Identified! FL - Big Cypress Natl Preserve, Male Hiker, Denim & “Mostly Harmless” July 2018 - Vance Rodriguez #2

[Fireflye]

I don’t know if this one has been listed, I don’t recall seeing it, It is a long shot , but who knows. . . William L Meehan missing since 2000 current age would be 52, Features listed in 2000 height 5’10 weight 205 eyes blue though look brown in picture
William L. Meehan – The Charley Project


New Jersey State Police - Missing Persons

 

[Fireflye]

From this article dated May 2017 he is still listed as missing in Middlesex County
Police assist families' search for missing NJ's
http://charleyproject.org/case/william-l-meehan

 

[MadMcGoo]

Hmm...I don’t think William is our guy. His facial features are quite different IMO...but who knows? His disappearance is strange though.

I’m interested to see what BB looks like, or if he’s missing...

 

[carbuff]

Hmm...I don’t think William is our guy. His facial features are quite different IMO...but who knows? His disappearance is strange though.

I’m interested to see what BB looks like, or if he’s missing...

Can you take a look at that obituary? It has a photo at the top. Just wondering if there's a family resemblance.

 

[Bit of hope]

Not long after Denim was discovered, I was reading through just about every hikers’ blog site or page dedicated to trail Angels or Facebook page for all the small businesses along the trail - I was sure there had to be some trace of him prior to this hike. I found nothing! However, I was able to put together a mental image of what occurred during the year or so that Denim was hiking.

I found a couple of hikers who mentioned in their “hikers’ journals” that they had to cut their thru hike short that year for whatever reason. One young girl in particular described becoming ill from a parasite of some sort. I’m 87% positive it had something to do with the water she drank. The only reason I remember her story is because she was on the same trail as Denim and at the same time he would have been in Florida, I think it was.

I have no clue which site I found this on. I tried looking for any other hikers who may have experienced something similar but came up empty. It’s always been in the back of mind though and seeing it here again made me wonder again if this could be what happened to Denim.

I agree with everyone who says he did not look anywhere close to 83 pounds in any of the photos we’ve seen of him. Some photos he definitely looks worn out and even weakly at some points but IMO, he never looked “ill”. That’s a very subjective opinion but he just didn’t strike me as being someone who was suffering from a long term, terminal condition.

I noticed the distended abdomen too and at first glance thought he had something tucked inside his waistband and underneath his shirt. Maybe a bag of goodies he picked up at one of the trail angel drop places. It almost reminded me of someone who had a colostomy bag, if that makes sense. But it was hard for me to determine, those were just my immediate observations.

Another crazy thought to cross my mind a couple of times...what are the chances that the man found dead in that tent is not actually the man we see in all of these photographs??? It seems that no sooner than the composite drawing was released did every media outlet begin reporting this unidentified hiker who, all of a sudden, several people recalled meeting and even photographing - yet he still could not be identified?

I admit that I don’t believe the chances of that being the case are very likely at all, but other than the more common reasons why people go unidentified for long periods of time, I couldn’t help but add that possibility to the list.

This probably doesn’t add anything of value to our search but I can’t help but think of Denim all over again. Someone is undoubtedly missing him, wherever they may be.

Nice thinking....a parasite..very possible. You would become suddenly very ill and loosing weight very quickly. I don't think you have crazy thoughts at all @MadMcGoo, stepping out of the box can sometimes be very help full....what if it's not the same guy...never crossed my mind before.

 

[MadMcGoo]

Thanks BOH! I’d think more of it if the CCSO hadn’t been so active in trying to identify him. And I think they may know a little bit more than what’s been released... the Lake George connection, for example, that’s something I have never seen in the comments from other hikers. The parasite theory...hard for me to even think about. I imagine it would be an excruciating way to die.

 

[Bit of hope]

Thanks BOH! I’d think more of it if the CCSO hadn’t been so active in trying to identify him. And I think they may know a little bit more than what’s been released... the Lake George connection, for example, that’s something I have never seen in the comments from other hikers. The parasite theory...hard for me to even think about. I imagine it would be an excruciating way to die.

Also dehydration, where @Tabirey was talking about, sounds very plausible. But also (I don't know who stated it) that it's thinkable, and I don't think the post-mortem measurement is false, he lost weight, his body drying out, in between starting decomposing and found/measured. Could there have been some kind of mummifying proces? Searching for the right words...sorry....

 

[MadMcGoo]

I don’t know how the weather in Florida at the time would have played a part in anything occurring to his body postmortem, but ironically I’ve been reading a University of Florida student’s thesis paper on “Differential Decomposition Patterns Of Human Remains In Variable Environments Of The Midwest”, which is very interesting. It’s rather lengthy, 250 pages but it contains a lot of useful information. Things I hadn’t considered before when it comes to determining PMI (these are obviously going to be common pieces of knowledge to those trained in the field).

Things like, him being found outdoors, in a closed tent, in the shade, lack of animal/insect activity, the general conditions of that area - all would have played a part in rate of decomposition. So, I can’t really answer your question, but based on how the guys who found him described him, he was still in rigor mortis.

Snipped from Wikipedia:
“At the time of death, a condition called "primary flaccidity" occurs. Following this, the muscles stiffen in rigor mortis. All muscles in the body are affected. Starting between two and six hours following death, rigor mortis begins with the eyelids, neck, and jaw. The sequence may be due to different lactic acid levels among different muscles, which is directly related to the difference in glycogen levels and different types of muscle fibers.

Rigor mortis then spreads to the other muscles, including the internal organs, within the next four to six hours. The onset of rigor mortis is affected by the individual's age, sex, physical condition, and muscular build. Rigor mortis generally peaks at 12 hours, and dissipates after 48 hours.”

So, I think that’s why they estimated his death to be “within a few days of his discovery”. But I am not a trained a professional, just an avid seeker of random knowledge

 

[Bit of hope]

I don’t know how the weather in Florida at the time would have played a part in anything occurring to his body postmortem, but ironically I’ve been reading a University of Florida student’s thesis paper on “Differential Decomposition Patterns Of Human Remains In Variable Environments Of The Midwest”, which is very interesting. It’s rather lengthy, 250 pages but it contains a lot of useful information. Things I hadn’t considered before when it comes to determining PMI (these are obviously going to be common pieces of knowledge to those trained in the field).

Things like, him being found outdoors, in a closed tent, in the shade, lack of animal/insect activity, the general conditions of that area - all would have played a part in rate of decomposition. So, I can’t really answer your question, but based on how the guys who found him described him, he was still in rigor mortis.

I probably missed the part about they found him when he was in rigor mortis

Snipped from Wikipedia:
“At the time of death, a condition called "primary flaccidity" occurs. Following this, the muscles stiffen in rigor mortis. All muscles in the body are affected. Starting between two and six hours following death, rigor mortis begins with the eyelids, neck, and jaw. The sequence may be due to different lactic acid levels among different muscles, which is directly related to the difference in glycogen levels and different types of muscle fibers.

Rigor mortis then spreads to the other muscles, including the internal organs, within the next four to six hours. The onset of rigor mortis is affected by the individual's age, sex, physical condition, and muscular build. Rigor mortis generally peaks at 12 hours, and dissipates after 48 hours.”

So, I think that’s why they estimated his death to be “within a few days of his discovery”. But I am not a trained a professional, just an avid seeker of random knowledge

I missed that part he was still in rigor mortis. It doesn't sound that he was in a kind of mummifying state (yet?). For now the loosing weight theory while decomposing goes out the door.

 

[MadMcGoo]

@Bit of hope I don’t think it’s stated he was still in rigor, but the witnesses described him as very stiff with a fixed stare...well, the image that was initially released - where his mouth is slightly open and his eyes wide open - THAT’S what they described, so I’m just *advertiser censored*uming he was still in that state! Eta: their description combined with the estimated PMI

 

[neesaki]

Just a thought; "Mostly Harmless" doesn't imply safe or harmless just "mostly". I wonder why he chose this handle. I wonder what it conveyed about his self image and what he might have done or been capable of. Just a thought.

Well, I’m sure most of us are wondering at least a little, why he went so totally off the grid. Could he have been running from someone, or done something illegal ?

Have any of the major news networks reported on this case? Would be great if they did, someone who recognizes him might see it. I’m thinking CNN, FOX NEWS, HLN, MSNBC.

 

[Gardener1850]

One doesn’t normally choose their own handle while hiking a trail. It’s given to you by other hikers on the trail. It sounds like others named him Denim originally because he was hiking in jeans which isn’t typical these days. I wonder if someone else also gave him the Mostly Harmless handle and why they would do so?

The Collier County podcast had an interview with a hiker who met him and she described how he got the name "Mostly Harmless". The story goes that a group of hikers were sitting around a campfire and Denim was by himself a little distance away. The hikers inviting him to join them at the fire, "as long as he didn't bite" (Or some similar joking expression, I forget what exactly the hiker said) to which Denim laughed and replied, "I'm mostly harmless". The hikers around the fire thought that he was giving his Trail Name, so they said, "Hi, Mostly Harmless," and introduced themselves with their Trail Names. From then on, his Trail Name was "Mostly Harmless". However, the majority of hikers that met him knew him as Denim. He was Denim for the entire time he hiked on the Appalachian Trail. The Mostly Harmless name was picked up either on the Pinhoti Trail or the Florida Trail.

 

[Sillybilly]

ADMIN NOTE:

Please do not sleuth people who are not known to be missing.

Thank you.

 

[neesaki]

Don't all states require some sort of fingerprinting for Drivers Licensing ? I'm in Texas and they do our thumbprint.

 

[UnlicensedPI]

Don't all states require some sort of fingerprinting for Drivers Licensing ? I'm in Texas and they do our thumbprint.

Definitely not. I'm in MA and I've never had to do anything for a DL except learn how to drive and pay the fee

 

[neesaki]

I had not seen this article , it's from February 2019. It says they have disseminated posters to NYC media outlets, and were waiting on COD from medical examiner. Surely they would have that by now.

“They were doing a day hike, found the camp site, and wanted to take a rest,” Fairbanks said of the hikers who allegedly discovered Mostly Harmless’s body. “They kept hollering out, but nobody answered, and there were shoes outside, so they assumed he was there. Then one of them peeked in the tent, and that’s how they found him.”

Local investigators believe Mostly Harmless had ties to both Louisiana and New York State, and police with the Florida sheriff’s office in August disseminated posters to New York City media outlets hoping to find anyone who knew the hiker.

Sunshine State investigators are still waiting for the local medical examiner to determine the hiker’s cause of death, but detectives believe he may have died of starvation, or succumbed to a pre-existing, fatal condition that compelled him to embark on the interstate trek, according to a podcast the Collier County Sheriff’s Office released earlier this month.

But there are mitigating facts that undermine those theories, including an abundance of food sources near Mostly Harmless’s place of death, and the testimony of fellow hikers he met on his journey, including Fairbanks, who said the deceased spoke optimistically of his plans for the future, such as his intention to settle in Key West.

“He sounded like he had plans,” she said.

Anyone with information regarding Mostly Harmless should call the Collier County Sheriff’s Office at (239) 774—4434.

Reach reporter Colin Mixson at cmixson@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-4505.

 

[Suglo]

The Collier County podcast had an interview with a hiker who met him and she described how he got the name "Mostly Harmless". The story goes that a group of hikers were sitting around a campfire and Denim was by himself a little distance away. The hikers inviting him to join them at the fire, "as long as he didn't bite" (Or some similar joking expression, I forget what exactly the hiker said) to which Denim laughed and replied, "I'm mostly harmless". The hikers around the fire thought that he was giving his Trail Name, so they said, "Hi, Mostly Harmless," and introduced themselves with their Trail Names. From then on, his Trail Name was "Mostly Harmless". However, the majority of hikers that met him knew him as Denim. He was Denim for the entire time he hiked on the Appalachian Trail. The Mostly Harmless name was picked up either on the Pinhoti Trail or the Florida Trail.

Thank you! I forgot that part of the podcast. I need to listen to it again this week.

 

[Narkj]

Hey all, two things. 1. I think I'm getting the COD. Will update when I can.

2. Had anyone seen this photo of him from Pennsylvania in 2017? I'm not sure if it was widely circulated or not. It's definitely him. Gives a unique perspective. He's third up from bottom on the left. What ethnicity do you suppose Mostly Harmless is? He seemed to have an olive complexion.

 

[neesaki]

Hey all, two things. 1. I think I'm getting the COD. Will update when I can.

2. Had anyone seen this photo of him from Pennsylvania in 2017? I'm not sure if it was widely circulated or not. It's definitely him. Gives a unique perspective. He's third up from bottom on the left. What ethnicity do you suppose Mostly Harmless is? He seemed to have an olive complexion.

That would be great, thank you !
Thanks for the photo too, haven't seen it before.

 

[K9Enzo]

That photo was discussed in length. I believe in this thread even.

I also believe the discussion centered around the church (believe this was the location of the supper) said it was not MH. Many of us, including myself, believe it's absolutely him.