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

[Hatfield]

I'm catching up. RE pushing off a cliff, I don't think there is anywhere on this hike where one could do that. I have not hiked this trail, but it is short, and the google views of route show no cliffs etc. There aren't many places in J tree where that sort of event would be practical (if any-places I'm aware of are ones where a body would be obvious). Even in a park like Zion Or Yosemite-where cliffs abound-bodies falling off said cliffs are normally found quickly.

Thanks. Its always good to have other people's thoughts on these cases.

I had forgotten I listed so many possible things that could have happened. This case is really perplexing and just wish someone would find him. I feel so bad for his family members not knowing what happened.

 

[SFDukie]

O.K., I'm going to throw out a fringe theory, and I think I mentioned it upthread as well. There is a ton of mystique around the death of Gram Parsons and Cap Rock. I have no idea how far Cap Rock is from the trailhead where Paul started, but maybe worth a look. As I said, totally a fringe theory, but at this point maybe not a bad idea.

Cap rock is adjacent (perhaps 50' from road to top) to Key View road, visible a short distance off of Park Blvd Google Maps
It's a highly trafficed area-both auto and foot. It seems like it would be a tough off trail scramble of sev miles from 49 palms oasis.

 

[SFDukie]

The flurry of posts today got my hopes up that there was some progress in this case but alas we are exactly where we started at the beginning of the first thread.

I have a feeling that even after he is located, we will still not have any answers as to what happened.

His camera may tell a story. Emphasis on "may"

 

[SFDukie]

My first impression was his wife sure reported him missing quickly, just 3 hrs after he went on his hike.

In "normal" circumstances, you'd be correct. At home-returning from an errand-maybe made extra stop, hasad a flat, saw a friend, whatever. But in this case whole family was waiting for him to return to check out of hotel, go to airport and catch flight. None of those things happened, which would worry most folks.

 

[SFDukie]

deleted

 

[SFDukie]

Interesting text from NPS re 49 palm oasis trail-"Last year there were five helicopter rescues and eight carryouts from the 49 Palms Oasis Trail. Only one was because of injury. The remainder were due to medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, or heart trouble. Please assess your fitness for this hike and if you have doubts, choose a less strenuous hike. If you have health issues, be certain to have proper medications with you and do not hike alone. While the oasis offers shade, this 1.5-mile trail does not, and you will need to travel it twice, climbing 300 feet each way! Be sure that you are carrying adequate water and wear sunscreen and a hat"https://www.nps.gov/jotr/planyourvisit/upload/49sitemap.pdf

 

[zecats]

What criticism is justified in your opinion? Can you elaborate? thanks
Re FBI-there was and is essentially no evidence of foul play or criminal misdoing in this case. The FBI is a LE org, not an org w/ SAR expertise.

According the Paul's sister, Dawne Robinson, who posted her searching account on Find Paul Miller Facebook page, the Sheriff believes Paul is still in the park, and therefore it is not their jurisdiction.

Find Paul Miller

"We visited the sheriff's office only to find they really have nothing in their files."They too think that Paul is in the park somewhere and that it is not their jurisdiction as a result."

That would include involving the FBI, would it not? LE seems to feel the searching and discovery should be in the hands of park rangers and SAR.

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

I absolutely was not intending to derail the discussions with the climbing talk or in any way suggesting Paul himself was there to climb.

You are all good in my book, @j_in_c - no derailing at all - quite the contrary! It has brought more eyes to Paul thread, more ideas and insight. Something will shake loose at some point...

ETA: With what has been reported, it seems logical to assume he is in the park, I agree with that premise from the SO.

 

[SFDukie]

Iffy as in he only posted to reinforce the idea that Paul was on the trail that day, or iffy as in he may have done something to Paul or iffy as in you think he was mistaken about who he saw?

My issue with Neil's account is that it doesn't match what has been reported in the media in two important ways.

#1 - He said he spoke with officials the very next day but for days the JTNP spokesperson said no one had seen him on the trail that day. Is this due to a breakdown in communication amongst the officials, or did Neil not speak with anyone until days/weeks later?

#2 - Neil said he saw Paul around 9:00, which is when Paul's wife says she last saw him at the hotel (and what has been reported in the media repeatedly). It's possible Neil saw someone else entirely.

His story completely rings true to me. Why would someone make that up and go to NPS otherwise? If he were not telling the truth as to when he reported siting to NPS, he'd be in posten

I am not slamming Neil at all, but I DO think bringing up discrepancies is important. Neil may be the accurate one here---isn't it important to know if the media is not reporting this totally accurately? For instance the time. The wife saying she last saw him leave around 9 vs. Neil saying he was 2/3 of the way to the oasis at 9ish. That is a pretty large discrepancy. To be on the trail and 2/3 of the way to the oasis, he probably would have had to leave the hotel around, what? 815? 8? You figure in driving there plus hiking 2/3 of the way out. So if Neil is correct here, then why is the wife saying something else? Or where did the media get the timeline from if they are to blame? You know what I mean?

I think questioning the difference in info is important because one of the most vital parts of an investigation is an accurate timeline, and we seem to have two different timelines going on here.

Driving time is essentially nil. literally 5-10".
we obsess over every bit of info, understandably. Reporters often "infer"

 

[SFDukie]

My issues and concerns are the same as yours.

as for slamming Neil, (other post above) he didn't bother to get verified. And he disappeared before he got "slammed" and his posts or one of his two got deleted by mods.

Saying he was "the last person to see him alive" creeped me out.

I might very well have said the same. PM went missing July 13th. Neil appropriately assumed PM was dead by 7/29, and if one assumes Neil didn't see anyone else on his outbound route-was likely the last to see him. If it creeps readers out-imagine how Neil feels. I've felt that way watching someone do something I considered unsafe, when I didn't say something-then they subsequently busted an ankle.

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

Neil appropriately assumed PM was dead by 7/29...

SBM - Whoa, whoa whoa....

 

[SFDukie]

I’ve posted previously that I thought it was very strange that he would go out on a whim just to photograph bighorn sheep — if he was just a casual snapshot taker, it seems like going through great lengths for something that would be relatively trivial to a casual photo taker, and on the other hand, if he were big into wildlife photography, then yes, they go through great lengths to get the shot, but don’t do it on a whim like that.
Very coincidentally, I met a guy at a breakfast of mutual friends the other day who IS big into wildlife photography, more so than anybody I’ve previously met. At the breakfast, he showed a bunch of photos of his recent trip to the Arctic Circle to photograph mostly polar bears, and I have no doubt he spent north of $5,000 on his expedition and froze a lot to do so. I mentioned Paul’s case to him, and he pretty much confirmed my same suspicions — that if he was so into wildlife photography that he had to go out on a special trip just to photograph bighorn sheep, surely he would have planned it out much more, gone out earlier, been better prepared, not gone out at the last minute, etc. Not to say it couldn’t have been impulsive, but to me, it just seems like an excuse to go out on his own.
On a side note, the photos the guy showed at the breakfast were good, but not spectacular. I think that shows how fanatical these guys can be if it’s truly their hobby. They don’t have to be professional, but even the amateurs that are crazy about wildlife photography show a great deal more dedication than Paul seemed to show. Just saying.

I'm not big into photography-but bighorn sightings are exciting. I've gone off trail to picture them-even cruddy cellphone snaps.

 

[SFDukie]

He’s not the only one. It seems like every experienced hiker that goes missing was experienced in their and their families minds but the reality was much, much different. Ugh. Where are you Paul?

In his defense-he started relatively early. He was reasonably fit, on a short out/back trail Per his wife he had a hydration pack. per Neil he was moving fairly well and didn't "stand out" on the trail (I'm often amazed at how well some folks move, who don't look fit)

 

[SFDukie]

SBM - Whoa, whoa whoa....

shoot, can't find the abbrev thread quickly. "SBM"?
16 days in summer without much food, water etc? Pretty harsh environment. Unless one includes an "intentionally disappeared" category. even then-I'd think there would be traces. One would need money-and preplanning. YMMV.

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

shoot, can't find the abbrev thread quickly. "SBM"?
16 days in summer without much food, water etc? Pretty harsh environment. Unless one includes an "intentionally disappeared" category. even then-I'd think there would be traces. One would need money-and preplanning. YMMV.

SBM = Snipped by me.

I'll include an intentionally disappeared category. And even a foul play category. And even a category that includes him never arriving at the trail that morning. We just don't know. There were allegedly 2 sightings, yet neither are quoted anywhere in any MSM source - by name or otherwise - as being verified sightings.

There was this, which is pretty paltry confirmation of anything IMO.

"Park Superintendent David Smith said that "We have a witness who saw (Miller) at the trailhead that morning, but that’s all.”

Paul Miller - Strange disappearances from U.S. national Parks

The Trailhead? Hmmmm... must not have been "Neil" then.

When I imagine Paul, I always think of his howling coyote tattoo.

 

[SFDukie]

You and me both.

I cannot believe not a trace of him nor his footprints - or anything else - has been found in JT. I mean, not even a scrap of cloth, or a shoe, or anything that he happened to be carrying with him when he decided to return to the park.

I wouldn't take the "footprint" part too literally. It took 3 month to find the bodies of Orbeso and Nguyen last year-and they were in the open, only 2 miles from their car. Autopsy offers few clues in murder-suicide of hiking couple in Joshua Tree – Orange County Register

 

[SFDukie]

SBM = Snipped by me.

I'll include an intentionally disappeared category. And even a foul play category. And even a category that includes him never arriving at the trail that morning. We just don't know. There were allegedly 2 sightings, yet neither are quoted anywhere in any MSM source - by name or otherwise - as being verified sightings.

There was this, which is pretty paltry confirmation of anything IMO.

"Park Superintendent David Smith said that "We have a witness who saw (Miller) at the trailhead that morning, but that’s all.”

Paul Miller - Strange disappearances from U.S. national Parks

The Trailhead? Hmmmm... must not have been "Neil" then.

When I imagine Paul, I always think of his howling coyote tattoo.

thanks.

 

[Hatfield]

I know we discussed this before but cant remember the concensus about the discrepancy in the sightings of him.

JMO
A park superintendant would know what a trailhead is. A trailhead by definition is the beginning of the trail. So if he is claiming there was a witness that saw him at the trailhead and if we are to also believe Neil, then that means there were 2 different people that saw Paul. Because Neil said he saw him at the very top of the Midway hill 300 feet up and that is NOT a trailhead by any stretch of the imagination.

I tend to believe the park superintendant in what he is saying although it was never released who that witness was.

I also tend to believe Neil saw someone but wish we could have asked him what color hat and clothes the person he saw had on. That could have confirmed whether he really saw Paul or not because Paul had on a black hat, mostly black or dark colors. Wearing all dark colors in a hot sunny desert is another thing that really bothered me but that is neither here nor there by now.

One thing that investigators should do is to track down and re-interview both these witnesses and get more details to answer those kinds of questions to make sure when and where he was last spotted. Because right now based on what we know we really dont know which was the last sighting, we dont know where the last sighting was, and we dont know whether there was 1 or 2 sightings or maybe none.

We can assume things but investigators need to know for sure about these things. There should be no assumptions being made by investigators regarding these witnesses. There needs to be documented facts on who and when they saw what they did. A life was on the line and they should know this information and report it accurately.

"Park Superintendent David Smith said that "We have a witness who saw (Miller) at the trailhead that morning, but that’s all.”

Paul Miller - Strange disappearances from U.S. national Parks

 

[SFDukie]

Yes, it makes no sense to go to the desert for a hiking vacation in the heat of the summer...

I do it regularly. Hiked lost palm oasis mentioned by CPL593H above at the end of April last year-not height of summer-but I was hiking at midday, and temps were what PM was dealing with at 9ish am (mid 90s) about 10 weeks later. I've run Lost palms trail for training. It's all about having suncreen, water, etc-and if height of summer-getting out and back early.

 

[SFDukie]

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.

Yep. A fit person could do/out back in an hour. That's too fast to dilly dally, but totally doable with only a daypack.