2010), it stated that "Park officials said Tuesday they had no existing plan or proposal to install backcountry webcams, but inserted the language in the document for flexibility down the road."
Updated: Is Big Brother Heading for Yellowstone National Park's Backcountry? | National Parks Traveler
Like I said before, I know there are cameras to watch wildlife in some of the parks, but I'm not sure if Joshua Tree is included. With all the articles I have read about how many people have gone missing in Joshua Tree NP, my guess (MOO) is that if there was a surveillance system there or any sort of security camera system, we would know about it and it would have been employed to help find some of the missing individuals. MOO
This one discusses that some parks had hikers put some cameras out on the trails themselves (as well as off trail) specifically to see if animals avoided trails that were more frequented by humans. They definitely could still catch nefarious human activity, too, but unfortunately for this case, the article stated these happened in parks in the mid-Atlantic states, which wouldn't include Joshua Tree.
Are our National Parks for animals or people? | JHU Press
This next article was about the possibility of cameras coming to national park backcountry sites (I wouldn't classify Paul's hiking trail as backcountry though); however, in the article (from 2010), it stated that "Park officials said Tuesday they had no existing plan or proposal to install backcountry webcams, but inserted the language in the document for flexibility down the road."
Updated: Is Big Brother Heading for Yellowstone National Park's Backcountry? | National Parks Traveler
Like I said before, I know there are cameras to watch wildlife in some of the parks, but I'm not sure if Joshua Tree is included. With all the articles I have read about how many people have gone missing in Joshua Tree NP, my guess (MOO) is that if there was a surveillance system there or any sort of security camera system, we would know about it and it would have been employed to help find some of the missing individuals. MOO
Yeah the phone call from the trailhead is odd. He must have really lucked out because according to the NPS page, there are hardly any areas in the park with cell service: "While there is cell service in the towns surrounding Joshua Tree National Park, the rugged and remote terrain of the park itself means that very few areas in the park have cell coverage. You should not expect to rely on your cell phone for navigation or emergencies."
Goods & Services - Joshua Tree National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
But assuming the reporting is accurate and he did make the call and did have service to do so, I agree with dulcinea that IMO I think that call came prior to his hike. If it came after, then I'm not sure what would have happened to Paul, unless he was dragged out of his vehicle or something in the parking lot. If he called his wife after the hike and said he was going somewhere ELSE, I'm sure that would have been mentioned to police, etc. I am wondering if he drove to the park not 100% sure what hike he was doing, and when he decided on this one, maybe called his wife to say "Yeah, I'll be doing the Fortynine Palms hike." It sounds like he goes hiking a lot, and IMO it's common knowledge among hikers that for safety purposes, you should tell someone your hiking plans. Or maybe he initially was going to do a different trail and changed his mind? I don't know. It's odd. If he knew he was doing this hike when he left the hotel, not sure what he would have needed to call about, but I'm assuming she gave LE info about the content of the call.
Goods & Services - Joshua Tree National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
But assuming the reporting is accurate and he did make the call and did have service to do so, I agree with dulcinea that IMO I think that call came prior to his hike. If it came after, then I'm not sure what would have happened to Paul, unless he was dragged out of his vehicle or something in the parking lot. If he called his wife after the hike and said he was going somewhere ELSE, I'm sure that would have been mentioned to police, etc. I am wondering if he drove to the park not 100% sure what hike he was doing, and when he decided on this one, maybe called his wife to say "Yeah, I'll be doing the Fortynine Palms hike." It sounds like he goes hiking a lot, and IMO it's common knowledge among hikers that for safety purposes, you should tell someone your hiking plans. Or maybe he initially was going to do a different trail and changed his mind? I don't know. It's odd. If he knew he was doing this hike when he left the hotel, not sure what he would have needed to call about, but I'm assuming she gave LE info about the content of the call.
ttcRider
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Ok.. I am soooo confused again. Did he or did he not have his phone with him?? I thought it was left in the motel room? Was he on a payphone then? omg seriously. This whole story has so many inconsistencies it getting ridiculous. IMO JMO etc etc.
Auntie Cipation
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I think it's a case of sloppy language. Wife said he didn't have his phone. Everyone (including LE, apparently, since they didn't appear to ask for clarification) assumes this means it was left in the hotel, while I suspect it was left in the car, and she was saying he didn't have it out on the hike. By the time the search was well underway, the car had been searched and the phone retrieved, presumably checked for recent activity, and then returned to the wife (I recall one news article that said the phone was in her possession, but again, sloppy language, did not clarify whether it had been all along or had just been returned to her.)
As for cameras, there are more than just "security" cameras. A few seconds' search brought me these; who knows what else is out there: Webcams around Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park
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