AK AK - Erin Gilbert, 24, Girdwood, 1 July 1995

[beubeubeu]

Okay, so he wasn't looking for a friend's house, he was looking for a friend's cabin. That may explain why Erin wasn't eager to join or why he hasn't offered that.

And apparently the official search started about a week after she disappeared so that may explain some things.

Podcast says he arrived to pick her up at 4pm, wow. That's awfully fast to be done with the fair just around 6pm...
40 mins drive to the fair. Some chatting with Erin's family which means that they'd arrive there around 5pm. And around 6pm they were already trying to go back?!
Then nobody really recalls him during that 5 hour-long search of his?

Well, I don't want to sound insulting but maybe that guy was just stupid?
She sounds incredibly smart and capable, likely not a big fan of some forest fair with no friends to hang out with and it was their first date. Doesn't sound like that date went well.
He may be a murderer... or an idiot who was too proud to ask anyone for help or direction, failed to find that cabin, went back eventually, haven't found her anywhere near his car, figured that she obviously left, so he just didn't bother with really searching for her, just looked around and spend his time there or somewhere doing whatever, just to figure out in the morning that it'd be a good idea to ask if she made it home... and upon learning that she didn't he said that he was looking for her to appear as a better person than he was. It's possible. Knowing more about him would tell how likely that could be.

 

[beubeubeu]

That sounds bad, I'm sorry.
I meant that "stupid" and "idiot" in context of his actions from that day, judging on what's available. "Was stupid" as "was acting stupid", thoughtless, to carefree and irresponsible.
And I said "idiot" later cause I'm 100% sure I know people like that, who would act and reason exactly like that and who did similar things, causing troubles for others while not having bad intentions and while being smart in other areas of life.
I should phrase it better, I apologize, I failed to get here in time to edit and fix it.

 

[beubeubeu]

I can't believe what I'm saying but more I'm learning about the case, the area and so on... less I believe that guy knows anything.

Festival rules says no dogs, no politics, no religious orders, no beer outside beer garden - which sounds pretty reasonable, good ways to reduce risk of people getting into random fights over whatever while drunk.
But "no dogs" means... makes it more likely for tracking dogs to pick up Erin's scent.

1st of July was Saturday.
As far as I understand Forest Fair is three days long event, taking place on first weekend of July. So it'd be the second day, when recently (and really at most weekend-long festivals Im familiar with) they're having the biggest attractions, longest concerts, some sort of parade..

Since I can't stop thinking about it, I'll share my thoughts.
Probability of his story being true or somehow true really depends on what kind of person he was.

Not the brightest bulb in the shed with big ego and kinda... strange kind of person - could totally make these decisions.

The average guy... Oh dear God, I don't think so, only with some stretch. Like him being totally sure that friends cabin is very close, with something illegal or uncomfortable to share with the cops/everyone what stopped him from going to that cabin at at all or coming back soon enough. Then it'd be pretty easy: Erin's not there anymore but why would she, who would wait so long? Probably most people would assume that she met someone she knew from Anchorage or decided to check out something at the festival and either is there somewhere or on her way home. So why not hang out there, while keeping eyes open to check if he'll be able to spot her somewhere.

Damn, that story is so stupid it has to be at least partially true, otherwise why not come up with something less stupid?
At least one person reported meeting Erin and chatting with her about the tattoo. But that was sometime between 5 and 6 pm, before they headed back to the car.
Shame that festival schedule isn't available anywhere I can find. Was that the time for the parade? Maybe some louder concert started? And did they headed back to the car to try to
go back home or drive somewhere within the town?
So he went away somewhere for two hours, then he may be seen in the area for several hours... But seen by who?
Erin was tall, beautiful and all in black. He had... hair longer than military haircut. On a hippie forest music festival. One hell of a distinctive feature. Even if he was asking some people about tall girl in black with a bob haircut, how would we know? Was her family asking people if he was asking them about her? I doubt that. And cops jumped into action only after the festival ended so who were they asking? Some staff and locals who had their art and food stands?
He likely wouldn't be the only one looking for someone in the crowd so even if nobody claimed to remember him isn't even telling.

I don't buy that scenario with her getting lost in the wilderness on accident. She lived in Alaska for a year. She knew how big and wild it is and that there is no point in trying to get somewhere by walking through the forest.

And I don't buy it being hard to believe that nobody saw anything so it's unlikely that she may get abducted. Come on. Thousands of people, several different things going on, people moving everywhere, music, sounds, screams, voices, cars...
Not sure if that's what happened but imo it could and if it did, then most likely nobody noticed anything strange about it.

 

[ekardh]

A lot of scattered thoughts there, beubeubeu.

The bottom line is that the last confirmed person to see Erin, David Combs, had a dubious alibi. Why did he walk for over two hours trying to find a friend's cabin when he could've walked a few minutes back to the festival or any one of the nearby homes for help? And then when he returns, the engine miracously starts! There are too many gaps in logic and time. Lawyering up and refusing a polygraph were Combs' prerogative, but his story stinks to high heaven. I dont think we can attribute this to stupidity.

 

[FromGermany1]

I am a bit surprised that so little has been said about the need to look more closely at Kenneth Dion, convicted in 2007 for the 1994 murder and rape of Bonnie Craig in Anchorage. According to the link below Dion was in Alaska until 1996 and, given the nature of the Craig offence and his subsequent (and prior) record it seems unlikely that he did not commit other offences whilst in Alaska;

SitNews: DNA links prison inmate to 1994 Bonnie Craig murder By MAGAN HOLLAND

It is possible that he is alibied for the date of the Gilbert disappearance (since he was in and out of jail in Alaska for minor offences and parole violations), but I have seen no reference to such an alibi. I am also struck by the similar appearance of Gilbert and Craig.

bbm
Very similar, OMG. IMO

 

[beubeubeu]

I dont think we can attribute this to stupidity.

It's possible IMO for a person to behave like thanks to immaturity, lack of responsibility (or cause of alcohol/marijuana consumption side-effects) etc.
I don't think that's likely and I'm pretty sure that five minutes long talk with that guy would make it crystal clear if he could do that or not.

Why did he walk for over two hours trying to find a friend's cabin when he could've walked a few minutes back to the festival or any one of the nearby homes for help?

Why did he SAID that he walked for over two hours trying to find friend's cabin?
I'd assume that questions like where was he walking (general area) HAD TO BE ASKED. If they weren't, then no reason to call his story ridiculous. Not even suspecting him of anything. Just wanting to know where she didn't go to check out other areas.
Just to distance himself from Erin? To place himself somewhere else?
Was that friend in the cabin while he was allegedly trying to locate it? Or was he somewhere at the fair?

I see three possibilities:
1) either his story is true...
2) or it was the best he could come up with in the morning of July 2nd, as he was mildly worried but mostly sure that Erin is ok,
3) or it was the best he could come up with while knowing what happened to Erin or even being directly responsible.

~ 4.00 PM he showed up at Erin's house to pick her up
~ 5.00 PM they arrived at the Forest Fair, later they are possibly seen by some vendors and in the beer garden
~ 6.00 PM they're allegedly heading back to his car
Erin's family says it'd be completely unlike her to agree to wait in the car for any amount of time
I doubt if any woman on Earth would agree to wait NEXT TO THE CAR of some random dude, who just failed to start it and shared that fantastic plan to look for friend's cabin to borrow some cables.
But I can't find clear info if she was allegedly waiting inside or next to the car.
What I can find is that... there are no cabins near main festival scene, and neither are any close to alleged parking spot near the bar mentioned in one of the podcasts. Girdwood is rather small, and it's been almost 30 years, but neither on the map or looking from GSV's perspective it seems extremely unlikely that anyone could believe its possible to get to some cabin and go back in less than 30ish mins.
~ 6.45 PM possible sighting of Erin at the Fair, in company of a man with short haircut
Could this be someone she knew from the base? Someone she just met at the Fair? Some acquaintance of her date maybe?

Considering that guy's story was a complete lie, forged as an excuse, then apparently he needed an explanation why he could be seen:
- leaving the fairground with Erin around 6:00 PM,
- alone, on foot, at some completely random place in or around Girdwood (but no farther than 1hour long distance fairground) sometime between 6:00 PM and 9:00ish PM,
- back near his parking spot and in his car sometime after 9:00 PM,
- basically wherever in the area between 9.00 PM and 1:00 AM or even 2:00 AM

Additionally he had some very good reason to not point out where was that mystery cabin he tried to locate AND to not name a single person he saw or met between 6.00 PM and 1:00 AM.
He was the one who invited her there.
According to Erin's sister he looked like a hippie.
Forest Fair was and is very hippie-oriented event.
He was smooth enough for Erin to agree on that date.
He obviously visited Girdwood before and had at least one local friend.

I failed to find clear info if in 1995 they had more than one scene, Saturday parade and other activities available in different areas of Girdwood.

Hard to believe that he somehow didn't met any friend or acquaintance while he was wandering around Girdwood for SEVEN HOURS.
If innocent of any involvement, then no matter how dedicated to his own search party, it'd make him look so much better if he had people confirming where he was and that he was indeed looking for Erin. If he was, then friends could recall some other people who were close and could confirm that sighting... yet it didn't happen.
If solely responsible... then basically same situation. No reason for his friends to not believe him and not come forward with confirmation that they saw him at some point.

Unless... (and that's obviously just me speculating, since I already took every possible route to justify his actions with some innocent reason) sometime after 6:00 PM they got into some other car with his friends.
Went somewhere... not far, where either Erin got murdered or accidentally died.
Then he went back on foot to get his car... cause they needed that car? or he needed his car.
It was said in podcasts (but it wasn't officially confirmed as far as I understand) that her fingerprints were found in the car. So it wasn't thoroughly cleaned I guess. And since guy wasn't named a suspect I assume nothing suspicious was found, so unlikely that wounded or murdered Erin was transported anywhere in his car.
Why his car was needed then? If it was within walking distance?
Wild guess, but people tend to not go far with their lies. Maybe said cables were IN HIS CAR and he came from somewhere where another car couldn't start?

 

[spartanx]

walked for two hours trying to find his friends' house? why didn't he walk to the fair first?...none of that makes any sense...or why leave her behind and not take her with you...walking for 2 hours instead of going back to the fair to get help doesn't seem right to me either...sure he walked for 2 hours...no...the car didn't start, but magically it did after he "returned" from his "ride"...his story has enough holes to drive a truck through...it seems they left the fair, things didn't go his way and she killed her...poor girl...you know what they say about the last person who saw the missing person alive...i imagine he could have been drunk after the brewery took her to a remote location things got out of hand and he killed her...unfortunately Alaska has unlimited space to hide bodies...i hope some leads turn up in this case and the killer can be brought to justice...combs knows the truth and will go to his grave and never confess...
either way
rest in peace

 

[ekardh]

walked for two hours trying to find his friends' house? why didn't he walk to the fair first?...none of that makes any sense...or why leave her behind and not take her with you...walking for 2 hours instead of going back to the fair to get help doesn't seem right to me either...sure he walked for 2 hours...no...the car didn't start, but magically it did after he "returned" from his "ride"...his story has enough holes to drive a truck through...it seems they left the fair, things didn't go his way and she killed her...poor girl...you know what they say about the last person who saw the missing person alive...i imagine he could have been drunk after the brewery took her to a remote location things got out of hand and he killed her...unfortunately Alaska has unlimited space to hide bodies...i hope some leads turn up in this case and the killer can be brought to justice...combs knows the truth and will go to his grave and never confess...
either way
rest in peace

For argument's sake (and it doesn't take much suspension of disbelief!), assuming this guy did it, I've always wondered how people like that are able to crack on and lead a normal life for all these years. I'm guessing he's not a repeat offender and he's kept his nose clean since then. Does Erin's "disappearance" still haunt him today? Does he feel any kind of guilt? Then again, the human mind has remarkable powers of rationalization when it comes to self-preservation.

 

[spartanx]

For argument's sake (and it doesn't take much suspension of disbelief!), assuming this guy did it, I've always wondered how people like that are able to crack on and lead a normal life for all these years. I'm guessing he's not a repeat offender and he's kept his nose clean since then. Does Erin's "disappearance" still haunt him today? Does he feel any kind of guilt? Then again, the human mind has remarkable powers of rationalization when it comes to self-preservation.

He is a sociopath, he only thinks about himself, that's why he has been able to live all these years... He never did anything wrong again... He only killed this girl who apparently was very trusting...

 

[theshadow45]

Today is Erin’s birthday.

 

[theshadow45]

Erin has been missing for 30 years today.

 

[PeterPenelope]

Erin has been missing for 30 years today.

RIP Erin - I am so sorry you were robbed of these years.