I'm moving away from suicide. If the rifle in the water was his it may have been an accidental drowning. He may have done a lot of thinking and put some planning into running away. Maybe going hunting was an excuse so he could leave the house. His parents called so soon after he went missing they may have been keeping very close tabs on him and he felt if he said he was going to visit a friend they would check. Also I think the way he was not happy with society may have been due to his sexuality and he wanted to be some place away from negative attitudes. Guess I am just hopefull.
Good points!
I agree. If Dermot would have said he was going to a friend's house, his parents would have checked up on him most likely. He may have gone away to do a lot of thinking....A LOT OF THINKING. And perhaps coming from a large family with so much conflict in it, especially if Dermot had revealed or was found out that he was gay, along with the conservative issues of the parents, pushing Dermot into areas and venues where he did not want to go, it is possible that the only way out of his daily troubles was to leave, forever.
Maybe he thought at the river for such a long time, meditation and reflecting on so many things, that he could have become totally oblivious to the bitter cold. Dermot may have been so determined on planning his new life, that his thought-process became a self-induced trance. If WS finds out that his boots and jacket were scattered haphazardly, it is possible that hypothermia played a role, in which case he could have died that day. Or Dermot could have gotten up, slipped, on the ice, and fell into the water. Dermot may not have been able to save himself if those currents were very strong and the water was extremely deep. Actually, hypothermia and/or drowning could have played a role in both of these events. The air temperature was only above 12 degrees above zero that day. I don't know the temperature of the water.
The idea of Dermot arranging to be picked up by a river vessel makes this case even more fascinating. I wonder if he did that, let's say that he did, how would he go about contacting the people and ship to take him on an adventure to his "new life?" I wonder what his story would be? Something tells me it would be extremely interesting but very sad at the same time. I wonder if at the time, and in the weeks afterwords, did LE actually SEARCH shipping vessel records looking for any clues of Dermot boarding such a vessel and to where? Or did they just assume that he had drowned in the river, or even thought of suicide when his rifle was found? LE would not have considered the strong possibility of the reason why Dermot had to run away, because he either revealed, or it was found out that he was gay, and his parents could not take that. (If the issues of homosexuality in Dermot's case are true. I think there is enough circumstantial evidence to support this.)
The gay theory being revealed and his parents insistence of conformity to their anti-gay beliefs, strong Catholic Religion background in the family, and potential abusive relationships in the home may have given Dermot no other choice but to leave. If hospital records show admittance of DK in the Fall of 1971 for Conformity Therapy, that would indicate to me at least that although his running away from home was voluntary, he felt forced into doing that because in Dermot's mind, there were no other options.
And if he talked about this with the new acquaintances and potential friends he made at the clinic, that could have given support and determination in Dermot's mind to do this. He certainly knew about the hippie movement and the newfound cultural identities that assimilated his thoughts and feelings. "Here are the people who think as I feel." And at the clinic, assuming that the "medical treatment" was for conforming therapy, Dermot was smart enough to know that many of the patients there were forced to go to "treatment?" by their parents.
Dermot sought escape, I believe that he thought, "I have to sever all ties with my family, education, and my parents strict conservative views. Their views and life-choices are just not for me. Everything that they say and do, just goes completely against my hopes and my dreams. They will never understand, and I can't spend the rest of my life like this. even waiting till I'm eighteen, another two years to do this legally, I can't wait. I'm going to make a new life on my own, and do it completely on my own."
How far he got in planning that new life, may have been less than a day, or a much longer period of time. DK's case is really a powerful thought-provoking set of complex circumstances. Dermot showed great courage, passion, and compassion, during this ordeal. Very sad that more people did not listen to him, as I believe Dermot has a better focus on life than most adults.
He just seems like such a kind and loving person!
Satch
