Identified! FL - Big Cypress Natl Preserve, Male hiker, "Denim" & "Mostly Harmless", Jul 2018 - Vance Rodriguez

[Laughing]

What if "storage" was somebody's attic or basement, though?

Someone knows his name, knows about his life pre-hike.

Eventually, that person will want the space back, and consider what really happened to that buddy who planned to thru-hike.

That person may even find us & fill us in!

 

[carbuff]

I actually think the signature I saw looked forced-almost to the point where it looked like he was signing a different name and corrected himself mid signature.
View attachment 259305

Yeah, like the letter with the tail below the line, presumably a y, was in the middle of the name rather than at the end.

 

[gfinale]

What if "storage" was somebody's attic or basement, though?

That's not a reason to forget about pursuing the storage unit or other possibilities though What if he didn't use the ATM is not a reason to forget about checking if he used the ATM either, especially when we know the exact ATM he would have used

 

[gfinale]

I think it was Obsidian who said they saw him use a credit card for payment. I think it turned out a prepaid and the police said it led nowhere. However, it's highly unlikely that MH used that card up on that purchase. If he didn't, where did the card go?! Note that we don't know where his wallet went and hence don't even know really whether he had any ID in it. We do know he had a wallet for some time.

 

[carbuff]

I remember one of the people who spoke with Denim mentioned that relative in Florida. Did they say what the relation was, or a particular location in Florida? I've googled but one place said sister, one said aunt. Did anybody here look into it?

 

[MrsWatson]

I'm sorry, trust me to rain on every wedding day.

Someone knows him. He didn't just spring onto earth on the AT. He went to elementary school, middle school, high school, likely further education. He apparently had a job. He bought coffee somewhere. Grocery shopped. Had a car or a bike or a motorcycle. Got his hair cut, went to the dentist or doctor. Someone knows him.

 

[GatorFL]

Palm Beach? That's where I'm from

PM sent!

 

[GatorFL]

I think it was Obsidian who said they saw him use a credit card for payment. I think it turned out a prepaid and the police said it led nowhere. However, it's highly unlikely that MH used that card up on that purchase. If he didn't, where did the card go?! Note that we don't know where his wallet went and hence don't even know really whether he had any ID in it. We do know he had a wallet for some time.

@Narkj did the work on this. The have a receipt from a store in VA but CCSO could not do anything with it. It is unknown if it is a prepaid or something else. Prepaid makes sense, how can he pay a bill from the trail? It's not easy.

 

[gfinale]

Someone knows his name, knows about his life pre-hike.

Eventually, that person will want the space back, and consider what really happened to that buddy who planned to thru-hike.

That person may even find us & fill us in!

Yes, that person could start searching to find him online and end up running into us, especially the more we have about him.

 

[gfinale]

@Narkj did the work on this. The have a receipt from a store in VA but CCSO could not do anything with it. It is unknown if it is a prepaid or something else. Prepaid makes sense, how can he pay a bill from the trail? It's not easy.

I just don't understand how they could not do something with that. They know the date and time of the purchase, where and some of the card numbers. Maybe the card company isn't cooperating is all I can think of.

 

[gfinale]

I'm sorry, trust me to rain on every wedding day.

Someone knows him. He didn't just spring onto earth on the AT. He went to elementary school, middle school, high school, likely further education. He apparently had a job. He bought coffee somewhere. Grocery shopped. Had a car or a bike or a motorcycle. Got his hair cut, went to the dentist or doctor. Someone knows him.

I think there's half a chance someone such as his sister knows and isn't coming forward. The problem with that is we're going to find out and then they're going to look worse.

 

[MrsWatson]

I think there's half a chance someone such as his sister knows and isn't coming forward. The problem with that is we're going to find out and then they're going to look worse.

Which all circles back to, Why was he hiding his identity?

WHY? This is not just "going off grid" or Into the Wild. I feel this was very deliberately planned, and if so, there must be some pretty solid reason?

ETA: I know, preaching to the choir.

 

[carbuff]

Which all circles back to, Why was he hiding his identity?

WHY? This is not just "going off grid" or Into the Wild. I feel this was very deliberately planned, and if so, there must be some pretty solid reason?

ETA: I know, preaching to the choir.

That really is the core of the mystery. You're right that he must have a past, but it sure seems like he did spring into existence on the AT in New York in 2017.

There are so many possibilities. Shame, guilt, fear, depression, desperation. Flight to avoid prosecution. Flight to get away from overwhelming problems. Thrown out by family. What we used to call "midlife crisis." Recovering from grief or trying to find self. Lifestyle mismatch with family.

I could believe a very simple sequence: got laid off from a tech job, decided to hike the ECT since he might never have an unencumbered block of time again, ran into bad luck at the end. But if that was all that was going on, why would he use an alias?

Is Ben Bilemy his real name and we just haven't found it yet?

 

[Canaille]

Yeah, like the letter with the tail below the line, presumably a y, was in the middle of the name rather than at the end.

I'm so glad his signature is in this thread... I was dreading having to look for it.

I used to read a lot about signatures. I fully believe that our handwriting says a lot about what is going on in the brain. I mean, it is the brain that controls what our hands do. And I agree about that "y". The bottom of the B not being closed has meaning, in my opinion.

 

[GatorFL]

That really is the core of the mystery. You're right that he must have a past, but it sure seems like he did spring into existence on the AT in New York in 2017.

There are so many possibilities. Shame, guilt, fear, depression, desperation. Flight to avoid prosecution. Flight to get away from overwhelming problems. Thrown out by family. What we used to call "midlife crisis." Recovering from grief or trying to find self. Lifestyle mismatch with family.

I could believe a very simple sequence: got laid off from a tech job, decided to hike the ECT since he might never have an unencumbered block of time again, ran into bad luck at the end. But if that was all that was going on, why would he use an alias?

Is Ben Bilemy his real name and we just haven't found it yet?

Agreed about the mystery and the possibilities. I also think the answer is much simpler than a huge wild goose chase. It could have been a spur of the moment decision to hike, it could have been a spur of the moment decision to use the alias.

I think on the CCSO podcasts that they said they looked into all the Ben Bilemy's out there and quickly determined that none of them MH.

I wonder if @othram can give us an update where they are at with the forensic genealogy. They must be pretty well along by now.

 

[branmuffin]

@Narkj did the work on this. The have a receipt from a store in VA but CCSO could not do anything with it. It is unknown if it is a prepaid or something else. Prepaid makes sense, how can he pay a bill from the trail? It's not easy.

Cant you pay Bill's using an ATM? People do it all the time in Canada (and they drive me crazy when all I want to do is withdraw $$$).

 

[GatorFL]

Cant you pay Bill's using an ATM? People do it all the time in Canada (and they drive me crazy when all I want to do is withdraw $$$).

You can with a computer. Not an ATM though. A lot of hikers who are gone for an extended period have a person at home that pays bills on their behalf.

 

[branmuffin]

Yeah, like the letter with the tail below the line, presumably a y, was in the middle of the name rather than at the end.

There's a French Canadian name around where I live. Bolyea.

 

[branmuffin]

Agreed about the mystery and the possibilities. I also think the answer is much simpler than a huge wild goose chase. It could have been a spur of the moment decision to hike, it could have been a spur of the moment decision to use the alias.

I think on the CCSO podcasts that they said they looked into all the Ben Bilemy's out there and quickly determined that none of them MH.

I wonder if @othram can give us an update where they are at with the forensic genealogy. They must be pretty well along by now.

Except there doesnt appear to be even ONE Ben Bilemy in the whole wide world. They didn't eliminate anyone.

 

[branmuffin]

You can with a computer. Not an ATM though. A lot of hikers who are gone for an extended period have a person at home that pays bills on their behalf.

Really there isnt one bank in America that let's people pay their bills at an ATM? That seems weird to me.