CA CA - Rico Harris, 37, Former Harlem Globetrotter, Yolo County, 10 Oct 2014

[cvaldez1975]

the water in yolo county is not necessarily could in October. I cant be sure, I don't know the details or if they said it was.

I watched the Disappeared episode last night on demand. I missed about 5-10 minutes of it, about 3/4 of the way through, fell asleep and then woke back up at the end.
So if I missed this, let me know- but did they use search dogs to "track" where Rico might have gone? What did the dogs indicate? I kept focussing on the sole of the shoe found at the edge of the water.
Did anyone else think he either voluntarily or accidentally went for a swim in that river? Does anyone know if Rico knew how to swim? I know the temperature was probably pretty cold (of the water and or the air) but if he was manic at the time or high, maybe he (erroneously) thought going for a swim was a good idea. Still surprised he has not been found as yet. Did the witnesses who saw him walking along the road say he had shoes on? Did he appear wet as if having gone for a swim? The backpack- was it found as shown on the episode, sitting upright, as if he left it there and intended to return, or was it on its side as if tossed out of a car? I would think if someone else was tossing it they would not place it sitting upright like that, and could have easily thrown it over a cliff or into a dumpster elsewhere to prevent it from being found- leads me to believe it was found upright because Rico left it there, intending to come back for it. Was the sole of the shoe found near the backpack? Or was the sole of the shoe found closer to where the car was found? Those were the questions I was left with..... One more question too- they mentioned a video Rico made with his cell phone- did they have a time/date stamp on that, to show what time it was recorded?

 

[lucymoosey]

That was my first thought, taking off your shoes in a rush to get into the water for a swim, and the inner sole of your shoe popping out. I couldn't think of any other logical reason for the sole of the shoe to be found without the shoe. But then did the swim (if it occurred) happen before or after the sightings of him walking alongside the road? Would make more sense that the swim happened last if that was sadly, how he met his end. If the swim occurred first I would imagine he would have been wet when walking on the side of the road......he certainly lost a sole of his shoe, we know that......

 

[NL007]

How do they know it was actually him walking in his size 18 shoes to make the footprints? Sightings can be very unreliable, although I admit people seeing someone that's 6'8" would be much more accurate than sightings of people of average height. I've heard they have special ways to test the weight of the person that left the footprints to confirm they left them, so did they test the prints they found, or just confirm the size?

And the footprints were found days after he first disappeared. I know this will sound odd, but I think it may be tempting (not for me personally, mind you lol) for a younger person to put on some size 18 shoes to play around in. His car was found at a dedicated rest stop from what I understand, so it would have at least a few people coming and going daily. I think most of us would be creeped out by finding a pair of shoes with no owner around, but I could totally see a youngster fooling around like that.

Btw, sorry for the lol. I'm not trying to make a joke out of such a serious subject, it just sounds like something silly my little brother would have done when we were kids.

 

[AzPistonsGirl]

I, too, am curious about that little video he made, knowingly (?) or unknowingly. I want to know more about it. The whole backpack/jumper cables thing is way too odd to make any sense of IMO. So so many possibilities for how and why it got where it was. His GF appeared very genuine and sincere, I wonder what she really thinks happened and where he is. His mom, poor woman. Part of me wants to think that he has made contact with her and she knows he is alive. But my guess is that they will find remains at some point, "in the mountains". Sad story...

 

[neverletgo]

Vanishing Man: The Disappearance of Rico Harris

http://www.foxsports.com/feature/vanishing-man-the-disappearance-of-rico-harris

:bump: Bumping this article from December 2014 . . . it has a lot of details that weren't included in this week's 'Disappeared' episode.

Where is Rico?

 

[neverletgo]

Source: http://www.foxsports.com/feature/vanishing-man-the-disappearance-of-rico-harris/

 

[neverletgo]

Source: http://www.foxsports.com/feature/vanishing-man-the-disappearance-of-rico-harris/

 

[lindamichelle1]

Just finished the episode too!
I got a bad feeling about why he went back too, like to say goodbye to his family or something. Maybe he couldnt handle the thought of the interview he was supposed to be going back for and the pressure of getting married and working fulltime and everthing and on the drive just kind of snapped, especially after being awake that ,long and more then likely on some sort of drug probably thinking about his future on the long drive.
I think he would have been found by now if he killed himself. Hes a big guy, But again im not sure how far he could of wandered into the wilderness. But my guess is more he was sitting up on that guardrail waiting for someone or waiting to hitchhike and leave and leave his life behind.

 

[liskitcrostan]

I also thought amphetamines. I was briefly on Adderrall. I do not have ADHD but have a brain disorder that causes brain fog, trouble with concentration, etc. The Adderrall helped manage those symptoms but even at the lowest dose I couldn't sleep. I stayed up 72 hours and started hallucinating. It was the scariest thing ever. I ended up having to go to the ER and getting Xanax to help me come "down." I never took them again.

Several possibilities with this one...He was meeting someone there for drugs. He had a psychotic break and no longer remembers who he is. (But then why haven't people spotted him or come forward?) He was picked up and murdered, his backpack tossed from the car window as someone else suggested. Or he walked off into the wilderness and died.

My thoughts about him returning to Alhambra were that he either returned to say his goodbyes or he went to buy drugs. Either way, I don't think he was in a good frame of mind.

I spent most of my life wanting to be a country music singer. Everything I did was built around pursuing that dream.I even moved to Nashville and got a degree in Music Business from Belmont University. I soon learned, however, that for various reasons I was just not cut out to be a singer or performer. I went through a 10-year period after that of feeling at a "loss." In fact, I am still dealing with ramifications of the loss of that dream. It took years for me to find another career path, to find another passion. It made me incredibly depressed. I didn't turn to drug addiction but DID turn to other unhealthy behaviors (mostly in terms of personal relationships).

My point is, I can totally see how Rico might have been trying to deal with the fallout of his once-bright basketball future, even if the loss of that dream was realized years earlier.

Very well put. I believe also he just could never get over his failed basketball career. He could not recover from that loss.

 

[SanJuanMom]

Bumping for Rico

 

[Jessicaleanne1992]

This is so sad. Poor Rico. I think he was so depressed from his perceived failures and he couldn't take it anymore. Couple that with no sleep and whatever drugs he had relapsed on and it becomes a recipe for disaster. He was depressed, maybe even suicidal. He could have wandered into the woods and succumbed to the elements. Or maybe he committed suicide. I just believe that if he was out there somewhere he wouldn't even already been identified. A man who is almost 7" tall is not going to go unnoticed.

 

[EdinburghLass]

I wonder why there's no social media presence for finding Rico? A fb page with updates? Twitter? Nothing.

 

[MagnoliaMountain]

Watching his mother on Disappeared just broke my heart...Sadly I don't think he is still alive. I just hope they will locate him one day.

 

[Luvrosco]

Thank you so much for this article,Dizzy. I've been thinking of Rico after watching the "Disappeared" episode. You're so right. A lot was left out of the episode. Rico was much more troubled than what was shown. Such a sad story. I hope he's alive and eventually found.

 

[LisaWL7TR]

Watching his mother on Disappeared just broke my heart...Sadly I don't think he is still alive. I just hope they will locate him one day.

I was hoping he had just run away from his upcoming life and still was in contact
with Mom.

Sent from my SCH-I545

 

[Luvrosco]

Watching his mom was heart wrenching. At first I thought maybe he was heavily into drugs again and living on the street. But being 6ft.9in. I would imagine he'd stand out and someone would've notified LE.

 

[burblestein]

I thought I might share some local knowledge with the community, in hopes I can spark some further sleuthing on this case. Below I intend to analyze his drive from Sacramento to his destination, and share some info about that end point.

When Rico Harris drove north on I-5 from Sacramento, he was headed towards Williams and the CA Hwy 20 exit. In the hundreds of miles of northern California above San Francisco, there are only three roads linking I-5 and the paralleling CA Hwy 101 to the west. Route 20 is the southernmost. It takes about 80 winding two-lane miles and an hour and a half's drive to connect the two major highways.

As he drove westwards on Route 20, Rico would have come to CA Route 16 in 18 miles. This intersection is bordered by a fairly large pulloff area allowing access to billboards directing vacationers to the park facilities further to the south on Route 16. The interpretative billboards would show him the park to the south. There is also a CalFire station there--a potential source of official help if Rico needed it.

If Rico went onwards to Clearlake to score drugs, it's another 25 miles along Route 20, with a turn onto Route 53. After scoring his drugs in a small town unknown to him from a random stranger, Rico would have had to double back 25 miles to the intersection of Routes 16 and 20. Thus, it is almost certain he headed down Route 16 without a trip to Clearlake.

The open ground funnels into a canyon as one drives south on Route 16. The road runs down the east bank of southward flowing Cache Creek, with sheer slopes enclosing the roadway between hills and creek. Route 16 is lightly used, mostly by local traffic headed for the small towns further south on 16. The Cache Creek Casino further south does not cause any appreciable traffic; it busses in its clients from the other end of Route 16, or they drive in from the south from Sacramento or the Bay Area. Route 16 is a narrow twisting two lane road running past ranches and fruit orchards, with little in the way of shoulders.

The Cache Creek Park where Rico's car was found is 8 miles south of the intersection. The car was parked in the main lot of the park, handy to restrooms, etc. In midweek October, he was unlikely to be disturbed by any other park visitors. Indeed, in my several visits there in years past, I never shared this lot with anyone. I doubt it ever sees much usage except for the spring white water expeditions that launch there.

There is no cell phone reception in the canyon, so Rico could not call for help with his car. He probably knew from the billboard that a town was south of him within walking distance. At any rate, I tend to credit the sightings of him along Route 16. If he were sitting on a guard rail, he would be within 15 feet of passing traffic.

At any rate, there is a bridge 2.7 miles south on Route 16, where the road crosses over to the west bank. It is tall enough that a fall or jump from it could be fatal. Just downriver of the bridge is a stretch of white water. Rumsey is another 6 miles south from the bridge. I do not see how Rico could have walked through it unnoticed, so I end my road trip reconstruction at this point.

I have read speculation on the climate and topography out here, and its possible effects on Rico. This is technically a Mediterranean climate out here, and we seldom see snow at lower elevations like Cache Creek. However, the temperature drops rapidly as the sun sets, regardless of season. As can be seen by the example of Jamie Dalton (http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...lits-Watershed-5-March-2016&highlight=willits), the woods out here can be dark, deep, and deadly. Cache Creek runs rapidly chill with snow melt. Although deceptively shallow appearing, it has random and unexpected deep spots.

I realize I probably have added nothing new to the discussion. However, I thought presenting it in this format might be useful in solving this disappearance. I will do my best to answer such questions as the community may have about my post.

 

[OkieGranny]

Thanks, Burblestein. That was good writing, almost felt like I was there.

Welcome to Websleuths!

 

[burblestein]

Some addenda to above:

I have now watched the documentary on Rico's disappearance. The interviewer found a junkie in Clearlake who swore his buddy drove to Cache Creek to sell crank to Rico. Of course, this makes no sense. How the friend knew Rico was there went unquestioned, as did the necessity for Rico to drive over and fetch him. This is apparently the bogus story that started the Clearlake crank tale. If Rico picked up crank in northern California, it seems to me that Sacramento is a much more likely source. It is an urban drug market, customary to Rico's experiences.

 

[burblestein]

A question comes to mind. Rico told his mother he was going to eat. If so, did anyone check the eateries along I-5? Granzella's in Williams is well-known, with over 400 reviews on tripadvisor.com. The Pilot truck stop in Dunnigan is also alluring. And there are other lesser possibilities along I-5 between Williams and Sacramento. On the off chance he entered Route 16 from the south, he would have passed a number of eateries as he drove north. His last chance for food before Cache Creek Park is the casino just south of Brooks. Of course, the north end of Route 16 is barren of sustenance.