VA VA - Kevin Hulse, 22, Bracey, 4 May 2008 - U of Md Student

[Frankie Hellis]

i have sent a request ,hopefully everyone will follow suit .

Heartfelt thanks JI. It means a lot to the family just to be aware of Kevin's circumstances.

 

[JanIreland]

No problem at all FH . He looks like such a nice guy too really hope a break comes for everyone .
https://www.facebook.com/seeking.thelost.news

This is a page on facebook called Seeking the Lost , maybe post his picture and a link to your page there . The more people see his face the better x

 

[Frankie Hellis]

i have sent a request ,hopefully everyone will follow suit .

I find it very hard to accept this is a suicide ..too much to suggest it's not ...the life vest , the boat missing . Is it possible he paddled and met someone that could of loaded up the paddle boat and took it elsewhere with them ...would explain the rope also .

Any new friends or habits in the time before disappearance , that could explain the change in personality ?... did he mention any new beliefs at all ...
If there is a chance mental health was a issue , this would explain bad or unusual decision making . In this case extreme but certainly not unheard of . Has there been anything found on his computer ?

I'm sure these questions have been raised in the past but it's worth picking apart .

Any cash on him at all ?

Jan,

It's interesting because what you wrote is what I have thought all along. Why take a life vest if you are going to harm yourself anyway? And the rope, to me, feeds into my thoughts of him paddling to meet someone somewhere and throwing the boat on the roof of the vehicle. Of course I also don't want to think of the alternative so I am clearly biased. The list of friends I have are all long-time friends, most since high school.

Unfortunately I don't know the answer to what was or was not found on the computer and I can't get answers until the family comes back from vacation. Kimster featured Kevin extremely quickly (thank you Kimster!) and I didn't realize Mom and Dad were away until I was frantically trying to let them know to listen to Tricia's radio show. I do know that a mental health problem was not evident to the family who were with him for his sister's confirmation just days prior to his disappearance. He sponsored his sister and was there at the confirmation.

The family feels relatively confident he would have been found during the extensive week-long search by Mecklenburg LE. They even used sonar equipment. Of course that lake is quite large, although it does not connect to a bay or ocean so it is confined, in that sense.

He did not take any money with him, as far as anyone can tell. He left behind his wallet and ID and most, if not all, of his clothes.

He did not talk about any new beliefs and he and his best friend did not talk too often in the couple weeks before he disappeared. All of the research I have done on cults or groups who recruit has so far been about how to get someone back who comes right out and says they are joining. I cannot find a single thing about how to locate someone who may have joined and cut off all contact. It's not like there is a list of members published in some directory. There should be a facebook page where you can see who is a member.

 

[JanIreland]

Thanks for all info Frankie , i'm in Ireland so with the time difference it's 1 :20 in the morn over here , will check back in tomorrow and check out more of Kevins' story . Hopefully more will be along to add also .

 

[webrocket]

my question is - who are the 'old friends' he went west with?

 

[Claudette]

My aunt was in a cult that made the news in the 90s. We knew and most of the members' families knew because every few years they would make contact and they talked about how great it was. Note that it would sometimes be many years, however. She would just appear and then disappear when no one was looking. People stay because of being brain washed but are usually allowed brief familial contact, or at least they aren't physically forced to isolate however mentally they are. It's weird. But most likely if he is in one he will pop up.

 

[nosyone]

This interesting case is new to me, just reading about it and am wondering if any activity has been reported on his Social Security number since 2008.

 

[LadyL]

I guess the private investigator never found anything useful?

All signs point to this for me: If he had sudden onset mental health issues, such as schizophrenia which usually manifests in young adulthood, he would obviously not be thinking logically - his reality would be full of delusions and he would be paranoid. In his world, he might think the best thing he could do is disappear. This might also explain his erasing the laptop - if he thinks 'they' are after him.

I think he paddled in the boat a little way and then 'disappeared' himself into some woods within a 20-mile radius. He thought he could survive there - more than that, he felt it was necessary that he escape whoever or whatever was after him in his mind. He may have also had delusions that his family wouldn't be safe if he didn't leave. One thing is for sure, he loved his family or he wouldn't have made that effort to attend his sister's confirmation and tell his parents goodbye.

Unfortunately, if my scenario is correct, the only way he's still alive is if he walked out of those woods into civilization and is living in a homeless encampment somewhere. There's always hope though and miracles do happen.

 

[Frankie Hellis]

No "old friends" have ever been identified. I did find out the search included dogs which did not come up with anything either. Apparently there was nothing of interest on the hard drive, according to the PI hired by the family. So why erase it then, I don't know.

Here is my issue: if he harmed himself, he couldn't possible be terribly far away, in my opinion. I haven't been in a peddle boat for a long time but I just don't think you can peddle for 10 miles. Of course at his age, perhaps it can be done. But okay, so 10 miles tops? The difficult thing for me is that area looks quite dense with woods which would make it darn near impossible to find someone but theoretically you should be able to draw a 10 or 15 mile radius out on a map and locate remains.

The girl who lived in the upstairs apartment was interviewed, as were his friends and they knew nothing of any new beliefs or sudden new friends. The only thing they noted was his unusual withdrawn behavior, which doesn't bode well for the picture.

I keep coming back to this: where the heck is the boat? IF he harmed himself, what became of the boat?

 

[Frankie Hellis]

Also to nosyone:

I specifically asked the PI if he still checked for activity on his SS# and he said yes and there has been none.

As an aside, I want to let you all know something I did not know about NamUs. Basically NamUs takes all the information about the missing person and tries to match it up with unidentified found people (remains.) But the counsellor assigned to Kevin's case also told me there are more and more mental health professionals using Namus, meaning if someone presented somewhere without an identity and was psychotic or something, they can use NamUs to identify the person. Specifically I thought this might be good advice for the family of the missing man Johnnie from this week's web radio show.

 

[AstroKitty]

I really feel this is a suicide case He could have taken the row boat to some remote location (I haven't looked at the map but I assume woods are there, somewhere). Dragged the boat upon shore and possibly hanged himself. I hate writing that but I'm trying to be realistic here, if suicide was his option.

As far as erasing his laptop, a lot of people worry what their family and friends will think of them if they were to get their computer and search their history. If I were going to commit suicide, I too would erase everything because my computer is pretty close to my diary (personal photos, writings etc). It's also possible he erased it due to downloads or web history.

Everything that's stated, leading up to his disappearance - sounds like a mental breakdown (depression and such). If he was in the bleakest stages of an undiagnosed mental disorder, he would be this despondent and bleak.

Of course he could have purchased a new identity altogether (social security #, name, ID), people do - do that. He chose to leave with the clothes on his back and nothing but his new assumed life in hand BUT I just don't see it being that plausible. I don't think there were friends he was leaving with, I don't think there was a cult either. People that get involved with a sub or counter culture tend to exhibit signs of their involvement prior to running off. Some will try to recruit while others will start to disappear for "meetings" or gatherings sporadically and return home with notable differences. Most "cults" have rules established about clothing, hair and behavior. Beyond his beard, I don't see any differences and a lot of men that are depressed will start to neglect various aspects (just as women will too).

I think he said what he did to his parents what would cause them to worry less (at least in his head). There had to be a breaking point though. Someone else asked if there had been a recent breakup (boyfriend or girlfriend)? Did he have addiction issues that he was currently attempting to break free from? was he overwhelmed with the fact he was graduating, thus being thrust out into the world and having maybe no clue what to do? Also your last 2 weeks of school are finals/exams. I don't know his GPA or what have you but this could be a looming factor in his disappearance, more so if he was a perfectionist or came from a family that were.

Just somethings to think about. I have not researched this case, I go off of what I read in here - so of course it's all hypothetical and things to ponder.

 

[JanIreland]

i still think this boat would of been found , it was a paddle boat , it would of only got so far , and in 3 years of searching it has never been found ...it just doesn't sound right
any pictures of the boat ? as i'm in Ireland we might have a different idea of a paddleboat .
Also how much ground was covered in search ? would love to hear more opinions on how the boat could of disappeared or hid good enough to not be found by searchers ..or anyone in the last 3 years .
There is also the question of the lifevest ...

 

[AstroKitty]

i still think this boat would of been found , it was a paddle boat , it would of only got so far , and in 3 years of searching it has never been found ...it just doesn't sound right
any pictures of the boat ? as i'm in Ireland we might have a different idea of a paddleboat .
Also how much ground was covered in search ? would love to hear more opinions on how the boat could of disappeared or hid good enough to not be found by searchers ..or anyone in the last 3 years .
There is also the question of the lifevest ...

Not finding the boat is just, odd. Even if he brought it off shore (no idea how large this body of water is, or the land surrounding it) and maybe left it behind, as long as the land was near - you'd think it would have been discovered. The only way it disappeared is if it's in an area no one looked OR they took it with them (provided there was a them).

As for the lifejacket. If he went with the intention of killing himself, maybe he didn't want to die by drowning? I sure wouldn't, that's if I had to pick a way. Plus if he knew how to swim, it would be a long process as the body has the fight or flight mechanism. It's rather hard to suffocate or drown yourself if you're of able body to react to the natural response. It would be sort of like sitting around with a plastic bag tied around your head and waiting to die, eventually your automatic response would be to rip it off and get fresh air.

I'll have to actually read his missing persons report and get a better idea, and look at google maps. Interesting case none the less!

 

[rosesfromangels]

I guess the private investigator never found anything useful?

All signs point to this for me: If he had sudden onset mental health issues, such as schizophrenia which usually manifests in young adulthood, he would obviously not be thinking logically - his reality would be full of delusions and he would be paranoid. In his world, he might think the best thing he could do is disappear. This might also explain his erasing the laptop - if he thinks 'they' are after him.

I think he paddled in the boat a little way and then 'disappeared' himself into some woods within a 20-mile radius. He thought he could survive there - more than that, he felt it was necessary that he escape whoever or whatever was after him in his mind. He may have also had delusions that his family wouldn't be safe if he didn't leave. One thing is for sure, he loved his family or he wouldn't have made that effort to attend his sister's confirmation and tell his parents goodbye.

Unfortunately, if my scenario is correct, the only way he's still alive is if he walked out of those woods into civilization and is living in a homeless encampment somewhere. There's always hope though and miracles do happen.

My bet is on your theory. If there is mental illness that runs on his Mom's side of the family, then the chances of him manifesting this type of mental issue and at that age is within the realm of probability. He could be working odd jobs and traveling on the road.

 

[rosesfromangels]

i still think this boat would of been found , it was a paddle boat , it would of only got so far , and in 3 years of searching it has never been found ...it just doesn't sound right
any pictures of the boat ? as i'm in Ireland we might have a different idea of a paddleboat .
Also how much ground was covered in search ? would love to hear more opinions on how the boat could of disappeared or hid good enough to not be found by searchers ..or anyone in the last 3 years .
There is also the question of the lifevest ...

Agree. I believe he took that boat and took off out of the area.

 

[rosesfromangels]

No "old friends" have ever been identified. I did find out the search included dogs which did not come up with anything either. Apparently there was nothing of interest on the hard drive, according to the PI hired by the family. So why erase it then, I don't know.

Here is my issue: if he harmed himself, he couldn't possible be terribly far away, in my opinion. I haven't been in a peddle boat for a long time but I just don't think you can peddle for 10 miles. Of course at his age, perhaps it can be done. But okay, so 10 miles tops? The difficult thing for me is that area looks quite dense with woods which would make it darn near impossible to find someone but theoretically you should be able to draw a 10 or 15 mile radius out on a map and locate remains.

The girl who lived in the upstairs apartment was interviewed, as were his friends and they knew nothing of any new beliefs or sudden new friends. The only thing they noted was his unusual withdrawn behavior, which doesn't bode well for the picture.

I keep coming back to this: where the heck is the boat? IF he harmed himself, what became of the boat?

I agree with you. He took the boat and left the area.
While I think his disapearance is most likely tied to some sort of mental illness manifesting itself, I can't help but ask if there was any possibility that he was struggling with sexual identity? I know that people will leave their family situations when they are trying to move closer to their true sexual orientation, and most especially if they believe their choice will upset their family. Is there a possibility in this case?

 

[McSpy]

Kevin called his parents on May 4, 2008 to say goodbye. He stated he was already headed west with friends. His parents describe him as sounding extremely distraught and irrational. According to his roommates, Kevin had been antisocial and withdrawn for last 4 weeks before disappearance which was completely out of character for him. Kevin is very close to his family and he only had 2 more weeks of school at U of Md to complete the semester. He did not take his clothes, wallet, drivers license, money, etc. with him.

http://www.nampn.org/cases/hulse_kevin.html

According to this link, he was last seen in College Park, Maryland. Wouldn't he possibly be up in that area?

 

[McSpy]

What is the name of the lake where the family had a house? Also, did he have a car?

Is it possible the missing boat is unrelated? Maybe it was stolen by a local?

 

[McSpy]

Was it possible to see any of his email? I know his hard drive was erased, but some may still be on the email server. New mail could be coming in as well and there may be clues there.

 

[McSpy]

Okay, I read post #2 again and it answered a few of my questions. It does look like he drove down to the Lake house in his own car from Maryland.