MT MT - Paul Batson, 45, Stillwater Co, 29 Apr 2018

[inmyhumbleopinion]

I cannot find any MSM links to the surveillance tape story. I went through all the links in the thread. If @ArcadeKris comes back, maybe she or he can give us more insight.

I wasn’t able to, either. Hopefully, ArcadeKris comes back.

One thing I find interesting:

As most MSM articles on Paul’s disappearance do, Stillwater County Sheriff’s Office’s FB page says “His [Paul’s] vehicle was located in Reed Point Sunday evening, April 29th, 2018.”

https://www.facebook.com/StillwaterCSO/posts/1917625741604695

However:

“At approximately 12:23 p.m. the following day, a Stillwater County Sheriff’s deputy responded to a call about Batson’s abandoned 2016 Dodge Charger that was parked on the street across from the gas station in Reed Point. Batavia, Ill., police were contacted in an effort to locate a phone number, but a number was not found. The deputy wrote on the car’s window for Batson to call the sheriff’s office.

At 8:35 p.m., dispatch got a ‘delayed hit’ on the car, and learned the owner had been reported as missing by the Bozeman PD the previous day. A deputy returned to the location and noted the vehicle was “extremely clean” and the only items missing appeared to be Batson’s cell phone and his wallet. People in the area were questioned, but none remembered seeing a man that matched Batson’s description.

The car was impounded and a search for Batson was launched immediately.” (BBM)

https://www.stillwatercountynews.com/content/without-trace

So how do LE know Paul’s car was already in Reed Point Sunday evening when they weren’t made aware of it until 12:23 p.m. the next day? Perhaps it was caught on camera, possibly belonging to the gas station across the street.

Also:

“Batson was last heard from at approximately 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 29, when he told his girlfriend he was at the Bozeman Public Library and had a meeting with the Bozeman Postal Service the following morning, April 30, according to police reports. (BBM)

https://www.stillwatercountynews.com/content/without-trace

And:

“Batson last sent a text to his girlfriend in Illinois on Sunday from Montana, Batson-List said. There haven't been any texts or phone calls since. (BBM)

Batson's girlfriend reported him missing after speaking with Batson's family and calling hospitals and hotels in the Bozeman area, Batson-List said.”

http://www.dailyherald.com/news/201...ing-under-suspicious-circumstances-in-montana

I wonder if Paul said something concerning in the text. Had he picked up a hitchhiker? Did he sound despondent? It would have been sent after they spoke around 4 p.m. on Sunday when he said he was at the library in Bozeman, and she reported him missing the same night.

It sounds like maybe there was something in that text the girlfriend immediately found concerning.

 

[Aescwynn]

I wasn’t able to, either. Hopefully, ArcadeKris comes back.

One thing I find interesting:

As most MSM articles on Paul’s disappearance do, Stillwater County Sheriff’s Office’s FB page says “His [Paul’s] vehicle was located in Reed Point Sunday evening, April 29th, 2018.”

https://www.facebook.com/StillwaterCSO/posts/1917625741604695

However:

“At approximately 12:23 p.m. the following day, a Stillwater County Sheriff’s deputy responded to a call about Batson’s abandoned 2016 Dodge Charger that was parked on the street across from the gas station in Reed Point. Batavia, Ill., police were contacted in an effort to locate a phone number, but a number was not found. The deputy wrote on the car’s window for Batson to call the sheriff’s office.

At 8:35 p.m., dispatch got a ‘delayed hit’ on the car, and learned the owner had been reported as missing by the Bozeman PD the previous day. A deputy returned to the location and noted the vehicle was “extremely clean” and the only items missing appeared to be Batson’s cell phone and his wallet. People in the area were questioned, but none remembered seeing a man that matched Batson’s description.

The car was impounded and a search for Batson was launched immediately.” (BBM)

https://www.stillwatercountynews.com/content/without-trace

So how do LE know Paul’s car was already in Reed Point Sunday evening when they weren’t made aware of it until 12:23 p.m. the next day? Perhaps it was caught on camera, possibly belonging to the gas station across the street.

Excellent catch that completely passed me by!

 

[ThinkThinkThink]

Okay, so last thing we know: he called his girlfriend at 4 p.m. -- said he was at the library. That seems normal, reasonable. He had an interview at the post office the next morning (which has been verified).

So just thinking this through... he has to eat dinner, after the library.

Where did he eat? Anyone see him, in that town? Drive-thru maybe even better, if there was video.

My point is that eating is the next chance to get info on him -- accounts from others.

He's tall -- and with description from his employer that he has "sarcastic" sense of humor -- I'm just not imagining a guy who is naïve or oblivious, or a target, per se... and job of postal carrier, well, I would think you are a constant observer of people.

Random thoughts -- just brainstorming -- throwing it out there.

 

[always reading]

Okay, so last thing we know: he called his girlfriend at 4 p.m. -- said he was at the library. That seems normal, reasonable. He had an interview at the post office the next morning (which has been verified).

So just thinking this through... he has to eat dinner, after the library.

Where did he eat? Anyone see him, in that town? Drive-thru maybe even better, if there was video.

My point is that eating is the next chance to get info on him -- accounts from others.

He's tall -- and with description from his employer that he has "sarcastic" sense of humor -- I'm just not imagining a guy who is naïve or oblivious, or a target, per se... and job of postal carrier, well, I would think you are a constant observer of people.

Random thoughts -- just brainstorming -- throwing it out there.

I wonder if they have checked his credit cards.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[inmyhumbleopinion]

I wonder if they have checked his credit cards.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Not credit cards specifically, but:

“The case has been labeled as ‘suspicious.’ The reason? ‘A lot of people have asked 'why have you said that this is an odd case and is very suspicious' because we haven't come across anything. We've done the normal things that law enforcement does when there's a missing person. We've looked at financials, the cell phone thing, we've done all of that and it's given us nothing," Sgt. Smith said. (BBM)

http://www.kulr8.com/story/38166151/illinois-man-still-missing-last-seen-in-reed-point

 

[ThinkThinkThink]

I wonder if they have checked his credit cards.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Most excellent note, "Always Reading." I would think that's key for LE...I really want to also just know he actually ate dinner... for various reasons I'm sure are obvious to fellow WSers.

 

[roguelady]

Okay, so last thing we know: he called his girlfriend at 4 p.m. -- said he was at the library. That seems normal, reasonable. He had an interview at the post office the next morning (which has been verified).

So just thinking this through... he has to eat dinner, after the library.

Where did he eat? Anyone see him, in that town? Drive-thru maybe even better, if there was video.

My point is that eating is the next chance to get info on him -- accounts from others.

He's tall -- and with description from his employer that he has "sarcastic" sense of humor -- I'm just not imagining a guy who is naïve or oblivious, or a target, per se... and job of postal carrier, well, I would think you are a constant observer of people.

Random thoughts -- just brainstorming -- throwing it out there.

All great points. The bottom line is that he was in Bozeman on Sunday afternoon. He had a job interview the next morning in Bozeman. There is absolutely no reason why he would have ventured out to Reed Point on Sunday evening. He most likely would have gone for a walk or a drive around town, had a drink and maybe some dinner and then called it a night. I wish we had more information - like where was he staying in Bozeman? By now I'm sure they have video cameras checked - did they spot him anywhere? I'm guessing the reason his car was said to be in Reed Point on Sunday evening is that someone saw it parked there and reported it to the police. Also, it was on the security camera (with the extremely suspicious missing 5 minutes.) To me this smacks of foul play or the only other explanation would be that Paul wanted to disappear for some reason. But where did he go?

 

[Elainera]

I agree with roguelady, he seemed to have no reason to drive to Reed Point. Maybe he was bored?

Okay, so last thing we know: he called his girlfriend at 4 p.m. -- said he was at the library. That seems normal, reasonable. He had an interview at the post office the next morning (which has been verified).

So just thinking this through... he has to eat dinner, after the library.

Where did he eat? Anyone see him, in that town? Drive-thru maybe even better, if there was video.

My point is that eating is the next chance to get info on him -- accounts from others.

He's tall -- and with description from his employer that he has "sarcastic" sense of humor -- I'm just not imagining a guy who is naïve or oblivious, or a target, per se... and job of postal carrier, well, I would think you are a constant observer of people.

Random thoughts -- just brainstorming -- throwing it out there.

bbm Expanding on that train of thought, he is possibly easy going with people in general. He has to deal with strangers on a daily basis and is confident in doing so, enjoying it. Being so used to meeting and talking with strangers, maybe he was complacent? It was Sunday early evening, he had nothing to do till his meeting the next morning and a stranger asked him for a ride. Sure, why not?

 

[inmyhumbleopinion]

“Sister of Missing Illinois Man Speaks Out”
Posted: May 11, 2018 5:38 PM EDT
Updated: May 11, 2018 5:45 PM EDT
By Lori Buhring

“REED POINT, Mont. -This Sunday will mark two weeks since Paul Batson, an Illinois man, went missing. He was making a detour through Montana when he disappeared near Reed Point. Work to find Batson continues this weekend.

Batson, 49, was making the detour through the Treasure State on his way home from visiting his sons in Colorado. Batson's sister, Jennifer List, said she is nervously following the ongoing search effort for her brother, from her home in Steamwood, Illinois. Batson had served as a postal worker for two decades in Illinois and according to NBC-Chicago, he had recently taken a transfer in Bozeman.

List explained, ‘He had everything to live for. He has three kids who adore him. He could have retired in another five years. I mean he has a good life.’

[SBM]” (BBM)

http://www.kulr8.com/story/38172356/sister-of-missing-illinois-man-speaks-out

The part I bolded: So was Paul already scheduled to transfer to Bozeman? Or was he scheduled to interview there on Monday, as he told his girlfriend on Sunday?

And according to Google, Bozeman to Reed Point is 1 hr 19 min.

I hate that Paul has been missing for almost two weeks, and it doesn’t sound like LE have much to go on ....

 

[Tssiemer]

I’m sorry but every time I hear Bozeman, Montana I think of that The Big Bang Theory episode where Sheldon moves there to avoid crime and gets robbed at the bus station.

It’s hard to think of anything that nefarious happening out there to someone like me from
Cincinnati Ohio where multiple people get murdered daily almost.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[always reading]

“Sister of Missing Illinois Man Speaks Out”
Posted: May 11, 2018 5:38 PM EDT
Updated: May 11, 2018 5:45 PM EDT
By Lori Buhring

“REED POINT, Mont. -This Sunday will mark two weeks since Paul Batson, an Illinois man, went missing. He was making a detour through Montana when he disappeared near Reed Point. Work to find Batson continues this weekend.

Batson, 49, was making the detour through the Treasure State on his way home from visiting his sons in Colorado. Batson's sister, Jennifer List, said she is nervously following the ongoing search effort for her brother, from her home in Steamwood, Illinois. Batson had served as a postal worker for two decades in Illinois and according to NBC-Chicago, he had recently taken a transfer in Bozeman.

List explained, ‘He had everything to live for. He has three kids who adore him. He could have retired in another five years. I mean he has a good life.’

[SBM]” (BBM)

http://www.kulr8.com/story/38172356/sister-of-missing-illinois-man-speaks-out

The part I bolded: So was Paul already scheduled to transfer to Bozeman? Or was he scheduled to interview there on Monday, as he told his girlfriend on Sunday?

And according to Google, Bozeman to Reed Point is 1 hr 19 min.

I hate that Paul has been missing for almost two weeks, and it doesn’t sound like LE have much to go on ....

I think he only told his girlfriend that, but was there for another reason.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[ThinkThinkThink]

I think he only told his girlfriend that, but was there for another reason.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

I'm sorry for maybe not catching the drift of what you're saying... do you mean he think he was visiting someone else, keeping it hush-hush?

 

[Hazelnutty]

If he was offered the job / transfer --- could there be another person who was up for the job & didn't get it? They crossed paths and had words? Maybe eliminating Paul in order to get the job for themself?



Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J320A using Tapatalk

 

[cybervampira]

Search continues for missing Illinois man nearly two weeks after his car was found in Reed Point

“We don’t believe this was a criminal act. We don’t have anything to prove that,” Swanson said Friday. “At this point we’re still concentrating on the search efforts.”

Law enforcement are still trying to figure out why Batson apparently traveled to Reed Point.

Going into the weekend, the search area for Batson will expand beyond Reed Point, where several hundred acres of land have already been looked over. Searchers have also used boats to look in the Yellowstone River.

The public has continued to call with possible leads, and Swanson said information from the family about Batson’s travel plans in Montana has been verified.

https://www.kpvi.com/news/national_...cle_e1426183-c8d1-58a0-b56e-ae3d5221ac18.html

 

[DakotaMayi]

Do you mean did he drive to Montana from Illinois or from Colorado? Or do you mean did he fly in/then rent car -- or drive the whole way?

Hi

Yeah, I wondered whether he had driven in from wherever or if he had flown in.

 

[DakotaMayi]

“The sergeant told KULR-8 that deputies went to inspect the car after they received the call from the gas station. Sgt. Smith said the department received a delayed hit, later that evening, through the Criminal Justice Information Network. The hit was that the car found was registered to Batson. Sgt. Smith explained that was the moment the investigation began. ‘We've conducted four different searches at this point. And we have another search probably for this Saturday.’” (BBM)

http://www.kulr8.com/story/38166151/illinois-man-still-missing-last-seen-in-reed-point

So he likely drove the whole way.

Thank you!

 

[DakotaMayi]

Okay, so last thing we know: he called his girlfriend at 4 p.m. -- said he was at the library. That seems normal, reasonable. He had an interview at the post office the next morning (which has been verified).

So just thinking this through... he has to eat dinner, after the library.

Where did he eat? Anyone see him, in that town? Drive-thru maybe even better, if there was video.

My point is that eating is the next chance to get info on him -- accounts from others.

He's tall -- and with description from his employer that he has "sarcastic" sense of humor -- I'm just not imagining a guy who is naïve or oblivious, or a target, per se... and job of postal carrier, well, I would think you are a constant observer of people.

Random thoughts -- just brainstorming -- throwing it out there.

I like your brainstorming, Think. Maybe I should do a timeline for this, lay it all out for us to see in one place.

 

[DakotaMayi]

“Sister of Missing Illinois Man Speaks Out”
Posted: May 11, 2018 5:38 PM EDT
Updated: May 11, 2018 5:45 PM EDT
By Lori Buhring

“REED POINT, Mont. -This Sunday will mark two weeks since Paul Batson, an Illinois man, went missing. He was making a detour through Montana when he disappeared near Reed Point. Work to find Batson continues this weekend.

Batson, 49, was making the detour through the Treasure State on his way home from visiting his sons in Colorado. Batson's sister, Jennifer List, said she is nervously following the ongoing search effort for her brother, from her home in Steamwood, Illinois. Batson had served as a postal worker for two decades in Illinois and according to NBC-Chicago, he had recently taken a transfer in Bozeman.

List explained, ‘He had everything to live for. He has three kids who adore him. He could have retired in another five years. I mean he has a good life.’

[SBM]” (BBM)

http://www.kulr8.com/story/38172356/sister-of-missing-illinois-man-speaks-out

The part I bolded: So was Paul already scheduled to transfer to Bozeman? Or was he scheduled to interview there on Monday, as he told his girlfriend on Sunday?

And according to Google, Bozeman to Reed Point is 1 hr 19 min.

I hate that Paul has been missing for almost two weeks, and it doesn’t sound like LE have much to go on ....

Plot thickens. (Like my gravy for any TBBT fans)

Could it be that he told a different thing to his girlfriend than he did his sister? It seems as if they are both saying two different things.

Despite what I just asked up above, I still think this is foul play. Way too many weird facts.

I’m sorry but every time I hear Bozeman, Montana I think of that The Big Bang Theory episode where Sheldon moves there to avoid crime and gets robbed at the bus station.

It’s hard to think of anything that nefarious happening out there to someone like me from
Cincinnati Ohio where multiple people get murdered daily almost.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Me too!

 

[Aescwynn]

Just for some data points, here are Bozeman's crime stats (edited, I read that wrong. Up to 2016):

http://www.city-data.com/crime/crime-Bozeman-Montana.html

Murder is quite rare. Property crime, less so.

 

[always reading]

I'm sorry for maybe not catching the drift of what you're saying... do you mean he think he was visiting someone else, keeping it hush-hush?

I'm not really sure, but i feel he was up to something.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk