Locals think he saw something he shouldn't have. I have talked to people who saw him the night before he disappeared, and he did not seem any different than usual.
There have been other rumors, like he had a gambling problem, but nothing has never been substantiated. He had a fascination with hobos and trains, and the Dollar General store where his truck was found sits across the road from railroad tracks, but there is no evidence he hopped a train. There were rumors someone had killed him and built a koi pond over the body, but that was also unsubstantiated. All these theories have been published in MSM, so not putting anything here that has not been made public.
This area in itself is VERY different from other parts of the country. I moved here from the Northeast, where in even a "rural" situation is not really rural. Rural here is acres and acres of undeveloped land, some of which is not maintained in any way and very dense. There is kudzu vine that grows so aggressively it can cover a house in one season. There are bobcats, coyotes and buzzards that will scavange and pick a carcass clean in a matter of hours.
They have not identified the job site David was visiting, at least if they did they have not made it public. I think every effort to do so was exhausted, including flyovers and people driving the roads specifically looking. The issue here is there is a ton of secluded area between the hills and the hollers. There are areas people have not accessed in years, so the amount of overgrowth is incredible, especially during summer months.
Taking the locale into consideration, meth and pill abuse here runs rampant. Mobile meth labs are quite common, and last year a meth lab was busted in a hotel right off the interstate, within 10 miles of where David went missing. You only need to go to the local Walmart to recognize meth users- super skinny, gaunt with horrible teeth. Pill addiction is so common here abusers are called "pillbillies".
In the Northeast, I had a job that required me to be on farms. I was trained by my employer on how to handle certain situations, like how to recognize illegal activity like drugs and what to do if I came upon certain situations, like finding a meth lab (get the hell out of the area as quickly as possible and alert the police). I did this job for 16 years and never felt I was in danger or a situation that I could not get out. I would not do that job in this area, especially because I feel there are too many possibilities of stumbling onto something unsavory around here.
Since David was self-employed and lived semi off-the-grid, he might not have had the information to know he was at risk, or even in danger. He very easily could have stumbled on someone or something he should not have.
I also do know the community has not forgotten him. There are still flyers up stating the circumstances of his disappearance and a couple different businesses still have his paintings displayed.