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

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I could not open one of the links to the story on the Kevin Mitchell link at websleuths thread but here is what the wife said in that story...

His wife, Nicole Mitchell, says their web history shows he spent hours searching remote locations on Google Maps.
“I’m not sure he really wants to be found right now,” she said.

It was also said on one of the missing posters to be vigilant as his appearances may have changed....

Not sure why they chalked him up as presumed dead so soon when it seems obvious the wife had a insinuated (more than once) he didn't want to be found...
"He might have walked along the railroad tracks or highway to a different hiking location. He might have been picked up hitchhiking or found alternate means to leave the general search area. We are unsure."
Troopers suspend search for missing Anchorage man
 
They definitely look like each other but they’re not the same man. At least not imo. His nose, eyebrows and smile are off. I believe his case is also on namus and authorities claimed they’ve all been ruled out.

[edit] I forgot to put in the quote about Kevin Mitchell. Here’s the link to his namus page: Missing Person Case
 
A lot about Kevin matches..Time of disappearance, hiker but not expert, illness, money, tech, height, hair, eye color and no one looking for him...However I agree about the eyes..but mostly his teeth keep me from saying for sure it is the same. While his teeth look perfect, his two front teeth look longer than Denim.

Authorities have not ruled out all on NAMUS. They have put in the information and checked it against the missing, however, a lot of information is missing or incorrect in NAMUS..for instance, Kevin Mitchell is 5'8 not 5'6 as NAMUS has it. Not all cases have DNA, dental or fingerprints to compare with.
 
eucalyptuz said:
I have cross-posted this thread on Sam Sayers' thread as we have many new active hikers on board at WS and hopefully some fresh eyes can help ID our guy:
WA - WA - Samantha Sayers, 28, Vesper Peak, North Cascades, 1 August 2018 #2
Click to expand...

Just FYI, the thread was pulled: Samantha Sayers Discussion Thread Has Been Pulled

(I didn't even get a chance to read it.)

Thanks for trying to spread awareness about our mystery hiker. I really feel like it's just a matter of the right person seeing his photo. He had been off hiking for over a year without any phone and no social media. Non-communication for a couple months may not raise any flags for those who knew him. It may also be the case that his close family members do not use social media much. IMO, this case needs to get on a big national news program.
 
Suglo said:
After reading various blogs by both AT and PCT through hikers, it seems they either are given loaner clothes to wear or they wrap themselves in their sleeping bags or other items they happen to carry. I find the blogs (journals) absolutely fascinating.
Click to expand...
As a thru hiker, I never once saw loaner clothes. Besides, who wants to jump into someone else's clothes that haven't been through the wash?
 
It's only a matter of time until someone recognizes him. It's not 1980 anymore, peoples faces can be seen by millions thanks to the internet. Keep refreshing nameus because someone might start wondering where their son, brother, father, cousin is at. Because he was on a thru hike his family might think he's still hiking.
 
RickshawFan said:
As a thru hiker, I never once saw loaner clothes. Besides, who wants to jump into someone else's clothes that haven't been through the wash?
Click to expand...

This is neither here nor there with regards to our guy, but many hostels, guest houses and lodges seem to offer this service...
for eg:
Laundry(soap/wash/dry) is $3 per load. We also have town clothes for you to wear while you are washing your clothes.
Click to expand...
Laundry – Appalachian Trail Lodge

I guess when you are wearing 1 -maybe 2- sets of clothing 24/7 for many days of high level exercise you may become less fussy in the big picture :)
 
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I have had others I have followed fairly closely but Denim is different. I find it difficult to remember why we are looking when all his photos are so full of life. I know that twinkle in his eye when he smiles lit up a room. He hasn’t been forgotten. He just hasn’t been found. You will go home Denim!
 
Coffee56 said:
I have had others I have followed fairly closely but Denim is different. I find it difficult to remember why we are looking when all his photos are so full of life. I know that twinkle in his eye when he smiles lit up a room. He hasn’t been forgotten. He just hasn’t been found. You will go home Denim!
Click to expand...

Well said Coffee56. I think it will be obvious it's him when we find him too. There are some missing persons posted that I think have a slight resemblance, but most suggestions just seem to be men who have beards and are the same general age range but are clearly not the same man (IMO). When I look at Denim's photos, every single one is recognizable as the same man to me. Same eyes, same smile. When I found that additional photo of him at the Virginia hostel that I hadn't seen posted yet there was no hesitation on my part to recognize him. I was looking through the hostel photos and went, "that's him" automatically. So I think when we see photos of him from his life prior to hiking the AT we will know for sure (or at least I will). I hope he is identified soon.
 
Not a major update or much to work off of, but I was doing a quick scan on some sites for any updates and found a quote from an employee at ‘Mountain Crossings’, where Denim was seen shopping. This was on the AppalachianTrail subreddit 17 days ago:
“He had a big wad of cash when he paid at Mountain Crossings. It was alarming how much cash he had.
That has been frustrating since the moment the body was discovered. We checked the credit card transactions juuuust to make sure.”

In my opinion this adds to the theory that he was really trying to get away from something or off the grid - A (supposedly) relatively new hiker that decides to head out with no cell phone, GPS assistance, or credit cards, AND uses a fake name at hostels. Many hikers mentioned being surprised that he didn’t have a cell phone or GPS even for emergency situations.
Obviously not based on anything but my own observations, but my opinion is that Denim was dealing with a personal issue like a terminal illness (mentioned not knowing how long he’d be able to keep going), and/or maybe even something like a divorce or family matter. Even if he was lying about his history with software development or NYC, it looks to me like he left a situation where he had money and knew this big trip would be his “last hurrah”. To me, the lack of self regard suggests a lot more than just a naive hiker or guy that wanted to get away for a little while.
 
Re: Cash and logistics

I think it is interesting to think about his available funds....
From what I read about thru-hiking, it can be anywhere from a frugal experience to a lux hotel holiday with some hiking thrown in. I think our guy was at the very fiscally conservative end of that scale:
-Used hostels only when necessary
-Was reported to have worked for lodging in at least one location
-Was hiking without maps or GPS assistance in Florida and with some equipment of cheaper brands.

The biggest expense a hiker will face is the initial output for good, lightweight equipment and this is followed by "town days" with hotels/hostels and shopping for food. But accommodation is often seen as an avoidable expense for those trying to do it on a tight budget...and many will search for free/bartered lodgings if possible and if not, will return to the trail to sleep.

Any sizable wad of cash may seem hefty in a world where most pay by credit/debit card so it's hard to know how much he was carrying from the employee at the outdoor store...

"The Appalachian Trail Conservancy recommends $1,000 per month for the average hiker thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail. Given the average completion time of five to seven months, total on-trail spending can be from $5-7,000 per person..."

But, for a year living frugally, after camping gear has been purchased - and not including NP permits and fees - I would think $5000 could do it. This kind of sum of money is within reach of many people without too much trouble (savings, investments, cash out any accessible retirement funds, selling of valuable items)...
...but for others it could ring alarm bells for the people left behind (red letters from credit agencies if you had a few credit cards you maxxed them all out on cash advances etc)

And I think it will probably be the alarm bells ringing for those left behind that will eventually lead to the ID this guy. A car being re-possessed, a summons turning up at a past address, etc...

ETA...for what it's worth: I think he probably had ID (and perhaps some other documents/items) that may have identified him and that he destroyed/buried/hid them not far from his final campsite in Florida.
 
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