I too think he went off the grid voluntarily. And most likely he’s alive rather than having killed himself. So much so that I’ll feel guilty if he turns up dead.
He spent years learning the ins and outs of international air travel, and probably rubbed shoulders w/more than one high roller with private plane. Also likely he had direct or indirect access to United reservation systems and could have booked a commercial flight for himself under an assumed name and used fake ID. It would have taken some doing but we know he was under investigation for something at the time of his disappearance, a sign he might bend the law if it suited him.
Could he bypass the reservation system altogether by showing up at the gate, flashing his United ID and sauntering down the gateway to freedom? Does anyone here have airline operations experience and could chime in on ways a company executive might get on a plane with no paper trail? Or would that be impossible?
The timing of placing the home in a trust and immediate home sale convinces me his disappearance was a premeditated It’s possible the Executor/Trustee/POA was oblivious to Jake’s plan. Perhaps Jake gave them the explanation because he [pick one: travels to dangerous places/was sick and dying/feared a fatal plane crash, etc] he wants give Uncle Utah full Trustee power so Jake’s kids would be taken care of in the event of his death. As a result of the trust, should he die assets would be immediately available to heirs rather than tied up in probate. And if the Executor’s relationship w/Jake’s ex isn’t good, the desire to make sure the kid’s inheritance can’t be squandered by a greedy ex-wife would seem reason enough to justify the arrangement.
On the other hand, putting all personal assets in a trust executed by a co-conspiring Trustee would be a great way to maintain access to your money without exposing your whereabouts. Numbered bank accounts, mutual funds and new entrepreneurial endeavors all possible, ensuring Jake’s lifestyle can be maintained wherever he is on the planet. AFAIK all perfectly legal. In fact Jake could be living in a house purchased by an LLC formed by the Trust for that specific purpose. As a Realtor I know firsthand there’s no easy way to find the name of LLC owners in publicly available records. At least not in Colorado.
I’m on the fence about the Utah associates involvement. Real Estate sale documents and trust records posted upthread identify the executor, a Utah resident, by name. A later post identified the Executor as Jakes ex-brother-in-law. If he’s the ex-wife’s brother it seems kind of weird for him to be in on the plan without the ex-wife knowing too (though there’s no shortage of “weird” in this case.).
At one point, Jake’s LinkedIn page showed a CEO of a private Executive Service jet company. This would be an easy way to escape w/0 paperwork worry, but then there would be a couple of people who would be witnesses.
Very mystifying!