Found Deceased VA - Nicole Clardy Mittendorff, 31, Woodbridge, 13 April 2016 - #1

[Detective40oz]

"The lower trailhead is located in Madison County, with a parking lot as a starting point to first of the Lower Falls, about a mile up the trail. Visitors can go as far as they like, and then turn around – or more adventurous and physically fit hikers can go all the way uphill, including a steep hike to the Upper Falls, which is also the highest waterfall, and end up on Skyline Drive in the Park.

Those who love to push themselves may enjoy the strenuous hike around the Cedar Run/ White Oak Circuit, which provides views of a few of the waterfalls."
http://www.virginia.org/Listings/OutdoorsAndSports/WhiteoakCanyonLowerFallsTrailhead/

 

[JoCoKSEyes]

Assuming foul play, I see several possibilities:

- Random crime by creep who lives in the park. This would be the most difficult to solve.

- Planned crime where NM was lured into the park. Inspection of phone records may assist here.

- Planned crime where NM's car was brought into the park, with or without her. Criminal events could have taken place anywhere between Woodbridge and the location of the car. Forensic examination of the car may assist.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Eileen730]

I still would love to know when anyone other than her husband saw her?
A text meassage could be anyone.

Have they dusted the car for prints?
what about thermal imaging or infra red?

 

[winterrose]

You might be right. If the car was there, she never went though any of the entrances = no footage.

That parking lot is really hidden.

That also adds to some questions being asked. Any connection to the fire at Rocky Mtn hasn't been ruled out.

 

[Detective40oz]

Just so people know how far apart the fire and the area where her car was found are I'm posting the Google maps and directions. I doubt the two incidents are related but you never know.

 

[JoCoKSEyes]

I still don't feel like we have any idea about a timeline. Distance of a few hours seems easily plausible with the information we know now.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[specialk115]

Not if she parked in the parking lots on the foothill side of the park which I believe to be the case. Please see my post above.

I think you are spot on regarding parking lot location. A FB poster on the Find Nicole page (who lives in Syria, VA) said the car was found in a lot 5 minutes from her house (small town - word gets around quickly). This makes sense.

However, I cannot make sense of reports that her last text was sent from Warrenton, VA. Look at a map. I live in Northern VA and no route from Woodbridge to the location of the parking lot in Syria would take you through (or even near) Warrenton. Warrenton is on Route 15 and quite north of any logical path. Unless she went somewhere else first, this is confusing to me.

 

[winterrose]

Just so people know how far apart the fire and the area where her car was found are I'm posting the Google maps and directions. I doubt the two incidents are related but you never know.

View attachment 92111

Yes, I had posted that earlier, but just throwing things out there. The car was parked in a more hidden area, and possibly didn't go thru the gate where you have to have a permit. Of all the trails for the car to be parked near it's where the two women were killed in the 90's and noone's been charged with it. The suspect had the charges dropped. The first thought people might have is it's the same person who did this to them. So either it's by chance that's where she decided to park her car and hike, or it was done on purpose.

 

[mayita]

However, I cannot make sense of reports that her last text was sent from Warrenton, VA. Look at a map. I live in Northern VA and no route from Woodbridge to the location of the parking lot in Syria would take you through (or even near) Warrenton. Warrenton is on Route 15 and quite north of any logical path. Unless she went somewhere else first, this is confusing to me.

Maybe she took 66W then and then 15 (around Gainesville). 15 becomes 609 (which goes to Syria)? If she did this from Woodbridge is a very convoluted route.

 

[Detective40oz]

Going to 29 through Warrenton to get to 211 west is a popular way for people to get to Old Rag/White Oak Canyon parts of the park. She could have taken Prince William County Parkway to 66W and then 29 south through Warrenton. Also she could have gone up route 17 through Warrenton to meet up with 211W. We don't know if she started her journey from Woodbridge or if she went somewhere else first so it's hard to pinpoint an exact route of how her car got there.

 

[specialk115]

Maybe she took 66W then and then 15 (around Gainesville). 15 becomes 609 (which goes to Syria)? If she did this from Woodbridge is a very convoluted route.

Agreed. And unless you commute to a DC job, you would never choose to be on 95 going North from Woodbridge on a weekday morning (which you might do to reach 66W). That traffic corridor is notoriously congested.

 

[SaraSue]

I still would love to know when anyone other than her husband saw her?
A text meassage could be anyone.

Have they dusted the car for prints?
what about thermal imaging or infra red?

Not sure when her roommate saw her last, but her friends said she was at her workout class on Monday night.

 

[lucilleie]

This statement was just released from the Fairfax County Fire Department where Nicole works:

Fire Chief Bowers Issues Statement Regarding Nicole Mittendorff

As some of you may know, Virginia State Police, along with family, friends, and Fairfax County Fire and Rescue personnel, have been searching for missing Fairfax County Firefighter Nicole Mittendorff, a three year veteran of the Department. Our thoughts and prayers are with Nicole, her family, shift members, friends, and Fairfax County personnel. All of us at Fairfax Fire and Rescue are concerned for Nicole and want nothing more than her safe return. As Virginia State Police conduct their investigation, we have been seeing where we can help and lend support. We ask anyone with information concerning her whereabouts call Virginia State Police

 

[The OG]

Just so people know how far apart the fire and the area where her car was found are I'm posting the Google maps and directions. I doubt the two incidents are related but you never know.

View attachment 92111

Your parking location would make more sense if one did not want to be seen. However, the blue dot on my map is where I thought the car was found. Both locations are within Madison county, but my location is right off the Skyline Drive. If the car was ditched it would have had to have been done early in the day by someone who was familiar with the area that knew how to get off the mountain.

 

[amayla]

I know it's hard to believe that someone would drive out to shenandoah national park for the day to hike, but I am really hoping that was the case. The drive along skyline drive is beautiful, and the weather has been ideal. We've driven down that way many times just to go on a few trails and spend sometime in nature. Yes, there are lots of other running trails around Woodbridge and the NOVA area, but there is nothing like getting away from the city and traffic if you have the time.

 

[lucilleie]

I think you are spot on regarding parking lot location. A FB poster on the Find Nicole page (who lives in Syria, VA) said the car was found in a lot 5 minutes from her house (small town - word gets around quickly). This makes sense.

However, I cannot make sense of reports that her last text was sent from Warrenton, VA. Look at a map. I live in Northern VA and no route from Woodbridge to the location of the parking lot in Syria would take you through (or even near) Warrenton. Warrenton is on Route 15 and quite north of any logical path. Unless she went somewhere else first, this is confusing to me.

I think your FB poster was incorrect. I do not believe she lives near Skyline Drive. I believe she lives either in Woodbridge or Warrenton (location of last text). Both of these locations are a good distance from the place where her car was located.

 

[Whiteorchids]

I know it's hard to believe that someone would drive out to shenandoah national park for the day to hike, but I am really hoping that was the case. The drive along skyline drive is beautiful, and the weather has been ideal. We've driven down that way many times just to go on a few trails and spend sometime in nature. Yes, there are lots of other running trails around Woodbridge and the NOVA area, but there is nothing like getting away from the city and traffic if you have the time.

How easy is it to get off trail and turned around if your not that experienced with the area?

 

[The OG]

No doubting its beauty. It's my absolute favorite place in the world. But I, a middle aged man in decent health, would not go alone. I really can't get past that. Maybe she did. Who knows what her state of mind was. I'm not buying the excuse from LE about closing the trails so they can search either. I suspect they think they have a crime scene.

 

[JnRyan]

I think you are spot on regarding parking lot location. A FB poster on the Find Nicole page (who lives in Syria, VA) said the car was found in a lot 5 minutes from her house (small town - word gets around quickly). This makes sense.

I've been to the park before but only on the Skyline Drive. I had acquaintances who hiked and I thought I remembered them saying you could access the park without driving through the entrances. But since I haven't hiked that area I wasn't entirely sure. I'm still not entirely sure whether her car was found in the park or outside. I thought if she drove on then the rangers at one of the entrances - most likely Thornton Gap - one of them might have remembered her.

Now that I look at the maps it doesn't seem to make sense to drive through Warrenton if she was going to the lot near Syria. However, if she did go into the park and went in through Thornton Gap, then Warrenton makes sense. This assumes a direct route and no side trips, of course. Also, when it was reported they said the last communication was from Warrenton. I wonder how accurate that is given some of the cell phone coverage in the area. Was she IN Warrenton? OR was she somewhere outside Warrenton and her phone call/text was routed through a cell tower and the closest town to the cell tower was Warrenton. I'm not familiar with the cell coverage in that area or the range of a cell tower. If she went south of Warrenton could her phone activity be routed thru a cell tower, say, between Bealeton and Warrenton?

 

[The OG]

How easy is it to get off trail and turned around if your not that experienced with the area?

It's not too hard to get lost if you're running. I can't say what condition the trails were since I haven't been on them lately.