Found Deceased CANADA - Ben Kilmer, 41, Cowichan, 16 May 2018

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tasha Brooks said:
Why was the vehicle left running?
Some possibilities:
The dogs lost the scent quickly because there was a vehicle transfer and ben was taken elsewhere. The person(s) were in such a hurry to not be seen left vehicle running.

The vehicle was ditched at this location after Ben has been disposed of. A second car waiting, vehicle left on due to the quick transfer.

I am running on the assumption that is against the logic that Ben is in the skutz falls area hiking. 1) i hike in that area all the time and I am never compelled to park extremely far away, leave my cell phone, and vehicle running.
2.) A psychic made a sketch that resembles most of the entire cowichan area - why assume it is skutz area.

Back to the two suggestions as to why vehicle running.

IF ben was taken between the time he was last seen and vehicle discovered and he had been disposed of between that time, this implicates a few things.
1.) A geographic boundary which encapsulates many remote areas
2.) there was likely not a monetary motive if wallet found
3.) personal - why.

with in the geographic boundary, there are some key areas which would not require one to be seen with a "hostage"
1.) logging roads behind lake cowichan
more risky
1.) mount prevost
2.) youbou/nitnat -

Does ben's wife have access to his social media and email accounts, anything suspicious? Does he owe anyone money- the regular slew of forensic file questions - girlfriend, insurance ets. take his sim and put it in a phone ............
Click to expand...

Great brainstorming!

Jumping off your thoughts....

Why was the vehicle running? I would also like to ask "Why was the door left open?"

In the images from Stone Pacific, Ben left his door open when he went to drop off the keys. I'm guessing that the van was still running too. Was he a man in a hurry or was this simply his natural style/habit?

In contrast to the possibility that the van was left running because of a quick 'transfer' to another vehicle, I ask how that jives with the reported 'fact' that the dogs followed his scent to a nearby pond.

I also thought about the fact that perhaps it wasn't Ben who parked the van at the side of the road, but again was confronted by the trail that the dogs followed. If Ben wasn't in the van at that time then how could they have followed his scent to the pond.

The above points are dependent on the report of the dogs following Ben's scent to the pond to be true. If true, and as he wasn't found in the pond, then that implies that it was an intentional misdirection.

If it wan't Ben's scent, then all options are still open.

<sigh>
This case is confusing.
 
I've still been thinking about the possible, and admittedly remote, possiblity that this case is linked to the Archbold/Ryan case. What if it had something to do with the intentional debris "roadblocks" made near Lake Cowichan? I've checked the maps to see if there would be any reason for Archbold & Ryan to end up near Lake Cowichan. I'm stretching to find possible links.

I will fall asleep tonight with maps of Duncan and Lake Cowichan in my head.

(P.S. I'm not from the west coast. When visiting the area a number of years ago I rented a car. As I was driving down the east coast of Vancouver Island, I saw the sign to Lake Cowichan. It sounded like a nice side adventure so off I went. As I got to the lake I have to say that I was creeped out. The massive rain forest trees blocked out the sun and created the strangest, creepy feeling like I had never experienced in my other travels. I was by myself, and I ultimately became so uncomfortable that I turned around and headed back to the main highway. The area was lovely, and perhaps it was just that I wasn't used to that environment, but it was still creepy to me!)
 
Snoopster said:
Great brainstorming!

Jumping off your thoughts....

Why was the vehicle running? I would also like to ask "Why was the door left open?"

In the images from Stone Pacific, Ben left his door open when he went to drop off the keys. I'm guessing that the van was still running too. Was he a man in a hurry or was this simply his natural style/habit?

In contrast to the possibility that the van was left running because of a quick 'transfer' to another vehicle, I ask how that jives with the reported 'fact' that the dogs followed his scent to a nearby pond.

I also thought about the fact that perhaps it wasn't Ben who parked the van at the side of the road, but again was confronted by the trail that the dogs followed. If Ben wasn't in the van at that time then how could they have followed his scent to the pond.

The above points are dependent on the report of the dogs following Ben's scent to the pond to be true. If true, and as he wasn't found in the pond, then that implies that it was an intentional misdirection.

If it wan't Ben's scent, then all options are still open.

<sigh>
This case is confusing.
Click to expand...

Good points. I am thinking that the door open and vehicle running might indicate he knew the person (if there was a person) that he jumped out to talk to/help. As it was a habit and we usually follow habits when we are in a comfortable position.
I also feel the blood on the tree should be confirmed as him before speculating. As it is a trail and could be multiple sources to leave blood there.
I also feel he didnt walk down that trail alone and i also feel it wasnt a stanger with him.
when i picture the van i see a vehicle in front of it on the side of the road where it was left.
But as been already said, we cant know as we have lack of validation
 
OceanSideMedium said:
Good points. I am thinking that the door open and vehicle running might indicate he knew the person (if there was a person) that he jumped out to talk to/help. As it was a habit and we usually follow habits when we are in a comfortable position.
I also feel the blood on the tree should be confirmed as him before speculating. As it is a trail and could be multiple sources to leave blood there.
I also feel he didnt walk down that trail alone and i also feel it wasnt a stanger with him.
when i picture the van i see a vehicle in front of it on the side of the road where it was left.
But as been already said, we cant know as we have lack of validation
Click to expand...

What blood on what tree? Did I miss something? (very likely!) I thought the blood was in the van. Regarding the trail, are you referring to the path that the dogs traced the scent? Or are you referring to a specific formal trail?

I would really like to know where the pond was that they drained. I hypothesized (yes, I'm using this term after a couple of glasses of wine on a Friday evening) that it could have been the pond toward Stone Pacific. That could be wrong. There are likely other ponds in the area. Does anyone know where "the pond" is?
 
Does anyone have any input on some kind of strange pattern to the search. I mean cancelling at strange times etc.
My questions come from my head lol not fact, so please let me know if thats not allowed here. I need ppl to bounce some stuff off of and you guys seem like the perfect ppl for that :)

Also, has anyone heard or read anything about Ben smoking (cigs or weed). For some reason i feel thats relevant
 
Snoopster said:
But, based on google maps, there isn't a pond in sight of where he stopped his van. This would not be where you would stop if you wanted to do that, based simply on looking at the map. (I might be wrong in real life, of course.)
Click to expand...

I found this small body of water on google maps just before Menzies. Maybe this is the pond they speak of. Not sure though.
Google Maps
 
I found it very strange how many ppl, in particular men have gone missing in BC. I realize some are very far apart but most went missing on a route accessible by highway to each location.
Anyone else think this is strange?
I added the link
I also feel the farms around where Ben went missing are key somehow. Not sure if theyve been searched. I'll check the page.

B.C. RCMP - Missing Persons
 
Snoopster said:
We need more people here on this thread. I would like to read about the take that many other people have on this case! I love the points others have made so far....we simply need more input.
Click to expand...

I've been reluctant to post my thoughts because of family/friends who may be reading here, but I will go ahead. PLEASE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE SPECULATION, DON'T READ BEYOND THIS POINT. All this is JMO.

I feel like this may be a voluntary disappearance. In the postings on the Facebook page, there is so much talk of him being perfect... I just get a sense of tremendous pressure on this man to be without faults, which is awfully hard to live up to. I know many have commented that the van running with the door open makes it seem like foul play, but that could just as easily be part of the plan. If I wanted to disappear, and didn't want people to know it was my choice, I might stage a scene like this.

The missing posters state that he was a very strong hiker, so he could have easily left the van there and hiked out well beyond any search area. (Maybe going through the pond to avoid leaving a trail that could be followed by dogs?)

Now, voluntary disappearance could be either suicide or someone wanting to escape to a new life. I don't have a strong sense of one over the other, except that the latter would be quite difficult.
 
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TinyTank said:
I found this small body of water on google maps just before Menzies. Maybe this is the pond they speak of. Not sure though.
Google Maps
Click to expand...

As I stood looking around this spot (virtually) I noticed the excavating services sign. That got me thinking. We know that Ben ran his own electrical contracting business. Is it possible that he often stopped at other small ancillary businesses to make contacts for potential referrals? Is it possible that he often stopped to "scavenge" natural items (e.g. a cool piece of wood or a unique rock) for the home he was building? And if either of these was the case, could he have quickly stepped on someone's property who took offense and lost it?
 
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I wonder if this guy is still in custody.

Lake Cowichan man arrested in connection with carjacking in Duncan

North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP said 32-year-old Robert Laxdal allegedly robbed a man of his vehicle at knifepoint in the parking lot just after 6:30 p.m. According to police, Laxdal was later arrested in Lake Cowichan while he was sitting in the driver’s seat of the stolen vehicle.

Laxdal also allegedly stole another vehicle on Oct. 13 at 5:30 a.m. from a work site on Mays Road in North Cowichan. Both of the victims in the thefts were not injured, police said.
Click to expand...

A carjacking gone bad?
I highly doubt it as this guy doesn't seem sharp enough to have adequately "dealt with" the situation and still would have taken off in the vehicle, but thought I'd put it out there in case it spurs other thoughts.

P.S. - is there a lot of drug use in the Cowichan area? There are many remote, private homes and lots of back logging roads. It seems like the kind of area that might attract some of those types.
 
Snoopster said:
I've still been thinking about the possible, and admittedly remote, possiblity that this case is linked to the Archbold/Ryan case. What if it had something to do with the intentional debris "roadblocks" made near Lake Cowichan? I've checked the maps to see if there would be any reason for Archbold & Ryan to end up near Lake Cowichan. I'm stretching to find possible links.

I will fall asleep tonight with maps of Duncan and Lake Cowichan in my head.
Click to expand...

RSBM

I can’t see any connection with Dan & Ryan, even stretching, because they were last seen in Ucluelet ~an hour and a half AFTER Ben’s van was found, and it’s a ~3.5 hour drive from Ucluelet to where the van was found.

ETA: family in both cases have confirmed they didn’t know each other.

Snoopster said:
Question I would still like answered: Which way was Ben's van pointing? Was it away from town or towards town?
Click to expand...

I’ve been combing through reports & the FB page for this (because I was looking for the pond too), and the best I have is that the van was found West of Menzies Road ( MSM) , and a secondhand comment (FB) that it was facing West. Whether that is accurate, or whether someone has conflated/assumed details I don’t know.

I wish we knew whether he had a scheduled appointment/job after leaving Stone Pacific, and where (was he on the way there, or off route), or had he knocked off for the day?
 
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Snoopster said:
...RSBM

P.S. - is there a lot of drug use in the Cowichan area? There are many remote, private homes and lots of back logging roads. It seems like the kind of area that might attract some of those types.
Click to expand...

I don’t know. However, OT: in the old local-to-me case I mentioned earlier in the thread, one of the “side-effects” of the SAR operation (official organisations & volunteer searchers) was searchers stumbling across two pot ‘plantations’ which resulted in the suspension (for an afternoon) & reorganization of how the search was being conducted (safety of searchers).

Back on topic, I’m baffled by Ben’s disappearance :(.
 
Breamworthy said:
I've been reluctant to post my thoughts because of family/friends who may be reading here, but I will go ahead. PLEASE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE SPECULATION, DON'T READ BEYOND THIS POINT. All this is JMO.

I feel like this may be a voluntary disappearance. In the postings on the Facebook page, there is so much talk of him being perfect... I just get a sense of tremendous pressure on this man to be without faults, which is awfully hard to live up to. I know many have commented that the van running with the door open makes it seem like foul play, but that could just as easily be part of the plan. If I wanted to disappear, and didn't want people to know it was my choice, I might stage a scene like this.

The missing posters state that he was a very strong hiker, so he could have easily left the van there and hiked out well beyond any search area. (Maybe going through the pond to avoid leaving a trail that could be followed by dogs?)

Now, voluntary disappearance could be either suicide or someone wanting to escape to a new life. I don't have a strong sense of one over the other, except that the latter would be quite difficult.
Click to expand...

Hi all, I have been following Ben's disappearance too. It's just so sad.
To me, this is the most plausible explanation so far and the one I keep coming back to as well. I don't give any weight to the door being open or the van running if Ben was in fact in this mental state. When one is in this state of mind they really don't care or think about what they are doing at that point. And if this is what happened then this is his "jumping off" point (where his mental break finally takes over his sense of logic/reality).
Of course there are other possibilities, but I find it easier to believe he just walked away from life. It's so sad for his family either way and I hope they find him soon. And I agree, if they are to find him they will probably have to go farther outside the present search area. Every day I pray they find him safe.
 
Snoopster said:
I've still been thinking about the possible, and admittedly remote, possiblity that this case is linked to the Archbold/Ryan case. What if it had something to do with the intentional debris "roadblocks" made near Lake Cowichan? I've checked the maps to see if there would be any reason for Archbold & Ryan to end up near Lake Cowichan. I'm stretching to find possible links.

I will fall asleep tonight with maps of Duncan and Lake Cowichan in my head.

(P.S. I'm not from the west coast. When visiting the area a number of years ago I rented a car. As I was driving down the east coast of Vancouver Island, I saw the sign to Lake Cowichan. It sounded like a nice side adventure so off I went. As I got to the lake I have to say that I was creeped out. The massive rain forest trees blocked out the sun and created the strangest, creepy feeling like I had never experienced in my other travels. I was by myself, and I ultimately became so uncomfortable that I turned around and headed back to the main highway. The area was lovely, and perhaps it was just that I wasn't used to that environment, but it was still creepy to me!)
Click to expand...
I am new to this site but I live 5 mins away from where his vehicle was found. On my way home the day of his disappearance I passed an RCMP roadblock on the site where his van was. They waved me through but I did note that this work van was parked on the right hand side of the road . I don't know if this is north,south etc. but it was parked on old lake cowichan road heading towards Lake Cowichan. The Cowichan river is where the search has been focused, not so much in Lake Cowichan. They are searching the lake and Youbou which is the other side of the lake, I think because of all the logging roads in that area. The river is much closer than the lake is too and has lots of trails, cliffs etc . Lake Cowichan is also a town, about a 20 min. drive from here. lots of beach areas as well as treed areas. Sorry you were creeped out! Its a very popular lake with many houses on it, depends on the area. There was mention on a thread from someone about wild animals-I cant find it, but maybe they will read this. The area Ben's vehicle was found has lots of open fields and not forested, treed areas yes. The black bears here are timid-may charge if they have cubs, but the only attack in the past 10 years was in Port Renfrew-other side of the island-by an old bear that wanted his fish. Cougars will stalk and kill but usually at the end of summer when they are starved and usually at the northern part of the island. I am as stumped about this as anyone! I only know that the cops aren't making any statements at all andI think this is why people are making their own speculations and nasty false rumours are spreading.
 
ill have to look up more info on the road blocks.
My aunt drove by his vehicle parked on the side of the road and it was facing towards lake cow.
The search effort was very .... discombobulated the day I volunteered. Sent us to a place where we couldnt event access with effort. (Fenced off private property). We tried to drive around to a different access point, but was down a private driveway. Waste of time.
Im still thrown off by the search efforts being so skutz falls focused. I understand the hopeful thinking, but the first few days were so important.

As i understand the area is known for drug transactions - perhaps he witnessed something. But in that case i would think the tranaction would have to be substantial and close up.

Still would like to know how much access wife has to bens personal accounts (email facebook text)
 
tasha Brooks said:
ill have to look up more info on the road blocks.
My aunt drove by his vehicle parked on the side of the road and it was facing towards lake cow.
The search effort was very .... discombobulated the day I volunteered. Sent us to a place where we couldnt event access with effort. (Fenced off private property). We tried to drive around to a different access point, but was down a private driveway. Waste of time.
Im still thrown off by the search efforts being so skutz falls focused. I understand the hopeful thinking, but the first few days were so important.

As i understand the area is known for drug transactions - perhaps he witnessed something. But in that case i would think the tranaction would have to be substantial and close up.

Still would like to know how much access wife has to bens personal accounts (email facebook text)
Click to expand...
I don't know anything about that area being known for drug transactions. I'm sure there's many grow-0ps in this area though. the house we bought 12 years ago had been one! Cops are being very quiet about this whole thing though. Very strange-why haven't they made a press statement at all do you think
 
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