NY NY - Colin Gillis, 18, Tupper Lake, 11 March 2012

[SunsetGirl]

Did Colin & his friends play a lot of practical jokes on each other? Could one have gone horribly awry?

 

[SunsetGirl]

Did Colin & his friends play a lot of practical jokes on each other? Could one have gone horribly awry?

The reason I ask is my husband told me of an elaborate practical joke some friends had played on him and a few buddies when they were 18-19 yrs old. They had traveled to Montreal and we're staying in a hotel room - late at night after they spent the evening in the city, they were back in the room when 2 big security guards knocked on their door & demanded entry then proceeded to search their belongings while standing guard over them ... the guards found a 'stolen' item in one of their bags & said they were going to call the police (at that point the pranksters revealed themselves but needless to say, it was pretty terrifying). It was very realistic, well planned & elaborate but nothing went wrong - thankfully. This is how young minds planning practical jokes work.

Add to that alcohol & maybe drugs = deadly consequences?!

 

[Kadence]

Interesting. Thanks for the new info. I wonder if all of Colin's 9 companions have come forward with their versions of the night's events. None of the 9 know why they crashed the party? Or 9 different stories?

Yes, all of them came forward and helped search for Colin and have spoken with LE. I'm sure they shared with LE why they crashed the party but I'm not sure that info was shared with the Gillis family directly, although I don't know why it wouldn't be by either LE or his friends? Or perhaps it was but it's something confidential to the case? I'm not sure, sorry. I will try to get more clarification.

 

[Kadence]

This just occurred to me ... Colin began his freshman year in college at age 17 and turned 18 on March 4th. He was a senior in high school then at age 16 ... did he advance 1 or 2 years in school? Graduate early? To be accepted as a pre-med student I assume he was very smart. Sounds like he was a good athlete in high school too.

One might say he had everything going for him ... good looks, charm, smart, athletic ability, nice family (and maybe financial security? - this is just a guess I have no idea of his family's financial affairs) and to top it off he must have been the youngest kid in his class.

Could he have had someone extremely jealous of his 'great life' - maybe an older senior classmate who struggled with grades & social acceptance, difficult family life, didn't make the team, etc. - who was there that night when Colin & his group of friends show up to 'crash' the party ... and when an opportunity presented itself, they decided to show Colin a thing or two ... and maybe things tragically got out of control?

You are correct on all of those things about Colin I have my theory, which I have shared with Patty, and it is very similar to yours, jealousy is an evil thing and can make people do evil things.

 

[Kadence]

The reason I ask is my husband told me of an elaborate practical joke some friends had played on him and a few buddies when they were 18-19 yrs old. They had traveled to Montreal and we're staying in a hotel room - late at night after they spent the evening in the city, they were back in the room when 2 big security guards knocked on their door & demanded entry then proceeded to search their belongings while standing guard over them ... the guards found a 'stolen' item in one of their bags & said they were going to call the police (at that point the pranksters revealed themselves but needless to say, it was pretty terrifying). It was very realistic, well planned & elaborate but nothing went wrong - thankfully. This is how young minds planning practical jokes work.

Add to that alcohol & maybe drugs = deadly consequences?!

Hmm, that is an interesting concept and very possible, I will ask about that, great stuff again SunsetGirl! They have shows dedicated to pranks gone wrong and I'm sure there are many that go deadly wrong.

Poor ForesterJake, I bet he was shaking in his boots, especially being out of the country! I hope him and his buddies got those guys back!

 

[SunsetGirl]

Yes, all of them came forward and helped search for Colin and have spoken with LE. I'm sure they shared with LE why they crashed the party but I'm not sure that info was shared with the Gillis family directly, although I don't know why it wouldn't be by either LE or his friends? Or perhaps it was but it's something confidential to the case? I'm not sure, sorry. I will try to get more clarification.

That's good to hear that all of Colin's friends who went to the party with him that night came forward! (Thanks for sharing this tidbit!) I'm sure each of his friends has been haunted by that night ... I hope they can find peace with all of this! I really want it to be that none of his friends had anything to do with what happened. It just seems like it would be easier on his family that way ...

Kadence - thank you for the millionth time for your efforts to communicate with the Gillis family and keep the rest of us informed!!!

 

[SunsetGirl]

Hmm, that is an interesting concept and very possible, I will ask about that, great stuff again SunsetGirl! They have shows dedicated to pranks gone wrong and I'm sure there are many that go deadly wrong.

Poor ForesterJake, I bet he was shaking in his boots, especially being out of the country! I hope him and his buddies got those guys back!

Actually it was well deserved retaliation for a prank they had previously played.

I started thinking about the whole practical joke thing when I read a news article about the 2011 Tupper Lake H.S. graduation - in one of the student speeches a comment was made about them (I assume it was about the class in general, not just Colin & his friends) pulling off the best practical jokes - it just got me thinking about what kids that age might come up with for ideas/things to do when there's nothing really going on (IDK about that area but around here there's NOTHING happening after like 8pm - even on the weekends ... the local hangout for teens is in the McD's parking lot) ... if the party ended abruptly at around 1am or so, why, the night is still young! Hard to imagine they were all just going to go home. (JMO)

 

[Wanting2Help]

This just occurred to me ... Colin began his freshman year in college at age 17 and turned 18 on March 4th. He was a senior in high school then at age 16 ... did he advance 1 or 2 years in school? Graduate early? To be accepted as a pre-med student I assume he was very smart. Sounds like he was a good athlete in high school too.

One might say he had everything going for him ... good looks, charm, smart, athletic ability, nice family (and maybe financial security? - this is just a guess I have no idea of his family's financial affairs) and to top it off he must have been the youngest kid in his class.

Could he have had someone extremely jealous of his 'great life' - maybe an older senior classmate who struggled with grades & social acceptance, difficult family life, didn't make the team, etc. - who was there that night when Colin & his group of friends show up to 'crash' the party ... and when an opportunity presented itself, they decided to show Colin a thing or two ... and maybe things tragically got out of control?

I have the same thoughts. Someone was jealous of Colin and possibly his family! I'm not sure why but as soon as I saw his graduation speech on youtube my opinion on what happened changed. If something happened to Colin on the side of the road by a random stranger I feel he would have been found right there. The fact that he is still missing suggests to me that someone who knew him and the area, did something to him and hid Colin/evidence.

 

[ontheclock]

Good info on pg 17. Thanks to everyone. I wonder how many of the core group (10) were still remaining at the party when Colin left. I'm assuming multiple vehicles were driven to the party. Had everyone already left? Did he decide to stay at the party by himself?

 

[chris24]

I would tend to say that maybe he was hit by a car and the person who hit him tried to cover it up, except I think it's very weird he was walking the opposite way home to begin with. For a smart kid that is weird he didn't know which way was home, of course unless he was inebriated and just started walking.

Do we know how far of a walk it was from the party to wherever he was trying to go (I would assume he had intentions to go home or to sleep at a friends house)? Is is possible a hitchhiker picked him up and something there went wrong?

 

[SunsetGirl]

Hi chris24. Interesting observations! Thanks for sharing. We want to get as many Websleuthers as we can to add input here - everyone sees things just a bit differently. I'll add a few of my thoughts into your post (my comments are in bold) ...

I would tend to say that maybe he was hit by a car and the person who hit him tried to cover it up,

... I personally think this is a real possibility - whether he was hit by a total stranger or someone from the party (maybe drunk driving?) ... except that LE stated very clearly from the beginning that there was no evidence he was hit by a car but I'm curious if there would have to be obvious evidence in all instances

... except I think it's very weird he was walking the opposite way home to begin with. For a smart kid that is weird he didn't know which way was home, of course unless he was inebriated and just started walking.

... Agreed. I wonder how familiar he really was with this particular area - had he ever been down Paskungameh Rd before? If so, how often? I know if I'm a passenger busy talking & not paying attention to where we're driving, it's easy to get disoriented on back roads. He obviously made his way back to Rte 3 but maybe he truly thought he was heading back toward Tupper Lake. Not that many houses he would've passed in that stretch to help get his bearings. Plus things look very different when you're walking along a road than riding in a car at 55 mph especially in a heavily wooded area. It also seems very likely that Colin had been drinking - which may add to the disorientation. Just my observation.

Do we know how far of a walk it was from the party to wherever he was trying to go (I would assume he had intentions to go home or to sleep at a friends house)?

... If I remember correctly, it was over 5 miles from his house to that party ... no one seems to know where he intended to go from there (unless that's a detail LE cannot reveal)

Is is possible a hitchhiker picked him up and something there went wrong?

... I'm a little confused by this question. Am I reading it wrong?

 

[Kadence]

I'm still here and am sorry I haven't posted. I have been waiting to talk with Patty but their family is faced with multiple family medical concerns and those matters are taking priority at the current moment although Colin is always a top priority. I ask that if you pray, please pray for the Gillis family. This family has been through so much, it's unreal that anymore could be placed on them but they are strong but I'm sure they could use some prayers or good juju, or both!

 

[SunsetGirl]

... I ask that if you pray, please pray for the Gillis family...

I do and I will. Thank you for letting us know. We are constantly thinking of them & Colin.

 

[ontheclock]

Prayers and good juju to Colin's family and friends. I hope the sun rises for them soon.

 

[Mackenzie10]

Hi, I'm a long time lurker and I've posted a few times. This case is of interest to me because I live in upstate NY and had a camp near Tupper Lake.

Often times in my younger days if I were waiting for a ride and I was cold, I would walk in the direction the ride was coming from (obviously to stay warm) and not necessarily the direction toward my home, hoping to meet up with the ride quicker. Has any friend come forward and said they were going to pick him up? I wonder like others if his waiving of his arms were his way of trying to stop who he thought was his ride, or to stop anyone as he was getting colder. I think that may explain his walking way out in the road and not on the side-- with no street lighting he may have been hard to see-- plus being maybe a bit intoxicated and hypothermia setting in. And, I wonder, if his ride hit him near the spot that his personal items were found? And if they had been drinking they may not have wanted to have been found and moved his body... It seems to be a thing with many teenagers I know that an "I'll pick you up at 1:30" ends up being a half hour to an hour later. I wonder if they ever checked if someone he knew, that lived in the direction he was walking, had a similar car to the one he tried to flag down?

I know how easy it is to get lost in the Adirondacks, but with the search commencing so soon it seems odd he couldn't be tracked in the snow. Could they track his footprints at all on the side of the road? I may be wrong but don't most of the lakes/ponds in the area have shallow entry? I would think he'd stop if he stepped into the water, and if he broke through ice farther out in deeper water, wouldn't it be obvious the next morning?

 

[Mackenzie10]

In my post, my first and only one, I said that I had posted on this site a few times. But then it says I've only posted once. In thinking about this, that is true--I've posted on the Colin Gillis case on Adkforums.com. (Adirondack forums). The nice thing about searching that site for info is they have many in search and rescue and that are familiar with the area posting about those missing in the Adirondack Mtn area.

 

[SunsetGirl]

Hi, I'm a long time lurker and I've posted a few times. This case is of interest to me because I live in upstate NY and had a camp near Tupper Lake.

(...snipped for space)

I know how easy it is to get lost in the Adirondacks, but with the search commencing so soon it seems odd he couldn't be tracked in the snow. Could they track his footprints at all on the side of the road? ...

Welcome Mackenzie10! Great first post ... I've spent a lot of time analyzing these exact same thoughts re: footprints in the snow. I started chiming in and posted quite a bit beginning somewhere on page 9 or 10. Sorry in advance. I tend to be really wordy.

I live in the mtns of northern VT - similar latitude & elevation as Tupper Lake so we're usually getting the same weather (give or take a few degrees) ... I looked through our work notes & compared archived weather reports to see what the weather was like around the time of Colin's disappearance ... as best I can tell there was rain & snow on Th.3/8, only maybe 1" of fresh snow on F.3/9, even less Sat.3/10, no precipitation Sunday or Monday with unusually warm temps, then rain T, W & Th.

From what our weather was plus from watching news videos & looking at pics in the days following Colin's disappearance, I've concluded that there was probably no snow on the road that night (warm days & heavily salted roads cause snow banks to really shrink back - seems like the shoulders were fully exposed by then) ... If he stayed on the paved surface there would be no footprints at all to follow.

If he did step off the road into the woods (it was mostly wooded where his belongings were found) then obvious footprints should have been found since the snow was still deep in many places and no fresh snow fell in the days following to cover his tracks.

You probably know how the snow gets in the spring after a few warm days - the texture changes & it no longer wind drifts (not likely then that his prints became obscured). In fact foot or paw prints seem to enlarge as the snow starts melting.

It seems that enough trained SAR people were involved from the very start & would have prevented untrained volunteers from tromping all over making confusing prints.

(I tried trimming my excess words but this is still really long! Sorry again!)

 

[SunsetGirl]

From Wunderground.com archives (Saranac Lake must be the closest weather station)

Date.........High temp..........amount of precipitation (inches)........type
Tues 3/6/12......30°F........0.00 .......n/a
Wed 3/7/12.......55°F........0.00........n/a
Thur 3/8/12.......52°F.......0.33 in .....rain, snow
Fri 3/9/12..........30°F........0.04 in .....snow
Sat 3/10/12.......28°F........0.02 in .....snow
Sun 3/11/12......52°F........0.00.........n/a
Mon 3/12/12.....61°F........0.00.........n/a
Tues 3/13/12....56°F........0.19 in ....rain
Wed 3/14/12.....43°F........trace .......rain
Thur 3/15/12.....56°F........0.24 in.....rain

Now I won't have to keep checking this.

 

[SunsetGirl]

I have the same thoughts. Someone was jealous of Colin and possibly his family! I'm not sure why but as soon as I saw his graduation speech on youtube my opinion on what happened changed. If something happened to Colin on the side of the road by a random stranger I feel he would have been found right there. The fact that he is still missing suggests to me that someone who knew him and the area, did something to him and hid Colin/evidence.

Thank you Wanting2Help for expressing this ... your reasoning seems logical. I guess I have Colin on my mind tonight.

I hope LE took the initiative to interview everyone known to be at that party rather than waiting for the attendees to come forward offering info. I guess they can't force people to talk.

 

[Mackenzie10]

Sunsetgirl-- Wow! I don't remember it being that warm in March! But Tupper Lake usually has a lot of snow to melt, are there any pictures of the area taken during the search?