Identified! FL - Big Cypress Natl Preserve, Male Hiker, Denim & “Mostly Harmless” July 2018 - Vance Rodriguez#4

[gfinale]

I would have to go looking, but I do believe it is more than one place.

Trying...I found some sites about him had variations of saying "police were able to confirm that he had also used the alias “Ben Bilemy” to register at several hostels whilst hiking" but I'm not sure they can be trusted.

OK, I have been to enough places that say police say he checked into several hostels with Ben Bilemy to believe it myself. Others can think what they may.

 

[Valiant]

About the wallet, I'm fairly certain both Obsidian and Bob (shop that sold him tent) saw him pull out a wallet. How is it that we are positive he didn't have ID in that wallet? What happened to his wallet and why doesn't anything seem to be made about that?! What if it was lost then found? What if it was stolen?

What if he purposefully disposed of it somewhere along the way?

 

[moonriverfarm]

In a closed thread of this case, Narkj says "FYI, I have learned that MH did have a wallet at one point during the trail and someone witnessed him using a card to pay for something along the way. They were sure of it." Is Narkj or someone else able to say WHO that someone was, whether they said anything else about it and whether they can be contacted. If somebody saw him use a card, with the approx date, time and place, they can probably find the transaction at the store and/or card company, especially knowing what he bought along the way. Even if he used a prepaid card, he probably registered it and it could provide further information. It could show where he bought the card too. Cards must be activated where they're bought before they can be used.

The Visa card that was used cannot be traced - they have already tried. They claim it has been too long. He used it to buy boots - the man who sold the boots remembers the card being used - the receipts were produced but no ID could be made for whatever reason to link a name to the card. It may have even been one of those load-it-yourself Visas.

 

[gfinale]

The Visa card that was used cannot be traced - they have already tried. They claim it has been too long. He used it to buy boots - the man who sold the boots remembers the card being used - the receipts were produced but no ID could be made for whatever reason to link a name to the card. It may have even been one of those load-it-yourself Visas.

Thanks for filling us in, good to know! The expiry date on those cards is a few years. I've bought them lots of times and logged in a year or more later. Most people never use every dollar on them and we can assume he didn't. So, I fail to see that the card would not even still be active now! I'd sure like to know how much the LE looked into that. Uh, why haven't they said whether it was prepaid? He seems to have used cash almost all the time but he uses the card that once. I wonder why.

 

[gfinale]

Why do they think he may be from the Lake George area? Have the police said anything about how they came to that?

 

[wardo27]

I would also argue that the wallet/ID/card was probably disposed of deliberately. There is of course no evidence either way, but to me, it points toward deliberation. It would be unusual for a) a hiker who has hiked for months and hundreds of miles, who is already used to keeping his wallet safe and dry, who went from inexperienced to quite experienced over the course of almost a year, to somehow just lose it, while b) at the very same time retaining his substantial trove of cash.

 

[GatorFL]

In a closed thread of this case, Narkj says "FYI, I have learned that MH did have a wallet at one point during the trail and someone witnessed him using a card to pay for something along the way. They were sure of it." Is Narkj or someone else able to say WHO that someone was, whether they said anything else about it and whether they can be contacted. If somebody saw him use a card, with the approx date, time and place, they can probably find the transaction at the store and/or card company, especially knowing what he bought along the way. Even if he used a prepaid card, he probably registered it and it could provide further information. It could show where he bought the card too. Cards must be activated where they're bought before they can be used.

Obsidian. I think he even posted the receipt on FB but they were unable to figure out the CC number.

 

[GatorFL]

I would also argue that the wallet/ID/card was probably disposed of deliberately. There is of course no evidence either way, but to me, it points toward deliberation. It would be unusual for a) a hiker who has hiked for months and hundreds of miles, who is already used to keeping his wallet safe and dry, who went from inexperienced to quite experienced over the course of almost a year, to somehow just lose it, while b) at the very same time retaining his substantial trove of cash.

And he never mentioned to anybody he lost his wallet. If you lose something on a hike you can have others BOLO for it. Of course he would have needed a way to be in contact for that to happen. So maybe not.

 

[gfinale]

I would also argue that the wallet/ID/card was probably disposed of deliberately. There is of course no evidence either way, but to me, it points toward deliberation. It would be unusual for a) a hiker who has hiked for months and hundreds of miles, who is already used to keeping his wallet safe and dry, who went from inexperienced to quite experienced over the course of almost a year, to somehow just lose it, while b) at the very same time retaining his substantial trove of cash.

I've got something to add to that. Near the end of the AT, Bob said when MH pulled his wallet out to pay for the tent and such, he had a huge amount of cash in it. That would seem to confirm your belief that he kept his cash in his wallet. Maybe he just realized there was no reason to carry it as extra weight but he wasn't too weight sensitive, that's for sure! The question then becomes did he also throw any ID he had or was he not carrying any to begin with.

 

[lonewanderer]

Thanks for filling us in, good to know! The expiry date on those cards is a few years. I've bought them lots of times and logged in a year or more later. Most people never use every dollar on them and we can assume he didn't. So, I fail to see that the card would not even still be active now! I'd sure like to know how much the LE looked into that. Uh, why haven't they said whether it was prepaid? He seems to have used cash almost all the time but he uses the card that once. I wonder why.

I can think of a few.

1) When I first started living abroad, I used cash often. After a while, the amount of coins and change was ridiculous, and I started using card a lot more. This would come in handy especially when trying to have less weight to carry, like hiking.

2) He may have wanted to use the card before he forgot about it. Jumping to the conclusion that the card was prepaid, sometimes cards like that are gifted for birthdays, Christmas, etc. It could have even been gifted on a Visa card from returning something without a receipt and/or as an option from the teller (card or cash refund).

3) He didn't want to stack smaller bills, for use later. If MH was using smaller bills for things, he may have wanted to keep his 1's, 5's, 10's etc to avoid getting lots of change (like mentioned earlier) or using the smaller bills for more accurate and somewhat personal transactions. For instance, if you wanted to buy something from someone else or reimburse them for something etc, you would not want to hand them a 50 or 100. The chances of them having exact or close change is pretty slim.

4) He didn't want to show off a lot of cash being on his person. Thru-hiking and being alone potentially makes you vulnerable. If he had whipped out over $200 in cash, and was counting smaller bills, it could attract some attention to someone looking to shake him down for it. This could especially be the case if large amounts of cash were not in his wallet in particular, but where in a Ziploc bag in his pack etc. Having said that, for this particular point, the card could be used for security to safeguard lots of cash and/or convenience to not have to pull it all out and count.

 

[GatorFL]

I've got something to add to that. Near the end of the AT, Bob said when MH pulled his wallet out to pay for the tent and such, he had a huge amount of cash in it. That would seem to confirm your belief that he kept his cash in his wallet. Maybe he just realized there was no reason to carry it as extra weight but he wasn't too weight sensitive, that's for sure! The question then becomes did he also throw any ID he had or was he not carrying any to begin with. I still say something happened at Big Cypress and not before.

I think @wardo27 means MH chucked the wallet and ID somewhere for his own personal reason, which seems as if he was trying to be anonymous.

 

[lonewanderer]

In a closed thread of this case, Narkj says "FYI, I have learned that MH did have a wallet at one point during the trail and someone witnessed him using a card to pay for something along the way. They were sure of it." Is Narkj or someone else able to say WHO that someone was, whether they said anything else about it and whether they can be contacted. If somebody saw him use a card, with the approx date, time and place, they can probably find the transaction at the store and/or card company, especially knowing what he bought along the way. Even if he used a prepaid card, he probably registered it and it could provide further information. It could show where he bought the card too. Cards must be activated where they're bought before they can be used.

If you look on FaceBook posts from before his death, there is a hiker that mentions in Jan/Feb timeframe of 2018 (timestamped for the post) that he met MH and let MH sit in his truck to warm up on a particularly cold day. The user claims that he gave MH his contact information, and specifically mentions that MH put the contact info into his (MH's) wallet. It seemed really specific to me that the wallet was seen and used by MH. There is the chance, however, that the user said "wallet" referring to MH just putting it away, and not having a literal wallet (though I find that unlikely)

 

[wardo27]

I think @wardo27 means MH chucked the wallet and ID somewhere for his own personal reason, which seems as if he was trying to be anonymous.

Correct. Though, as always, mileage may vary

 

[ks-ch]

Was there any sort of psychiatric evaluation performed? I mean, vehemently hiking the across the country and starving yourself to death..? Is this a bipolar disorder?

 

[JMapes]

All this talk about his wallet gave me this thought...In my life, I have only a few friends, no social media presence, no professional contacts, no employer/coworkers, no close family (parents and siblings are estranged after a childhood of abuse). I also have an invisible disability that keeps me somewhat isolated. I don't talk about it or share much with others beyond the "better do it while I still can" type talk. Thus, people who might care about me if I die, probably just think I'm doing fine and handling my life well on my own.

I could totally see myself seeking out the trail for a personally fulfilling journey, 'finding myself', looking to connect with others taking the same path in life. Not having any support your whole life, but to find it in death...Seeing that there are more people caring about him now than perhaps while he was living. I wonder how that would make MH feel. Would he feel angry that he lived in suffering and loneliness for so long and no one even thought to care about him until his deceased, wasting body was found in the wilderness after so much physical/mental suffering?

It makes me kind of hope, for him, that if he doesn't want his identity known, that he's granted that wish. If those who cared about him could have identified him, perhaps we would already know. It just makes me think he had no one, and lived a life where no one looked out for him.

I'll always wonder what MH wanted, and if he wanted it this way. If he did things to intentionally thwart people from identifying him, or if he planned to meet his end in some way during this excursion. Even if we do find out his identity, maybe he didn't feel that he was important enough to be named in death. This makes me hurt for those who have suffered through life alone, only to receive love much too late to experience it.

 

[gfinale]

I think @wardo27 means MH chucked the wallet and ID somewhere for his own personal reason, which seems as if he was trying to be anonymous.

Part of @wardo27 theory, b), was contingent on MH actually keeping piles of cash in his wallet as opposed to tucking most of it somewhere else and I'm adressing that by saying Bob confirms MH did, in fact, carry piles of cash in the wallet.

 

[Bellaplutt]

All this talk about his wallet gave me this thought...In my life, I have only a few friends, no social media presence, no professional contacts, no employer/coworkers, no close family (parents and siblings are estranged after a childhood of abuse). I also have an invisible disability that keeps me somewhat isolated. I don't talk about it or share much with others beyond the "better do it while I still can" type talk. Thus, people who might care about me if I die, probably just think I'm doing fine and handling my life well on my own.

I could totally see myself seeking out the trail for a personally fulfilling journey, 'finding myself', looking to connect with others taking the same path in life. Not having any support your whole life, but to find it in death...Seeing that there are more people caring about him now than perhaps while he was living. I wonder how that would make MH feel. Would he feel angry that he lived in suffering and loneliness for so long and no one even thought to care about him until his deceased, wasting body was found in the wilderness after so much physical/mental suffering?

It makes me kind of hope, for him, that if he doesn't want his identity known, that he's granted that wish. If those who cared about him could have identified him, perhaps we would already know. It just makes me think he had no one, and lived a life where no one looked out for him.

I'll always wonder what MH wanted, and if he wanted it this way. If he did things to intentionally thwart people from identifying him, or if he planned to meet his end in some way during this excursion. Even if we do find out his identity, maybe he didn't feel that he was important enough to be named in death. This makes me hurt for those who have suffered through life alone, only to receive love much too late to experience it.

Very good way to put it! I really think I agree more and more with this, that he probably wouldn’t want to be identified or else he would have left some sort of trail or note.

I keep coming back to the fact that he had pen and paper and could very easily have written a note and put on the outside of his tent or somewhere at the last campsite if he wanted help, but he didn’t.

He also could have written something as a goodbye letter in his notebooks when he must have realised he was getting worse and worse, but nothing.

It seems so strange starving to death having managed to get proper sustenance for over a year hiking without seemingly getting unwell.

Are there many causes of death that won’t show up in autopsy reports? If he had been bitten by some spider or something?

Why do you guys think the police haven’t published a full list of items he had with him? I heard that his pack was missing from the campsite but was later found but no explanation why or where it was found.

 

[gfinale]

And he never mentioned to anybody he lost his wallet. If you lose something on a hike you can have others BOLO for it. Of course he would have needed a way to be in contact for that to happen. So maybe not.

He also may not have known other hikers could help or wanted to draw attention to losing it.

 

[gfinale]

I can think of a few.

1) When I first started living abroad, I used cash often. After a while, the amount of coins and change was ridiculous, and I started using card a lot more. This would come in handy especially when trying to have less weight to carry, like hiking.

2) He may have wanted to use the card before he forgot about it. Jumping to the conclusion that the card was prepaid, sometimes cards like that are gifted for birthdays, Christmas, etc. It could have even been gifted on a Visa card from returning something without a receipt and/or as an option from the teller (card or cash refund).

3) He didn't want to stack smaller bills, for use later. If MH was using smaller bills for things, he may have wanted to keep his 1's, 5's, 10's etc to avoid getting lots of change (like mentioned earlier) or using the smaller bills for more accurate and somewhat personal transactions. For instance, if you wanted to buy something from someone else or reimburse them for something etc, you would not want to hand them a 50 or 100. The chances of them having exact or close change is pretty slim.

4) He didn't want to show off a lot of cash being on his person. Thru-hiking and being alone potentially makes you vulnerable. If he had whipped out over $200 in cash, and was counting smaller bills, it could attract some attention to someone looking to shake him down for it. This could especially be the case if large amounts of cash were not in his wallet in particular, but where in a Ziploc bag in his pack etc. Having said that, for this particular point, the card could be used for security to safeguard lots of cash and/or convenience to not have to pull it all out and count.

I'm not questioning why he used cards, I use them too, I'm questioning why it's the only purchase anybody has said he made on card and it was way back near the end of the AT so he must have made lots more purchases after that.

 

[lonewanderer]

I'm not questioning why he used cards, I use them too, I'm questioning why it's the only purchase anybody has said he made on card and it was way back near the end of the AT so he must have made lots more purchases after that.

But, how many accounts do we have of him actually buying anything.

He was hiking for a year or so (with assumed breaks) and didn't seem to have outside help.

To be sure he made many purchases, be it with cash or card, without an eyewitness account for each transaction.