If those men never existed and the story is indeed a sham, we are back to Roger going away to start a new life or committing suicide and wanting to get far away in an isolated location so that his body would never surface.
Or someone else murdering Roger. Even if those men didn't exist, someone else may have had a motive to kill. The one thing that John Pash wrote which made sense to me, was the fact that this "poacher story" seems to be unsubstantiated. Where did Charley Project get this information? Old newspaper stories? Maybe if I have time tonight I will research some archived Colorado articles. But really, we don't even know if this is true or "folk lore" circulated on the web.
Someone else said that the police have never said they thought Roger was murdered. I will try to find evidence in articles linking authorities to this, but his Doenetwork page does say "Foul Play is suspected". Considering the circumstances, this is what I theoretically believe too. I believe if Roger had planned to kill himself, he would have done it at home. People say that maybe he wanted to spare his parents, but if this were the case, wouldn't he know that "hiding" his own body and them not knowing what happened would be torture? Most people who hang themselves kill themselves at home. Now, if Roger were to shoot himself, this would mean he would have stolen a gun without anybody knowing-because if a gun was missing from the Ellison home, I think police would suspect suicide--and walked deep, deep into the woods.
No suicide letter, nothing to comfort his grieving parents. His family who knew him best, his closest friends, none of them have come forward saying Roger was suicidal or had ever been depressed. He seemed "preoccupied" in the month leading up to his disappearance, but so do many teenagers. Maybe his mind was on the ski trip, maybe he had his eyes on someone new. That does not equate suicide contemplation or a secret plan to leave without a trace forever.
Pash is the only person who has come forward putting forth a Freudian assignment theory that revealed some hidden secret in Roger's life. Do we even know if this even happened? Well, you are free to believe whatever you'd like to believe. But the theory that Roger would run away is really not based on any evidence. First off, he left his clothing. Do you not think a teenager would at least pack a small bag? An extra jacket or change of clothing? A birth certificate? A letter to parents who would miss him? His money? Do you really think he would not tell or contact any of his friends? And even if he did, do you think those friends would watch his family suffering and an innocent man having the finger pointed at him? Would they not let it slip eventually?
Would a seemingly sheltered teenage boy have the capacity to lead an assumed identity with no money for the rest of his life? This is what leads me to my theory that one lone person did it. A group of individuals, in my opinion, would crack sooner or later. We see it time and time again. One person tells one person and there are rumours or that person tells the police. And to my knowledge, the only rumours have been surrounded John Pash. They still do; check internet posts where people claim to have been a student of his and say he took advantage.
A young, hip adult. A young, impressionable young man. An inappropriate relationship. An advance that was rejected. A threat to go to school officials, the police, the community. A wife and children to protect. People, Roger was not involved in any heavy duty drug group; this is Cedaredge! He was an athlete. What are the three things involved in most murders? Love, revenge or money. Roger was a young man, he did not have any money. He seemingly had no enemies who would kill him over a revenge, and if he did, they would be fellow teenagers. And teenagers are usually short sighted, irrational, and sloppy. That leaves love. Roger didn't have a girlfriend. If he were involved with another student, again, I think they would be sloppy.
That leads me to believe he was killed for an illicit love affair with an adult who did not want it revealed. Who meticulously planned and carried it out, got rid of the body with much foresight and adult knowledge in where to put it so nobody found it. Did he have a father or trustworthy relative to help him? A spouse who was dependent on him and willing to help the husband cover their tracks and spare the children the grief? A spouse who would provide an alibi, even? That could even fit in with the two poacher's theory, as well.
All my opinion.
