Found Deceased CO - Kevin Rudnicki, 20, hiker, Mount Herman, Pike National Forest, 3 Sep 2018

[Mom24]

Anything is helpful at this point. We really appreciate it.

I've been reading through your posts and I have a few comments. You said that he had been experimenting with drugs to self medicate for his depression. That's a good sign. It means he wasn't hopeless and most likely didn't commit suicide.
As for counterfeit money, it's really easy to do it. A teenager here did it on her comp, and I'll be blunt that she was no great brain. So it's easy and very doable.
Have you checked into public transportation sites? Trains, buses and truckstops. Put his missing flyer up.
If he got a ride from someone, I'm going to bet it wasn't someone you all would have known. If you have Uber in the area, it would be a place to check and make sure he didn't arrange for a pickup. And also check university ride share boards. There may be something on there.

 

[PalmerLakeAnon]

After talking with my friend for a few days now, it seems to me that it is becoming less likely that Kevin stole his car:
-Both my friend and his friend described the man as being "heavy" or "thick" which is not consistent with Kevin's appearance
-My friend insisted that he would have recognized Kevin, even though it was dark and did not know Kevin well
-After giving it thought, I do not think that if Kevin was trying to hide, he would have stolen a car. That would only give LE incentive to find him
-If Kevin was trying to hide and wanted to buy a car, he would NOT risk buying one (let alone steeling one) from someone he knew, even if he didn't know them well.
-I spoke briefly with his ex girlfriend, and she said he did NOT have a Wyoming license to her knowledge, nor did he learn to drive stick-shift to her knowledge.

Here is something else to consider: if Kevin was going to run away by buying a car and driving somewhere, why did he come home to Palmer Lake that weekend? Why would he check in with our mom before disappearing? Why would he disappear from Palmer Lake instead of Laramie?

 

[PalmerLakeAnon]

I do not know much about LSD, but I have read it can come in liquid form. Maybe the contents of the vial were simply LSD or a related drug. Maybe the vial was not his at all. Another possibility: Kevin went for a hike, took LSD, had a bad trip, and something happened to him by accident. Maybe Kevin intended to commit suicide and took LSD to "numb" any pain or full awareness if he were to, say, jump off a cliff, hang himself, etc. Just some thoughts...

 

[PalmerLakeAnon]

Kevin left all of his belongings either at his home in Laramie or home in Palmer Lake. He deleted everything from his computer except that one, twisted document. The document is pretty self-damning, from what I've heard (I have not read it). He rejected all of his 2018-19 financial aid and changed the contact info from our mom's to our dad's, who he has not had a relationship with since 2015. He did not attend any classes during the 2018 school year. I think this all points to him fully intending on running away AND not returning. Although his computer was password protected, his friends knew how to hack onto his computer. Kevin would have certainly known this. He thus left the document as the only remaining file knowing that when his computer was hacked into, everyone would see it. Every other file is completely gone; Kevin would have known how to completely erase everything else.

I do know this: The document is NOT a suicide note. The document was first created in January 2018 and he had been adding to it up until some time in August, 2018. From what I have heard, it seems like they are a compilation of his thoughts/revelations while tripping.

 

[PalmerLakeAnon]

I have attached a picture of Kevin from early in 2017 when he was on a hike with his friends. The backpack he has is the backpack he had when he went missing. The backpack was full, just like it is in this picture. Notice there is also a Gatorade bottle in the pocket, just as he had the day he went missing. I think this picture illustrates how he would have prepared for a day hike. The backpack arrangement he has in this picture matches that of the morning he went missing. I think it is thus reasonable to assume he left that morning only equipped for a day hike.
Also, note the reflective jacket and brightly-colored hat. Kevin would normally hike in bright-colored clothes, often running clothes (neon-colored synthetic shirts, jackets with reflectors, etc). On the day he went missing, he wore a dark green shirt, khaki shorts, and brought a black jacket (not with reflectors). It would seem as though he left that morning intending to be hard to find in a forest setting.

 

[PalmerLakeAnon]

This is the kind of thing he would normally wear while hiking.

 

[Lore Listener]

I do not know much about LSD, but I have read it can come in liquid form. Maybe the contents of the vial were simply LSD or a related drug. Maybe the vial was not his at all. Another possibility: Kevin went for a hike, took LSD, had a bad trip, and something happened to him by accident. Maybe Kevin intended to commit suicide and took LSD to "numb" any pain or full awareness if he were to, say, jump off a cliff, hang himself, etc. Just some thoughts...

First, I just want to offer my best wishes to you and your mom and family. This must be so painful for all of you. I hope we can help you find Kevin.

I think maybe the bad trip is something you might want to explore further. This actually happened to a family member of my friend many years ago. In that case, SAR found the body within a few days, but they had a better idea where to look than you might. I know this same thing has happened in the Flatirons too. So it's not really that unusual. The results of the vial will tell you so much about what scenarios to rule in or out. You certainly go to the perfect school to get chemicals analyzed! And if no one at CSM can hook you up, maybe consider a private company. If it's expensive, I'm sure you'd get support on crowdfunding.

Also, you mentioned that Kevin fell out with your birth dad and hasn't spoken to him since 2015, but changed his contact info with UW to your dad's address? Please don't feel pressure to answer questions about delicate family matters if it's painful or private! But if, and only if, you're comfortable answering, do you think he might have gotten back in contact with your birth dad? Have you been in contact with him? Does he know what's going on? Again, please only share this info if you feel 100% fine about doing so.

Finally, you said the ice caves haven't been searched is that right? Are there any other remaining areas that were of interest to Kevin that could benefit from a search?

 

[Mom24]

Does Kevin have an apt in Laramie or does he live in the dorms? I'm assuming an apt since he rejected all his financial aid and hadn't been attending classes. Did he work anywhere? What had he been doing since classes started? Had he told everyone he wasn't returning to school this year?
Do you know of any nicknames he used. It might be helpful to look for online accts he may have had using an alias.
When did he delete everything on his comp? It might be worth taking a look to see if anything could be manually recovered on it.
Take another look around the house, his room, the basement, the attic and make sure that nothing is missing or added. If he came back to Palmer Lake to commit suicide, he may have wanted to be in that area, say goodbye to your mom, and he may have wanted to take a special keepsake or to leave something behind.
Was he a runner? I did find a KevRud who posted a workout trail he used in Monument

 

[PalmerLakeAnon]

First, I just want to offer my best wishes to you and your mom and family. This must be so painful for all of you. I hope we can help you find Kevin.

I think maybe the bad trip is something you might want to explore further. This actually happened to a family member of my friend many years ago. In that case, SAR found the body within a few days, but they had a better idea where to look than you might. I know this same thing has happened in the Flatirons too. So it's not really that unusual. The results of the vial will tell you so much about what scenarios to rule in or out. You certainly go to the perfect school to get chemicals analyzed! And if no one at CSM can hook you up, maybe consider a private company. If it's expensive, I'm sure you'd get support on crowdfunding.

Also, you mentioned that Kevin fell out with your birth dad and hasn't spoken to him since 2015, but changed his contact info with UW to your dad's address? Please don't feel pressure to answer questions about delicate family matters if it's painful or private! But if, and only if, you're comfortable answering, do you think he might have gotten back in contact with your birth dad? Have you been in contact with him? Does he know what's going on? Again, please only share this info if you feel 100% fine about doing so.

Finally, you said the ice caves haven't been searched is that right? Are there any other remaining areas that were of interest to Kevin that could benefit from a search?

Kevin was not in contact with our dad. Our dad would have certainly told me. Before going to college, we would see our dad regularly, every other week we would live with him. In 2015 on onward, Kevin lived with our mom full time. I am pretty sure he changed the FAFSA contact info to our dad because he wanted our mom to think he was attending school, and thus, she would not get an email saying the FAFSA was declined.

What is also strange was that Kevin sent our dad a Father's Day present. Like I said, they had no contact for a few years, and so this was completely unexpected. Since 2015, this was the only "interaction" with our dad that Kevin had.

 

[PalmerLakeAnon]

First, I just want to offer my best wishes to you and your mom and family. This must be so painful for all of you. I hope we can help you find Kevin.

I think maybe the bad trip is something you might want to explore further. This actually happened to a family member of my friend many years ago. In that case, SAR found the body within a few days, but they had a better idea where to look than you might. I know this same thing has happened in the Flatirons too. So it's not really that unusual. The results of the vial will tell you so much about what scenarios to rule in or out. You certainly go to the perfect school to get chemicals analyzed! And if no one at CSM can hook you up, maybe consider a private company. If it's expensive, I'm sure you'd get support on crowdfunding.

Also, you mentioned that Kevin fell out with your birth dad and hasn't spoken to him since 2015, but changed his contact info with UW to your dad's address? Please don't feel pressure to answer questions about delicate family matters if it's painful or private! But if, and only if, you're comfortable answering, do you think he might have gotten back in contact with your birth dad? Have you been in contact with him? Does he know what's going on? Again, please only share this info if you feel 100% fine about doing so.

Finally, you said the ice caves haven't been searched is that right? Are there any other remaining areas that were of interest to Kevin that could benefit from a search?

All of Kevin's favorite areas were search within the first two days. However, there may have been places he knew about that we didn't. There are still thousands of acres that have not been searched yet. I do hope to cover a lot of ground over Christmas break.

 

[PalmerLakeAnon]

I was just informed by my sister that her and our mom did notice some things missing from Kevin's belongings. These things were a small, wooden chess set and two paintings that our sister had given to us from one of her high school art classes, a long time ago.

 

[PalmerLakeAnon]

Does Kevin have an apt in Laramie or does he live in the dorms? I'm assuming an apt since he rejected all his financial aid and hadn't been attending classes. Did he work anywhere? What had he been doing since classes started? Had he told everyone he wasn't returning to school this year?
Do you know of any nicknames he used. It might be helpful to look for online accts he may have had using an alias.
When did he delete everything on his comp? It might be worth taking a look to see if anything could be manually recovered on it.
Take another look around the house, his room, the basement, the attic and make sure that nothing is missing or added. If he came back to Palmer Lake to commit suicide, he may have wanted to be in that area, say goodbye to your mom, and he may have wanted to take a special keepsake or to leave something behind.
Was he a runner? I did find a KevRud who posted a workout trail he used in Monument

Kevin lived in a house in Laramie with his ex girlfriend and a friend of theirs. He had a job over the summer maintaining dorm rooms at UW. I would guess he deleted everything on his computer sometime right before his disappearance. We tired to recover these files, but we have been unable to so far. Kevin was indeed a runner.

 

[crhedBngr]

Does Kevin have an apt in Laramie or does he live in the dorms? I'm assuming an apt since he rejected all his financial aid and hadn't been attending classes. Did he work anywhere? What had he been doing since classes started? Had he told everyone he wasn't returning to school this year?
Do you know of any nicknames he used. It might be helpful to look for online accts he may have had using an alias.
When did he delete everything on his comp? It might be worth taking a look to see if anything could be manually recovered on it.
Take another look around the house, his room, the basement, the attic and make sure that nothing is missing or added. If he came back to Palmer Lake to commit suicide, he may have wanted to be in that area, say goodbye to your mom, and he may have wanted to take a special keepsake or to leave something behind.
Was he a runner? I did find a KevRud who posted a workout trail he used in Monument

RBBM

Interesting. What was the date of the post by KevRud?

 

[Mom24]

RBBM

Interesting. What was the date of the post by KevRud?

2013
Woodmoor Exploor

 

[crhedBngr]

What is also strange was that Kevin sent our dad a Father's Day present. Like I said, they had no contact for a few years, and so this was completely unexpected. Since 2015, this was the only "interaction" with our dad that Kevin had.

I was just informed by my sister that her and our mom did notice some things missing from Kevin's belongings. These things were a small, wooden chess set and two paintings that our sister had given to us from one of her high school art classes, a long time ago.

@PalmerLakeAnon Based on the above two posts (and other information you've given us), I'm more hopeful that Kevin wanted to get away and begin a "new life" somewhere else.

 

[Mom24]

Was there some significance to the name "Dan Reynolds" that he used to receive the package from India? Did he listen to Imagine Dragons?

 

[PalmerLakeAnon]

Was there some significance to the name "Dan Reynolds" that he used to receive the package from India? Did he listen to Imagine Dragons?

Dan was the name of our dog. Reynolds is our mom's last name. The other name I know he's used before is Charlotte Reynolds. I don't think there is any significance to these other than just fake names he used to buy drugs with. I've done google searches of these names; they're pretty generic, and Imagine Dragons did come up.

 

[heartgoesout]

Thank you to all that have come to Kevin’s thread to offer help and support.

Is it possible to coordinate a mass search while you’re home asking for volunteers?

Maybe your local news station can get the word out?

There’s got to be a volunteer search and rescue organization somewhere close that you can reach out to to help with grid maps and rules of searching, (like don’t touch anything alway contact authorities).

There are a lot of people who would be willing to help. I’ve gone on searches myself in my own area.

 

[PalmerLakeAnon]

Thank you to all that have come to Kevin’s thread to offer help and support.

Is it possible to coordinate a mass search while you’re home asking for volunteers?

Maybe your local news station can get the word out?

There’s got to be a volunteer search and rescue organization somewhere close that you can reach out to to help with grid maps and rules of searching, (like don’t touch anything alway contact authorities).

There are a lot of people who would be willing to help. I’ve gone on searches myself in my own area.

Yes, I am currently considering a mass search. I will be doing some more planning over the next few days.

 

[mar90]

Hi, my name is Megan. I'm Kevin, and Andrews older sister. I've been reading along since Andrew showed me the page over Thanksgiving.

I don't have much to add at the moment Andrew has covered everything very well. The only two things I want to add are,

One: it's very odd that Kevin didn't mention to me he was coming home, and that he didn't come over. He ALWAYS does.

Two: the drugs he was taking were not lsd specifically they were 4homet and 4acomet. Here are some links to info about them.

4-HO-MET (also N-ethyl-4-hydroxy-N-methyltryptamine) : Erowid Exp: Main Index

4-AcO-MET (also 4-acetoxy-MET) : Erowid Exp: Main Index

Erowid 4-HO-MET Vault

4-AcO-MET

4-HO-MET

Thank you to everyone for your input, advice, help, and support.