CA CA - John Beck, 73, Alameda, 9 Feb 2016 #1

[Deleted member 165632]

Posting some info on the Rangle Ranch Park where the search is happening:

http://parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov/Get_Outdoors/Parks/Ragle_Ranch_Regional_Park.aspx
http://parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov/uploadedFiles/Parks/Get_Outdoors/Parks/RagleRanchMap.pdf
http://www.yelp.com/biz/ragle-ranch-regional-park-sebastopol
http://www.yelp.com/biz/ragle-ranch-regional-park-sebastopol
http://bahiker.com/northbayhikes/ragle.html

There's a Veteran's Memorial Grove in the park... wonder if this has any meaning

 

[4senthia]

Hoping today is the day for John to come home.
Great sleuthing everyone.

 

[Elainera]

Sometimes elderly folks feel a longing to visit places or people from the very distant past. Places or people John might have known and loved before he met his wife. Maybe the family can recall those and check whether John has gone to try and make amends or reconnect with someone from his distant past? Or follow up on an interest or hobby he had before family life and work took over?

 

[cujenn81]

The shuffle could also be tiredness or a blister, with or without a stroke. But yes, a mild stroke or even a urinary tract infection could cause mental issues leading to his disappearance. Thank goodness for his internet searches that morning, whatever brought them on. Without those, there would have been no Instagram find. Without that, no widely distributed photo for this woman to have seen. What a gem she is for not second-guessing herself, but for calling LE. I'm rambling from nerves. I will stop! And pray for John.

Yes! My mom (67) recently had a UTI & wasn't aware of it & then all of a sudden she started acting as if she was in the early stages of dementia. She was super confused, used words incorrectly, "shuffled" all over the house, and would wander off constantly. After taking her to the ER and doing tests, they told us her symptoms were related to a UTI and I'd never heard that it could cause that type of behavior in older adults. It seemed so strange to me that I almost didn't believe them & thought they were the crazy ones. But, sure enough, after a round of antibiotics, she was back to her normal self.

I'd forgotten all about that... good thing to point out!

 

[LaborDayRN]

I haven't been able to read here for a couple of days due to two 12 hour shifts. I'm now caught back up and happy to hear about the new possible sighting. Here's hoping today is the day John is found.

 

[Lilibet]

Yes! My mom (67) recently had a UTI & wasn't aware of it & then all of a sudden she started acting as if she was in the early stages of dementia. She was super confused, used words incorrectly, "shuffled" all over the house, and would wander off constantly. After taking her to the ER and doing tests, they told us her symptoms were related to a UTI and I'd never heard that it could cause that type of behavior in older adults. It seemed so strange to me that I almost didn't believe them & thought they were the crazy ones. But, sure enough, after a round of antibiotics, she was back to her normal self.

I'd forgotten all about that... good thing to point out!

I'm glad all the Moms of WSers got better. Most people I've talked to aren't aware of UTI's causing confusion unless it's happened in their family. A friend of mine gets UTIs frequently and she said her husband is often the one to point it out to her before she realizes she has one, because she acts a little "off" or spacey. I know a nurse in an assisted living facility and she said urine is the first thing she sends out to be tested when someone gets confused or more confused than normal. We can all add this information to the many things we've learned on WS, if we didn't know this before.

 

[Tssiemer]

I had a really bad kidney infection once and got sepsis (blood infection) and I could just not stop crying. Everything made me cry. I was so sick and just irritable and depressed my husband took me to the ER because I "was acting crazy" and he thought I was having a mental break.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[cujenn81]

I had a really bad kidney infection once and got sepsis (blood infection) and I could just not stop crying. Everything made me cry. I was so sick and just irritable and depressed my husband took me to the ER because I "was acting crazy" and he thought I was having a mental break.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes, it's so strange how many seemingly unrelated illnesses can cause the brain to go a little haywire and play tricks on us! But then again, it is the organ that tells everything else in our bodies how to do its job, so I guess it makes sense when ya really think about it.

 

[Lilibet]

The person who reported seeing John has answered a couple of questions on the FB thread.

* John did not continue on Bodega Avenue after the sighting, so it's unlikely he caught public transportation or walked to Bodega Bay, in her opinion.

* There are no shelters, soup kitchens, churches or cameras in the area where he was seen.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?....256057521588.142538.700421588&type=3&theater

 

[JoyM]

Hi guys! Just logging on and catching up! I'll read and respond to posts momentarily (can't wait to hear your great ideas), but a quick update first:

• Search party out in Sebastopol today, starting at 8 AM. We are asking everyone we encounter if they've seen him and posting flyers around town. (We did consider the risk of spooking him if he is in his right mind and laying low, but we decided that the potential benefits outweigh the risks.) We have people visiting hospitals and homeless shelters as well. The next wave of outreach will be mental wards/clinics (2nd priority due to HIPAA issues) and pawn shops. We also may have a drone tomorrow, supplied by an angel volunteer.
• Folks are still on the ground. Laura is currently reviewing security camera footage from a 7-11 he may have walked past. There was an outdoor concert at a nearby restaurant and we're working on getting in touch with the band--did they have an email signup sheet and would they allow us to reach out to the attendees? We also plan to talk with SC transit bus drivers today.
• So far, we only have one reported sighting: a homeless man who said he saw John today at Cheekos coffee shop. However, the staff there did not recognize John's photo and the witness seemed a little fuzzy on the details, so we're not putting too much stock in this sighting for now.
• Once the search party is back home, we'll draw up a plan for tomorrow. Unless they find him, of course! In which case, we'll celebrate. Either way, I'll update you sleuths!

Best!
Joy

 

[Deleted member 165632]

Hi guys! Just logging on and catching up! I'll read and respond to posts momentarily (can't wait to hear your great ideas), but a quick update first:

• Search party out in Sebastopol today, starting at 8 AM. We are asking everyone we encounter if they've seen him and posting flyers around town. (We did consider the risk of spooking him if he is in his right mind and laying low, but we decided that the potential benefits outweigh the risks.) We have people visiting hospitals and homeless shelters as well. The next wave of outreach will be mental wards/clinics (2nd priority due to HIPAA issues) and pawn shops. We also may have a drone tomorrow, supplied by an angel volunteer.
• Folks are still on the ground. Laura is currently reviewing security camera footage from a 7-11 he may have walked past. There was an outdoor concert at a nearby restaurant and we're working on getting in touch with the band--did they have an email signup sheet and would they allow us to reach out to the attendees? We also plan to talk with SC transit bus drivers today.
• So far, we only have one reported sighting: a homeless man who said he saw John today at Cheekos coffee shop. However, the staff there did not recognize John's photo and the witness seemed a little fuzzy on the details, so we're not putting too much stock in this sighting for now.
• Once the search party is back home, we'll draw up a plan for tomorrow. Unless they find him, of course! In which case, we'll celebrate. Either way, I'll update you sleuths!

Best!
Joy

Hi Joy,
I'm hoping that John is found today! Good job on all the work you and the family are doing.

One more idea I had for searches is to maybe reach out to local equestrian clubs/schools/etc. b/c I saw on the map that Ragle Ranch Park has equestrian trails. It is possible that someone who was horseback riding may have seen John...?

 

[JoyM]

I would suggest privately finding out who the resident of the Ripley Ave house is and seeing if anyone in the family knows who it is. Consider contacting them. Could this be real estate he has owned? Could he have determined it was vacant and thought of going there for some purpose?

This is a great thought and we will do it. To answer your questions! No one in the family knows this house. It's not real estate he owned recently, and his wife did not recognize it, so we think that's probably not a connection. The "known to be vacant" theory is really interesting--it's a great reason to prioritize that visit!

So he searched areas near three different bodies of water, but we know he actually went out to the Pacific Ocean, after searching those locations on the morning he disappeared. Were there any tide searches?

The family did speak to a tidal expert at Marin search and rescue. His estimate was that if John had jumped off of the bridge, his body would be found within 10-14 days, unless it was carried out to sea. I have learned from another source that bodies are not recovered from 20-30% of Golden Gate bridge suicides.

Did he visit any of the locations in the Bay Area between 2/2 and 2/8 and decide they weren't suitable for whatever he had in mind?

We don't believe that he did, unless he was trying to hide it--e.g. went while his wife was sleeping. But it doesn't like he searched for directions to those locations, for whatever that's worth!

I noticed the body of water connection as well. Two notes of caution. 1) Most of the bay area is pretty close to water. 2) Martinez doesn't seem like a likely suicide spot to me. It's not particularly convenient compared to other locations near his home, I'm not sure how deep the Carquinez Strait is, and, finally it's incredibly ugly. It's just a stretch of industrial blight. That might seem odd, but apparently it is a factor--the documentary about Golden Gate bridge suicides notes that there are multiple recorded examples of people who drove across the (old) bay bridge in order to jump off of the Golden Gate. And, it seems that the rate of suicide off of the bay bridge increased after the old bridge was replaced with the newer, more beautiful version. Of course, anything is possible and I won't rule it out--I'm thinking aloud here.

Thank you Lilibet!

 

[JoyM]

Hi Capi!

Is John the type of individual who would ask for a ride? My reason is, would he go to the GG gift shop at the south side of the GG and ask anyone who was traveling north for a ride? Therefore, has the footage around the GG Shop been checked?

we're still working on getting GG bridge footage of all kinds, but this is a good thought. I don't think he's the kind of person who would have asked for a ride, but he also wasn't the kind of person to miss an appointment, so I'm keeping an open mind. Thank you for this idea.

As well, if John was a reader of books or magazines, has the family gone through those that are in the house to see if he put any papers, notes or left clues in between the pages. (I probably watch to many crime shows)

This is a good idea. I passed it along to the family.

Did John also make any unusual calls in the past few months to old friends, old co-workers, etc ... ?

We're also waiting on LE to give us those records. lease: We haven't been able to guess John's pincode, so we can't access the records ourselves. LE has said there's nothing out of the ordinary, but obviously we'd like to take a look for ourselves.

PS ... You are amazing. I hope tonight John is safe.

*you're* amazing. Thank you. :heart:

 

[JoyM]

Buses is probably his form of transportation. His picture should be at the depot so ALL of the drivers know who to look out for.

Thank you for this! We had two volunteers out today talking to bus drivers and handing out flyers. (I should say we *have*--they're still at it!)

 

[JoyM]

Just thinking ... John disappeared voluntarily, that much we know. I think it is reasonable to assume that he doesn't want to be found, and that he might anticipate family and friends looking for him. Therefore, he might avoid populated areas, especially streets, shops, and other places (public transportation?) where he knows he could be captured on surveillance cameras.

So I was wondering, could it be he's trying to stay off the grid? Not use buses, not visit shops, not walk down busy streets? Could he be traveling at night only? Did he ever have some kind of survival training? Would he know how to find edible plants, fruits, berries, roots, etc? He might travel mainly in wooded areas, seeking out fresh water sources. He might have a map in his bag. He might try to get somewhere on foot, undetected.

I hope all this is superfluous and you found him already!

This is absolutely possible. He wasn't a particularly outdoorsy type and didn't have survivalist skills (that we know of). We also don't see evidence of this in his web history. That said, he was very intelligent and he was in the army in his youth. (He never saw combat, FYI.)

 

[JoyM]

It seems likely that if this is John in Sebastopol, he could have used two bus lines to get there from SF...Golden Gate Transit to Santa Rosa, transferring to Sonoma County Transit. Someone mentioned that GG Transit can be caught near the bridge. Of course, that's assuming that he went to Sepastopol directly and didn't meander or stop off here and there. It's about 55 miles to Sebastopol from SF, a little over an hour by car.

http://goldengatetransit.org/schedules/current/route_72.php

http://sctransit.com/maps-schedules/?routes=1027

http://www.travelmath.com/drive-distance/from/San+Francisco,+CA/to/Sebastopol,+CA

Thank you, Lilibet! We agree that this is a priority and assigned a couple of volunteers to talk with bus drivers. I hope I'll have news from them soon!

 

[cujenn81]

This is absolutely possible. He wasn't a particularly outdoorsy type and didn't have survivalist skills (that we know of). We also don't see evidence of this in his web history. That said, he was very intelligent and he was in the army in his youth. (He never saw combat, FYI.)

I just wanted to take a moment to tell you that y'all are doing such an OUTSTANDING job and seem to be pulling out all the stops by utilizing every resource available. John is very lucky to have such dedicated people in his life and who obviously care about him so much. I hope he's found soon or that he realizes just how much he's loved and missed and comes home on his own accord. Praying for you guys.

 

[JoyM]

Sometimes elderly folks feel a longing to visit places or people from the very distant past. Places or people John might have known and loved before he met his wife. Maybe the family can recall those and check whether John has gone to try and make amends or reconnect with someone from his distant past? Or follow up on an interest or hobby he had before family life and work took over?

The family is racking their minds and visited a few spots, but haven't had any success so far. But they're still trying to remember other possible sites that should be visited.

FWIW, unlike the coastal area of SF, we don't know of any personal significance Sebastopol would have for John. We are entertaining the possibility that it was a stopping place on the way somewhere else--the road he was on leads to Bodega Bay. (I haven't asked the family whether Bodega Bay has personal significance, but I will.) Two volunteers will canvass Bodega Bay tomorrow just in case.

Thank you, Elainera!

 

[Lilibet]

Can you tell us how John's wife and family are holding up...and friends on the front lines like you? It's so easy to sit here with my iPad, so I just can't imagine the stress you're all under and the energy you're expending. I hope you all are making sure to eat and sleep, as hard as it must be. Oh, and don't get dehydrated!

Sending hugs! :grouphug:

 

[JoyM]

Hi Joy,
I'm hoping that John is found today! Good job on all the work you and the family are doing.

One more idea I had for searches is to maybe reach out to local equestrian clubs/schools/etc. b/c I saw on the map that Ragle Ranch Park has equestrian trails. It is possible that someone who was horseback riding may have seen John...?

Good idea! I'll add it to our list.