Identified! FL - Big Cypress Natl Preserve, Male Hiker, Denim & “Mostly Harmless” July 2018 - Vance Rodriguez #3

[JudgeJoe]

Someone mentioned Obsidian and I have spoken to her. She’s really lovely and genuinely heartbroken over this. She said they were both introverts and enjoyed each other’s company. She said he ate a lot of candy and had knee pain and was obsessed with caloric content- getting the most calories per serving (many hikers are) and that she never saw him write anything.

That’s super interesting. I think it’s the little stuff that may help ID him. What specific high-calorie foods? What brands? Where did he obtain them? What candy? Did he take/wear anything special for his knee pain? Every single tiny detail Obsidian could recall might end up being important. The notebook is unique for sure- but what if it wasn’t even his?

 

[branmuffin]

I have a question about Denim's timeline.

April 2017 -
He told people he started hiking in New York in April 2017. Possibly was wearing jeans when he started hiking which is where he said his trail name “Denim” came from.

Was this timeline an actual meeting between hikers and Denim in April 2017 or was it based on what he TOLD hikers he met later on the trail ?

 

[branmuffin]

That’s super interesting. I think it’s the little stuff that may help ID him. What specific high-calorie foods? What brands? Where did he obtain them? What candy? Did he take/wear anything special for his knee pain? Every single tiny detail Obsidian could recall might end up being important. The notebook is unique for sure- but what if it wasn’t even his?

There are images of Denim wearing a knee brace.

 

[Narkj]

I heard he started in both Harriman and/or Bear Mountain: they are adjacent to one another.

 

[Narkj]

He took ibuprofen for the knee pain.

 

[K9Enzo]

Schizophrenic? Body temperature abnormalities...

Agree with both of these suggestions. Also, a prepared hiker would have the essentials for unpredictable weather, including a jacket in FL temps.

 

[branmuffin]

It's not something I like to think about but is it possible some random hiker(s) may have ripped off Denim while he was in his tent. Not actually entering his tent to rob him but maybe taking his jacket if it was hanging on a branch. The two hikers who called LE actually looked in his tent. If other hikers called out to him and he didn't respond it could have been a crime of opportunity. There is an image of Denim on the Namus website where it appears he has an extra pair of shoes hanging from his backpack. Also his watch has never been inventoried in his belongings.

 

[branmuffin]

Agree with both of these suggestions. Also, a prepared hiker would have the essentials for unpredictable weather, including a jacket in FL temps.

He did have a jacket, a Brooks Range Mountaineering jacket. There's images of Denim wearing it.

And based on the interviews from hikers who met and interacted with Denim on the trail, none of them vocalized impressions of him exhibiting odd or bizarre behaviors. His notebook appears to be the product of an ordered mind.

 

[K9Enzo]

He did have a jacket, a Brooks Range Mountaineering jacket. There's images of Denim wearing it.

And based on the interviews from hikers who met and interacted with Denim on the trail, none of them vocalized impressions of him exhibiting odd or bizarre behaviors. His notebook appears to be the product of an ordered mind.

Thank you. I kind of remember a jacket being part of the inventory.

For me personally, I’m on the fence about his notebook writings & the contents. It reminds me of a friends brother who was obsessed with writing a meaningless series of numbers over & over. They met something to him only. Of course, this might not all be the case & he was a wonder mind.

Another concern for me and his state of mind, is him starving to death & his final campsite not being that far away from a well traveled road. He had cash for food. There are some that have speculated traffic maybe even being heard in the distance. All my opinion.

 

[MadMcGoo]

Has anyone analyzed the GoPro footage? I’ve watched / listened to it dozens of times but I’m curious if anyone else has picked up anything from that video. You can’t hear him well but there are a few times his voice volume spikes and you can make out a few words or short sentences. Being from Texas myself, I almost hear a southern accent, or a ‘twang’ in certain words I can make out...

I’m sure there’s a way to reduce background noise and isolate more of *just* his voice, although I haven’t a clue how to do as much. LOL

**Random thoughts**

 

[branmuffin]

Thank you. I kind of remember a jacket being part of the inventory.

For me personally, I’m on the fence about his notebook writings & the contents. It reminds me of a friends brother who was obsessed with writing a meaningless series of numbers over & over. They met something to him only. Of course, this might not all be the case & he was a wonder mind.

Another concern for me and his state of mind, is him starving to death & his final campsite not being that far away from a well traveled road. He had cash for food. There are some that have speculated traffic maybe even being heard in the distance. All my opinion.

The jacket doesn't show up in his personal belongings.

 

[carbuff]

Has anyone analyzed the GoPro footage? I’ve watched / listened to it dozens of times but I’m curious if anyone else has picked up anything from that video. You can’t hear him well but there are a few times his voice volume spikes and you can make out a few words or short sentences. Being from Texas myself, I almost hear a southern accent, or a ‘twang’ in certain words I can make out...

I’m sure there’s a way to reduce background noise and isolate more of *just* his voice, although I haven’t a clue how to do as much. LOL

**Random thoughts**

I agree I hear something in his voice--I thought it sounded almost like Northern Ireland maybe? But it's just a hint and the recording as you say isn't that clear.

I hate to keep beating a dead horse but I think he used the Brooklyn/Baton Rouge thing to explain his accent when people asked him where he was from, and he's really from somewhere else altogether.

 

[branmuffin]

Thank you. I kind of remember a jacket being part of the inventory.

For me personally, I’m on the fence about his notebook writings & the contents. It reminds me of a friends brother who was obsessed with writing a meaningless series of numbers over & over. They met something to him only. Of course, this might not all be the case & he was a wonder mind.

Another concern for me and his state of mind, is him starving to death & his final campsite not being that far away from a well traveled road. He had cash for food. There are some that have speculated traffic maybe even being heard in the distance. All my opinion.

According to LE, Denim's location was at Noble Camp which is about 5 miles due north of I-75 as it runs across the state from Fort Lauderdale to Naples. I suppose it is possible that traffic sounds could be audible that distance from a major highway. I know sound travels quite a difference over water, but I'm not so sure when swamp, cypress and mangrove are part of the terrain.

 

[SugarQueen]

Keeping in mind that his backpack wasn’t included in the item inventory I’m not sure we know if he still had his jacket. Unless someone has asked LE it may have been with him, or he may have dropped it in a hiking donation box along the way. Moo

 

[Owutatangledweb]

Does anyone have a Twitter account? On the Screeps forum there is a poster who made 9 comments in April 2017. @Narkj has already asked on Screeps if there has been any more activity after that date and the answer was no. Kudos to @Narkj! The poster's avatar name was ben2. I checked on Twitter to see if there was someone with that handle. There is; they joined in 2006. Unfortunately, they have never made any comments but they have 89 followers. I just wondered if someone with a Twitter account could see who some of the followers are and see if they have any connection to gaming or computers. It's ben @ben2. Thanks.

There's also a ben2 who posted on a website called Steam Community which is about creating games but I don't see any activity. I have a feeling it may be a common name online.

As in Ben Bilamy? Hmmmm. Interesting.

 

[carbuff]

As in Ben Bilamy? Hmmmm. Interesting.

Ben is a common name though.

 

[branmuffin]

I can't make up my mind whether Denim provided a backstory that was true or a combination of truth and misdirection. Maybe the really personal things were true (bullying father and worked in IT) but his place of residence was not.

He's said a couple of times he was going to visit his sister in NOLA or an aunt in either Sarasota or Fort Myers. Maybe he'd already visited his aunt (if he was telling the truth). Apparently Big Cypress Preserve is the end of the Florida Trail so for him to get to Key West he'd have to go east to hike the Keys. He'd literally reached the end of the trail.

 

[spazzysteph]

Didn't it say that the Russian student hiker guy disappeared in 2010? Those times don't match up though...

 

[Valiant]

I think it's quite possible near the end he was shedding things. Things he wouldn't need - like the jacket. Things he didn't want found - like any ID.

I feel he intentionally didn't want to be identified and took steps to make sure that was the case.

 

[branmuffin]

Yes, the posts @ben2 was mentioned in are sort of generic/appear to be ads. He IS followed by a hiking page, Alabama roll tide, & some tech stuff? Also, one person checking in on him July 2018. Let me click around on that more...

It's interesting that someone checked on him around the time Denim's body was found. I wonder if the person wondered if it was him.