AZ AZ - Daniel Robinson, 24, remote job site, Buckeye, 23 Jun 2021 #2

[cenazoic]

It just means that the 11 miles had to have been driven before the Jeep ever got to the ravine.

But that’s what I don’t understand. Regardless of the 11 miles, why isn’t it possible that any tracks in or out were blown/rained away once the Jeep was in the ravine?

What I’m trying to push back against is what I perceive as a possibly incorrectly enumerated series of events:

a) the Jeep comes to rest in the ravine.
b) the GPS indicates that the Jeep was driven 11 miles after a crash was recorded.
c) the ravine doesn’t contain tracks indicating an attempt to drive out, spinning wheels, etc.

Therefore, the Jeep was driven 11 miles after the crash but before landing in the ravine.

The above assumption requires event C to be true regardless of any other variables.

What I mean is that the “truthiness” of event C is largely dependent on how long the Jeep has been there. Short time? Probably can take as true. Longer time? Now it gets iffy, because environmental effects could have blown away/rained upon/ changed conditions in the ravine, making the meaning of any tracks or lack thereof much more ambiguous. Of course, that doesn’t even get into what relative terms like ‘long’ or ‘short’ mean in this context.

All that said, I’m not really disputing the sequence as you've laid it out. It just struck me suddenly that event C is a “fact”, but it’s a conditional one, and we don’t have all the information we’d need to ensure we’re assigning it the correct priority.

To go back to the 11 miles, anything interesting in a 5.5 mile radius of the ravine?

 

[Bluedreamer]

But that’s what I don’t understand. Regardless of the 11 miles, why isn’t it possible that any tracks in or out were blown/rained away once the Jeep was in the ravine?

What I’m trying to push back against is what I perceive as a possibly incorrectly enumerated series of events:

a) the Jeep comes to rest in the ravine.
b) the GPS indicates that the Jeep was driven 11 miles after a crash was recorded.
c) the ravine doesn’t contain tracks indicating an attempt to drive out, spinning wheels, etc.

Therefore, the Jeep was driven 11 miles after the crash but before landing in the ravine.

The above assumption requires event C to be true regardless of any other variables.

What I mean is that the “truthiness” of event C is largely dependent on how long the Jeep has been there. Short time? Probably can take as true. Longer time? Now it gets iffy, because environmental effects could have blown away/rained upon/ changed conditions in the ravine, making the meaning of any tracks or lack thereof much more ambiguous. Of course, that doesn’t even get into what relative terms like ‘long’ or ‘short’ mean in this context.

All that said, I’m not really disputing the sequence as you've laid it out. It just struck me suddenly that event C is a “fact”, but it’s a conditional one, and we don’t have all the information we’d need to ensure we’re assigning it the correct priority.

To go back to the 11 miles, anything interesting in a 5.5 mile radius of the ravine?

Ah, good point. The tracks that ultimately lead into the ravine that are visible show the tires digging into the ground as the Jeep went into the ravine. Those tracks were visible for months, suffice to say any other tracks in the ravine would have been as well, in my opinion, especially if they were spinning a rut trying to get out.

For B, the GPS doesn't indicate the 11 miles were driven, the infotainment system start at 12:54pm and the 11 additional miles on the odometer indicates it was driven. The GPS data indicates the phone didn't go on that trip.

All of this is good to go over, I hadn't thought about the tracks being washed away beforehand myself.

Another thing about that theory is that the Buckeye PD could have tried going with that. They could have said Daniel's Jeep crashed into the ravine, restarted at 12:54pm and tried driving out, ultimately tipping on its side. Instead of doing that, they are going out of there way to explain those 11 miles using theories that can't be true based on how the data actually works.

Nothing really interesting that I've come across in regards to the 5.5 mile radius, the 11 mile radius does allow it to get back into town though. Here's what that looks like-

5.5 miles

11 miles

 

[Twistinginthewind]

Though I'm late to knowing about this case, I'm super impressed at everyone's posts, which I find to be incredibly in depth and focused on the facts, as well as flexible in their interpretation.

I haven't read but a few pages of late on this thread, so it may be too early to weigh in on what I think may have gone down with Daniel and his unfortunate passing, until I have time to read all posts and MSM articles, and digest all of the backstory.

Still and all, based on work I've done for decades in a related field to Daniel's, and knowing what I've experienced in the field working on developing wells, monitoring data, and the interpretation thereof for purposes that are sometimes multifaceted, etc....

It seems to me at first glance he did find some anomalous data and/or manipulation of his recording of data he was responsible for, which caused him to have well warranted concerns, and he is no longer with us to tell his side of the story.

As well as the nonsensical circumstances of his death, and what seems like obfuscation on the part of some of the people he worked with, and perhaps mishandling of the investigation by authorities, IMOO.

I will just say, I've seen it before, in spades, a travesty of justice, when a technician just doing their job in the field became embroiled in a fraught situation subject to power plays by higher ups, and nothing came good of it.

JMO, and happy to be proven wrong in this case, being new to it, poor Daniel found himself between a rock and a hard place recording and interpreting field data and realizing that someone(s) were not pleased with his recordings and could have been manipulating them without his knowledge, for possibly nefarious reasons (impactful to or potentially affecting profits in someone(s) minds?), which could have led to his death.

Hoping the investigation will bear more fruit than it has already into his cause of death and the circumstances and potential bad actors involved.

RIP, Daniel, know you've got a lot of dedicated and saavy people here pulling for you and justice for you if you were murdered whilst just doing your job well.

MOO

 

[ColdDutch]

I'm not sure what to think about the red paint transfer. One theory I’ve seen is that it could have come from a hydraulic jack a tow company used to get the Jeep upright in the ravine, I kind of like that theory. At the same time, the only reason we even know about the red paint transfer is because of the PI, not Buckeye PD. That might just be because they didn’t really inspect the Jeep, but it could also mean the mark wasn’t from a hydraulic jack at all.

View attachment 615062


At first, I wasn’t sure what to make of the rancher’s story. Some people (like Billy Hayes) tend to embellish to make their accounts sound more important. But after listening to the rancher’s audio and hearing him retell it, I 100% believe him. He even said Buckeye PD told him they searched that area and the Jeep wasn’t there. That’s really damning, especially when you consider how close the search grid must have started from the ravine.

Then there’s Ken’s account about following tracks through the gate, going further in, and climbing a hill to look around. That would put him roughly half a mile from where the Jeep was located. He had fresh tracks to follow, and according to the police report, you’d have to go off-road to reach the ravine, there wasn’t a road there at the time, it wasn’t made until August or September. Those tracks should have been very easy to follow, rain or not, because they were cutting a new path into the desert.

I think that's my biggest problem with Ken’s story (which is weird because i just thought of it recently). If you were following the tracks, why stop? Did you follow them all the way to where the road ends and then decide to climb a hill, which hill? Why didn’t you see the off-road tracks? You went far enough to paint rocks red to mark where you had already gone, how far did you go? His account basically starts the search grid right next to where the Jeep was found. So why didn’t the Phoenix Fire-bird helicopter spot it? Why didn’t Civil Air Patrol? Why didn’t ground teams? And why did Buckeye PD, according to the rancher, say they had searched that area before and the Jeep wasn’t there?

All of this is before even looking at the data, which In my opinion proves the Jeep first crashed by the ravine, then drove 11 miles, and later ended up back there. And that makes a lot of sense if it was staged, they just brought it back to the site of the first crash so the data would line up.

As for motive, before even digging into the background around Daniel’s work, it was always weird that this was the one angle police never talked about, or really anyone talked about, even in theory.

The police report and media imply a whole list of other theories about what may have happened to Daniel:

1. Mental illness – Police report/Media
2. Accident, succumbed to injuries – Police report/Media
3. Wild animals – Police report
4. Left for a monastery to become a monk – David via Detective Biffin
5. Cartels – David via Police Chief Larry Hall
6. Katelyn’s friend – Police report
7. Some random person – Police report
8. Billy – Police report

The report even mentions a man who looked like Daniel but was missing his left hand instead of his right. They go through nearly every possibility, except anything related to his job. They even go out of their way to leave out Stephen’s involvement that day (Daniel's main boss), someone David has describes as “a ghost.”

The hydraulic jack theory is only plausible if the tow company used red-painted equipment and made contact in a way that left a transfer. But that’s speculative. Has this ever been investigated by Jeff or anyone else, considering Buckeye PD didn’t even document it? I’ve never been able to find anything about it.

Ken’s story about following tracks and painting rocks is oddly detailed yet incomplete. If he was that close to the jeep, why didn’t he find it? His decision to climb a hill instead of continuing to follow the tracks feels arbitrary. Especially given how fresh those tracks supposedly were.

How logical is this story, really? In the morning, Daniel allegedly behaves erratically and drives off without any clear reason, while no one else is present. Then, hours later, Ken sees tire tracks heading in the wrong direction and decides to follow them for a short distance, climbs a hill to look around, and then goes home to eat?

The evidence from the EDR and infotainment systems, combined with Ken’s vague and shifting narrative, strongly suggests to me that Ken never actually followed those supposed tire tracks at all.

What do we know about the jeep?

• Airbags deployed, which typically signals a significant impact.
• After that, the jeep reportedly logged 11 additional miles and over 40 ignition cycles.
• Experts argue this couldn’t be explained by towing or wheel spin, especially since the jeep’s battery was dead and the electronic odometer wouldn’t record movement without power.
• The terrain leading to the ravine was off road and undeveloped at the time. There was no road until months later.
• Driving 11 miles after a crash severe enough to deploy airbags, especially in desert conditions, would be mechanically and physically improbable.
• The damage to the jeep and the red paint transfer suggest a prior collision, not one that occurred at the ravine itself.
• Buckeye PD did not conduct a full forensic analysis of the jeep. No fingerprinting, no DNA swabs, no tire track matching.
• The Phoenix Firebird helicopter and Civil Air Patrol both flew over the area where the jeep was later found, but didn’t spot it. Buckeye PD claimed to have searched the area before the jeep was discovered and the rancher says they told him the jeep wasn’t there. This all supports the rancher’s claim that the jeep wasn’t there initially.

If the jeep was initially crashed elsewhere, then moved back to the ravine, it would explain:

• The odometer reading.
• The ignition cycles.
• The red paint transfer.
• The rancher’s testimony that the jeep wasn’t there days earlier.
• The strange damage that doesn't match the location of the crash.

It’s also completely illogical to think Daniel would have restarted the jeep after the crash. The jeep manual outlines that after airbag deployment, the vehicle automatically shuts off and requires a specific restart procedure. Restarting the vehicle would be extremely difficult. Especially one-handed, sideways in a ravine, and without immediate access to the manual.

 

[ColdDutch]

What about in the context of say, a driver using one of those window-breaker deals?



But what does that mean, if anything, when the Jeep isn’t found until a month later, after lying there for some undetermined time?

—-
K told Investigation Discovery that “We arrived at the job site at 930…it was raining fairly hard at that point.”

( see ID Disappeared Season 10 Episode 2:“Disappearance In The Desert”, around 3:30 mark. A brief search doesn’t find it available online, but it might be.)

Regardless of the lack of actual data for this claim, let’s proceed. I find the whole “I followed his tire tracks…” story absurd on the face of it.

Why would K do that? What happened between 915/945 (depending on the time DR left the well site, K reported both) and 3pm when K decided to follow the tracks?

Why did he, some 6 hours later, decide to do this, for a guy he’d just met and of whom he only remembered that his boots were untied and that he said “said some weird stuff”?

Furthermore, why wouldn’t the ‘heavy rain’ wash away/muddle any tracks? How did he know he was following DR’s tracks? For that matter, do we know what kind of tires were on the Jeep? Were they distinctive in any way? Was there only one Jeep in the desert that day? /s

Ken claims he was able to clearly identify Daniel’s tire tracks because they were the only ones visible after the rain. This implies that all other tracks had been washed away, yet somehow Daniel’s remained intact. Based on this, Ken says he could clearly see that Daniel had driven away from civilization rather than toward it.

But Ken’s statements about the weather are inconsistent. At one point, he says it was raining heavily. At another, he says it was about to rain. If it really was raining heavily, how could Daniel’s tire tracks still be clearly visible hours later, while all other tracks had supposedly been erased by that same rain? That simply doesn’t make sense, no matter how you look at it.

If the rain hadn’t started yet, you’d expect Daniel’s tracks to have been washed away by the time Ken followed them at the end of the workday.

There’s really only one plausible scenario: it rained during Ken and Daniel’s meeting, which would have mostly erased all existing tracks. If the rain stopped shortly afterward, that could explain why only Daniel’s tracks were visible. But this is the one scenario Ken has never really described.

The fact that he keeps changing his account of the weather is suspicious in itself, but the contradictions make his story increasingly implausible. And we haven’t even touched on the fact, also noted by Bluewater, that Ken only partially followed the tire tracks and marked a rock red, while Daniel’s Jeep was found weeks later very close to that spot.

 

[ColdDutch]

As for motive, before even digging into the background around Daniel’s work, it was always weird that this was the one angle police never talked about, or really anyone talked about, even in theory.

The police report and media imply a whole list of other theories about what may have happened to Daniel:

1. Mental illness – Police report/Media
2. Accident, succumbed to injuries – Police report/Media
3. Wild animals – Police report
4. Left for a monastery to become a monk – David via Detective Biffin
5. Cartels – David via Police Chief Larry Hall
6. Katelyn’s friend – Police report
7. Some random person – Police report
8. Billy – Police report

The report even mentions a man who looked like Daniel but was missing his left hand instead of his right. They go through nearly every possibility, except anything related to his job. They even go out of their way to leave out Stephen’s involvement that day (Daniel's main boss), someone David has describes as “a ghost.”

Still and all, based on work I've done for decades in a related field to Daniel's, and knowing what I've experienced in the field working on developing wells, monitoring data, and the interpretation thereof for purposes that are sometimes multifaceted, etc....

It seems to me at first glance he did find some anomalous data and/or manipulation of his recording of data he was responsible for, which caused him to have well warranted concerns, and he is no longer with us to tell his side of the story.

It’s striking, isn’t it? The sheer number of speculative theories, mental illness, wild animals, cartels, monks, strangers, yet the one angle that’s grounded in Daniel’s actual life and responsibilities is almost entirely ignored: his work.

It’s also the most obvious explanation when you lay out all the evidence side by side and compare it.

 

[Twistinginthewind]

It’s striking, isn’t it? The sheer number of speculative theories, mental illness, wild animals, cartels, monks, strangers, yet the one angle that’s grounded in Daniel’s actual life and responsibilities is almost entirely ignored: his work.

It’s also the most obvious explanation when you lay out all the evidence side by side and compare it.

Yes, it is striking, to put it mildly, IMO.

There's little chance that way out there in the wastelands of the wellfields, a random stranger of any stripe would have been hanging around and come upon him or stalked him and killed him (ETA: or kidnapped him) while he was on the job. With coworkers around somewhere and probably CCTV on the yard and possibly where he drove in and out of if not on the wells as well.

With all the expensive equipment and monitoring devices they typically have running 24/7 to "protect their interests" on something so valuable stationed out in the elements far afield from civilization, they would have some level of security in the form of video cameras to document the status of the jobsite and work being performed, IMO.

As an aside, a lot of companies with remote jobsites use drones and/or satellites 24/7 to track whatever is happening, to:
(a) provide another layer of knowledge separate from daily field reports or handheld monitors that send the data collected in real time back to the home office, and "have eyes on" the operations at all times
(b) track production rates, equipment and workers onsite, equipment malfunctions, maintenance needs, etc.
(c) have a record of all daily activities of workers for monitoring Health & Safety protocols being followed and in case of an injury or accident, to provide a visual record to OSHA

Over 5 years ago, I worked on a jobsite where the contractor had that kind of feed from a satellite dedicated to the jobsite, which they used to double check everyone's daily logs with software that told them how many pieces of equipment were onsite and used that day, how many hours they were used, how many workers and hours seen working, etc. Maybe Daniel's jobsite wasn't monitored remotely in that way, but it certainly was monitored at some level, IMO.

I would be interested to know if their Health & Safety Officer/Supervisor had documented any concerns of late or with Daniel or other workers in terms of their health and safety, because it's required under OSHA for them to submit a Health & Safety Plan before commencing work, and for the officer to conduct regular safety checks, and the onsite supervisor to conduct daily safety tailgate meetings if there is more than one worker on the jobsite.

It seems much more likely his disappearance, even if it was "simply" an accident in the jeep from where he fled on foot, was caused by work-related issues, stressors or unsafe working conditions, which all would circle back to what was going on at his job in the days or weeks beforehand.

I'm very surprised that it seems as if LE hasn't looked into his work situation as potentially being the nexus of his disappearance, will have to read more about the scope of the investigation which has been made public.

All JMO

 

[Twistinginthewind]

Though I'm late to knowing about this case, I'm super impressed at everyone's posts, which I find to be incredibly in depth and focused on the facts, as well as flexible in their interpretation.

I haven't read but a few pages of late on this thread, so it may be too early to weigh in on what I think may have gone down with Daniel and his unfortunate passing, until I have time to read all posts and MSM articles, and digest all of the backstory.

Still and all, based on work I've done for decades in a related field to Daniel's, and knowing what I've experienced in the field working on developing wells, monitoring data, and the interpretation thereof for purposes that are sometimes multifaceted, etc....

It seems to me at first glance he did find some anomalous data and/or manipulation of his recording of data he was responsible for, which caused him to have well warranted concerns, and he is no longer with us to tell his side of the story.

As well as the nonsensical circumstances of his death, and what seems like obfuscation on the part of some of the people he worked with, and perhaps mishandling of the investigation by authorities, IMOO.

I will just say, I've seen it before, in spades, a travesty of justice, when a technician just doing their job in the field became embroiled in a fraught situation subject to power plays by higher ups, and nothing came good of it.

JMO, and happy to be proven wrong in this case, being new to it, poor Daniel found himself between a rock and a hard place recording and interpreting field data and realizing that someone(s) were not pleased with his recordings and could have been manipulating them without his knowledge, for possibly nefarious reasons (impactful to or potentially affecting profits in someone(s) minds?), which could have led to his death.

Hoping the investigation will bear more fruit than it has already into his cause of death and the circumstances and potential bad actors involved.

RIP, Daniel, know you've got a lot of dedicated and saavy people here pulling for you and justice for you if you were murdered whilst just doing your job well.

MOO

Too late to edit, apologies for referring to Daniel as deceased, when he has been missing for years but his body has not been found.

 

[ColdDutch]

Yes, it is striking, to put it mildly, IMO.

There's little chance that way out there in the wastelands of the wellfields, a random stranger of any stripe would have been hanging around and come upon him or stalked him and killed him (ETA: or kidnapped him) while he was on the job. With coworkers around somewhere and probably CCTV on the yard and possibly where he drove in and out of if not on the wells as well.

With all the expensive equipment and monitoring devices they typically have running 24/7 to "protect their interests" on something so valuable stationed out in the elements far afield from civilization, they would have some level of security in the form of video cameras to document the status of the jobsite and work being performed, IMO.

As an aside, a lot of companies with remote jobsites use drones and/or satellites 24/7 to track whatever is happening, to:
(a) provide another layer of knowledge separate from daily field reports or handheld monitors that send the data collected in real time back to the home office, and "have eyes on" the operations at all times
(b) track production rates, equipment and workers onsite, equipment malfunctions, maintenance needs, etc.
(c) have a record of all daily activities of workers for monitoring Health & Safety protocols being followed and in case of an injury or accident, to provide a visual record to OSHA

Over 5 years ago, I worked on a jobsite where the contractor had that kind of feed from a satellite dedicated to the jobsite, which they used to double check everyone's daily logs with software that told them how many pieces of equipment were onsite and used that day, how many hours they were used, how many workers and hours seen working, etc. Maybe Daniel's jobsite wasn't monitored remotely in that way, but it certainly was monitored at some level, IMO.

I would be interested to know if their Health & Safety Officer/Supervisor had documented any concerns of late or with Daniel or other workers in terms of their health and safety, because it's required under OSHA for them to submit a Health & Safety Plan before commencing work, and for the officer to conduct regular safety checks, and the onsite supervisor to conduct daily safety tailgate meetings if there is more than one worker on the jobsite.

It seems much more likely his disappearance, even if it was "simply" an accident in the jeep from where he fled on foot, was caused by work-related issues, stressors or unsafe working conditions, which all would circle back to what was going on at his job in the days or weeks beforehand.

I'm very surprised that it seems as if LE hasn't looked into his work situation as potentially being the nexus of his disappearance, will have to read more about the scope of the investigation which has been made public.

All JMO

The biggest problem, in my view, is that many possible causes have been investigated, or at least considered, but his working conditions and background have barely been looked at. If at all. This is evident from the fact that his colleague Stephen seemed completely irrelevant to the authorities. Many aspects have been examined, but what he was actually doing at the time apparently mattered less. My question is: why?

In fact, Daniel disappeared while at work. He literally drove off out of nowhere during a work meeting. You would expect the authorities to have investigated everything related to that, right? But they barely did, and not long after, they handed over evidence to a private investigator. In doing so, they essentially told David they were done with it. I think they actually said as much. The evidence uncovered by David and the private investigators has been largely ignored.

The idea that Daniel was murdered by a cartel, a rancher, or some other stranger honestly borders on the absurd. There’s no evidence for it. I can’t rule out the possibility that Daniel disappeared in the desert, but that doesn’t align with the data from the jeep’s systems and the conflicting stories from Ken. I’m not saying Ken is the prime suspect, but I do have serious issues with his accounts of the events.

Thank you for your explanation about how remote worksites operate in terms of surveillance, security, and other matters. I realize conditions vary by location, but it was interesting to read what such setups can entail. Unfortunately, I think I can say with some confidence that the authorities never looked into these kinds of things.

If his work is involved, then a motive must be sought. On earlier pages, some possible connections have already been shared that you could look into. Public speculation should be approached with some caution, but without it, you don’t get very far either.

 

[cenazoic]

Ken sees tire tracks heading in the wrong direction and decides to follow them for a short distance, climbs a hill to look around, and then goes home to eat?

Well, he also stopped to paint at least one rock red. Get your facts straight!

I suppose it’s a useless question, but were any of these red rocks ever found? If so, was the paint ever compared to the red paint on the Jeep? (I’m sure it wasn’t, given the quality of the investigation, but perhaps I’m being unkind.)

The red-painted rocks thing is a strange detail that ‘feels’ like it’s supposed to explain something else, but sadly my imagination is failing me and I can’t even speculate on what that might be.

Anyway, congratulations @Bluedreamer! I’m normally an impatient eye-roller at conspiracy theories I’ve seen in various WS threads, but this is one case I’ve changed my mind on, due in large part to your thankless research and patient explanations.

 

[Bluedreamer]

Well, he also stopped to paint at least one rock red. Get your facts straight!

I suppose it’s a useless question, but were any of these red rocks ever found? If so, was the paint ever compared to the red paint on the Jeep? (I’m sure it wasn’t, given the quality of the investigation, but perhaps I’m being unkind.)

The red-painted rocks thing is a strange detail that ‘feels’ like it’s supposed to explain something else, but sadly my imagination is failing me and I can’t even speculate on what that might be.

Anyway, congratulations @Bluedreamer! I’m normally an impatient eye-roller at conspiracy theories I’ve seen in various WS threads, but this is one case I’ve changed my mind on, due in large part to your thankless research and patient explanations.

I have one random theory regarding the red rocks, but it's just a theory.

If Daniel’s Jeep was crashed the first time and wouldn’t restart, the people involved might have needed someone else to come out and figure out how to move it. But instead of using a series of phone calls or texts to guide that person into the desert, calls that could later show up in records, they might have used painted rocks as physical markers. The rocks could have been painted red to guide someone into the crash site without leaving a digital trail.

This theory would explain why that detail exists in a foul play context. In this version, they become a trail, a way to bring in an accomplice or helper, get the Jeep restarted at 12:54 PM, and move it the 11 miles before it was later staged back in the ravine.

Again, this is just a random theory, one possible explanation, It's probably nothing. But it’s one way the detail about red rocks could fit into a larger picture of staging and foul play.

Not sure if any of those rocks were found.


You have no idea how much i appreciate your words, made my day.

 

[Bluedreamer]

I want to go over one detail again that a lot of people don't really understand when they first read it, it's one of the biggest push backs I get in the data I post here.

When Buckeye PD was trying to explain why there was 11 miles on the odometer that wasn't recorded on the infotainment system, they said they talked to a Jeep expert who said mileage discrepancies like this are normal.

That Jeep expert is correct, mileage discrepancies like this are normal, but the reason why is the important detail. And that detail actually helps prove the Jeep moved after an accident that deployed the airbags.

If ANY car with a system like this gets into an accident, the crash data will record the mileage. If that car then restarts and drives, say 11 miles, those miles will go on the odometer.

They aren't on the crash data because the miles were driven after the crash and they aren't on the infotainment data because that system only records mileage when the vehicle is turned on, it doesn't record continuous movement like an odometer does.

Let me give you an example-


You leave your home in your car, then on the way to your destination, you hit a tree. When you hit the tree, your vehicles computer recorded the mileage when you hit it, lets say 58,154. Then instead of calling for help, you decide the car is still drive-able, so you restart it and drive back home. As you drive back home, those miles you drive would go on your odometer as you drive. But again, they wouldn't be in the crash data, because you crashed beforehand.


So yes, it's a normal discrepancy that happens all the time, because wrecked cars are driven after an accident all the time.

 

[10ofRods]

Well, he also stopped to paint at least one rock red. Get your facts straight!

I suppose it’s a useless question, but were any of these red rocks ever found? If so, was the paint ever compared to the red paint on the Jeep? (I’m sure it wasn’t, given the quality of the investigation, but perhaps I’m being unkind.)

The red-painted rocks thing is a strange detail that ‘feels’ like it’s supposed to explain something else, but sadly my imagination is failing me and I can’t even speculate on what that might be.

Anyway, congratulations @Bluedreamer! I’m normally an impatient eye-roller at conspiracy theories I’ve seen in various WS threads, but this is one case I’ve changed my mind on, due in large part to your thankless research and patient explanations.

I would assume that he painted the rock in order to mark the spot where he stopped following the tracks. Everyone in the desert knows that tracks and such do not last forever and cairns get blown over/destroyed. Choosing a suitable rock and painting it would "mark the spot" where Ken stopped searching.

Just a guess.

IMO