Found Deceased CO - Kevin Rudnicki, 20, hiker, Mount Herman, Pike National Forest, 3 Sep 2018

[heartgoesout]

@Trackergd
Can you read through the thread and offer any of your knowledge?

 

[crhedBngr]

Bumping for Kevin.

 

[Mom24]

After spending two days looking for anything online for Kevin, I'm not finding much of anything. Did Kevin not do much online? Usually kids his age have an instagram or some such thing, but I'm not finding much of anything. If he did often post things online and there's nothing out there now, along with the deletion of almost everything off his comp, it would lead me to believe he meant to disappear.
I'm assuming classes started a couple of days after he disappeared? That would explain why he left when he did.
As for not seeing his sister, he may not have gone because he knew it would be too hard to not say something?
We need our map people to come over and take a look at the maps.

 

[zecats]

Was his niece, whose birthday party he was supposed to be back in time to attend his sister's daughter? Is that the reason he came home for the weekend? Would he normally miss something like this and disappoint his niece?

I also take note of the comment that was reported that his mother said to him about taking a knife with him because of the Tim Watkin's murder a year before and Kevin's supposed response of having his multi-purpose tool with him. And that his knife was back at school. "It's not safe up there," his mother said. And Kevin agreed.

Crews search for missing hiker in El Paso County

 

[Mom24]

Yes, I am currently considering a mass search. I will be doing some more planning over the next few days.

You might want to consider contacting this agency. They do ground searches. http://www.texasequusearch.org/report-a-person-missing/
Make sure Kevin is also registered with NAMUS.

 

[PalmerLakeAnon]

After spending two days looking for anything online for Kevin, I'm not finding much of anything. Did Kevin not do much online? Usually kids his age have an instagram or some such thing, but I'm not finding much of anything. If he did often post things online and there's nothing out there now, along with the deletion of almost everything off his comp, it would lead me to believe he meant to disappear.
I'm assuming classes started a couple of days after he disappeared? That would explain why he left when he did.
As for not seeing his sister, he may not have gone because he knew it would be too hard to not say something?
We need our map people to come over and take a look at the maps.

He has a facebook with barely anything on it and an instagram account with no posts. I do not know about his online activity. He would probably have been very careful to not be tracked in any way, especially if he was doing illegal things.

 

[PalmerLakeAnon]

Was his niece, whose birthday party he was supposed to be back in time to attend his sister's daughter? Is that the reason he came home for the weekend? Would he normally miss something like this and disappoint his niece?

I also take note of the comment that was reported that his mother said to him about taking a knife with him because of the Tim Watkin's murder a year before and Kevin's supposed response of having his multi-purpose tool with him. And that his knife was back at school. "It's not safe up there," his mother said. And Kevin agreed.

Crews search for missing hiker in El Paso County

The "party" was certainly not his reason for coming home, and what the MSM called "party", for us, was just a casual family gathering for dinner at our mom's house; we usually have those for special occasions. I'm not saying my niece's birthday was not a big deal, but really, this "party" was not like a full-blown, family reunion thing. The fact that Kevin was not home for that was a bit strange, but I would guess it was not what raised the red flags.

The MSM spin on the story makes kind of maked me cringe with how sensational they made this. It seemed to me that they kept trying to relate Kevin's disappearance to that of Tim Watkins. I have no reason to believe that Kevin was murdered, given the circumstances leading up to this.

 

[zecats]

The "party" was certainly not his reason for coming home, and what the MSM called "party", for us, was just a casual family gathering for dinner at our mom's house; we usually have those for special occasions. I'm not saying my niece's birthday was not a big deal, but really, this "party" was not like a full-blown, family reunion thing. The fact that Kevin was not home for that was a bit strange, but I would guess it was not what raised the red flags.

The MSM spin on the story makes kind of maked me cringe with how sensational they made this. It seemed to me that they kept trying to relate Kevin's disappearance to that of Tim Watkins. I have no reason to believe that Kevin was murdered, given the circumstances leading up to this.

Thanks for explaining. Typical of MSM. We too have family dinners for birthdays so I assumed it was a small family affair. I wondered after reading that way back when if it was a big deal that he didn’t make it back for that, and that it’s what caused initial concern.

 

[PalmerLakeAnon]

Kevin left home with a banana, a few bottles of water, and a backpack that was full. The backpack could have easily just had his coat stuffed into it, thus making it appear completely packed. From my experience hiking, that is not enough food or water for a long, all-day hike, and I am in better shape than Kevin was (since I run competitively). Hiking with a pack in the mountains on a warm day, I find that a 5 liter camelbak lasts me about 12-15 miles. This tells me that he did not even intend to go very far, I would guess he would make it 8-10 miles of straight hiking at the farthest, unless he was intentionally starving himself or toughing it out. I suppose it is possible to make it to a store in Woodland Park, 17 miles away from Palmer Lake, but on just a banana, he'd be exhausted by the time he got there. I think if Kevin intended on hiking a long distance for several days, he would have brought more things: more than a banana, a jacket, some water bottles, and a day pack. I think there are 2 options now:
1) Kevin hiked into the forest a short to medium distance and either intentionally killed himself or was tripping and had an accident.
2) Kevin hiked a for a bit before returning to town, buying a car, and leaving the area entirely OR he got in a car and hitchhiked somewhere. This scenario would explain the dog's sudden loss of scent on Mt. Herman Rd.

 

[PalmerLakeAnon]

It is my understanding that someone's scent can stick around in areas for a very long time. The owner of the dog I was with, during one of the search days, was telling me how his dog once tracked a guy's scent that was over 200 days old. The "hits" that the search dogs got may have been from past hikes. However, Kevin had not been home in Palmer Lake before his disappearance since May, and before that, since January. I also know that the dogs often miss things. I heard that dogs walked right past where Tim Watkins was found several times and never got his scent.

Bottom line: to my understanding, the dogs could verify if the person they're tracking was there, but not the direction they were going or the time they were there.

 

[PalmerLakeAnon]

I uploaded this picture previously in the thread, but I circled in white the path of the dog I was with. This was on September 7. I will post a detailed, zoomed-in map soon.

 

[PalmerLakeAnon]

I attached a map where the dog picked up scent. It was an interesting day and I wanted to search the area, but another dog team somewhere else was getting hits on Mt. Herman, so we focused on that area rather than this one.

The dog immediately led us up the trail from where Kevin was last seen and then up the road. After about a mile, the dog lost the scent, but we decided to continue further in case she picked it up again. She did after about a quarter mile and led us up the road some more before abruptly turning off into the forest. As we went down the hill from the road, the dog began pulling really hard, but with all of the downed trees and large rocks, we could not allow the dog to follow the path she wanted to. We followed the contour trying to avoid the natural obstacles, until we got back up to the road. I guess we got to a point where the dog just picked up scent from the road again and led us back to it. We followed the road some more, the dog lost the scent, but then picked it up again, abruptly turned off in the same direction, and tried to pull us down the hill again. She then lost it and we hiked back to the trailhead to give the dog water. That was when we heard the findings of the other dog team, so we never returned to the area.

Since no other areas of interest have been successful, I want to search this one next. However, this assumes that the sunglasses and vial are NOT Kevin's.

 

[heartgoesout]

Remind me again how Kevin got to the trail.

 

[PalmerLakeAnon]

Remind me again how Kevin got to the trail.

Judging by how long it took him to get from home to where he was last seen (~45 minutes) and how fast he hikes (~3 mph), he would have taken the standard Limbaugh Canyon Trail (Trail 715); this is the only way through the canyon to the place where he was last seen. Really everything after 8:45 am is the mystery.

 

[heartgoesout]

And he assumingely walked to the trail from home?

 

[Vail]

I made a rudimentary map with the main points on it just to help zoom in on some of the points of interest. This is obviously an approximation based on Andrew's maps.
Kevin Rudnicki

From what I understand, Kevin's path to the last seen point #2 is based on his habits, trail maps and the time between when he left home round 8am and was seen at 8:45am (which answers my previous question on whether he could have started out on Mt. Herman Road and walked W/NW instead being no, not in 45 minutes)

I am compiling a summary of facts based on what we have but would like some things clarified if possible:

1. It was said early in the thread his phone last pinged at home. Did LE ever disclose if they could determine when it was turned off/lost connection?
2. How did Kevin get to Palmer Lake and how was he intending to return to Laramie?
3. When did Kevin and his ex break up? (I believe some of your posts were removed that covered this @PalmerLakeAnon as I remember things being said and can't find the quotes now)
4. Is dad involved in the case or searching at all? Where is he located?
5. Does Kevin have a CO driver's license?
6. Passport? Have LE confirmed he did not leave the country?
7. Were his FB or email records ever accessed?
8. In #240 Megan says Kevin didn't tell her he was coming home - wasn't he expected at the dinner?
9. Were cadaver dogs used at any point or just air scent?
10. How deep is the water in the creek now and has it changed much since Sept? Maybe @otto can help here.
11. Were Kevin's drawings of the Secret Underground Drug Palace found in his belongings?
12. What footwear did he have on when he left?

Some extra thoughts on things that happening around Kevin's disappearance:

Was there any tension between Kevin and New Dad? Is there any reason he may have wanted to avoid mom's wedding?

Was he enrolled for the new school year?

The summary of searches thusfar, please note if I missed anything:
LE/SAR searched daily from Sept 4 - 6, and again 8-11
Crews search for missing hiker in El Paso County
Orgs include EPC Sar, FremontSAR, DCSAR Colorado, Pike National Forest rangers/rescue, FFL helis and horses
Posters were put up along the trails

Here is some info on Colorado Forensic Canines which I am assuming has not been utilised yet and do not always require LE invitation:
http://www.krdo.com/news/top-storie...e-skeletal-remains-in-teller-county/714819089
Colorado Forensic Canines

 

[heartgoesout]

Palmerlakeanon, one thing I have learned from following many missing person cases is that families that advocate HARD have the most success.
Families that repeatedly reach out to media, organize searches, ask for volunteers, and inundate law enforcement are the ones that have the most success.
Call the detective in charge weekly.
Create a "Find Kevin Rudnicki" facebook page. Post about Kevin's positive attributes, pictures of him and things he loved. Put a face and a meaning to his life so others gain interest in helping. Spread the word. You never know who may have information. Look for any missing person facebook pages, join and ask them to spread the word that Kevin is missing.
Don't sit down, don't take no, or I don't know, or we can't, as answers.
But first and foremost do what you are able to while most certainly concentrating on your education and being healthy yourself first.
The old saying is so very true, the squeaky wheel gets the most oil.

 

[heartgoesout]

Thank you Vail!!

 

[PalmerLakeAnon]

I made a rudimentary map with the main points on it just to help zoom in on some of the points of interest. This is obviously an approximation based on Andrew's maps.
Kevin Rudnicki

From what I understand, Kevin's path to the last seen point #2 is based on his habits, trail maps and the time between when he left home round 8am and was seen at 8:45am (which answers my previous question on whether he could have started out on Mt. Herman Road and walked W/NW instead being no, not in 45 minutes)

I am compiling a summary of facts based on what we have but would like some things clarified if possible:

1. It was said early in the thread his phone last pinged at home. Did LE ever disclose if they could determine when it was turned off/lost connection?
2. How did Kevin get to Palmer Lake and how was he intending to return to Laramie?
3. When did Kevin and his ex break up? (I believe some of your posts were removed that covered this @PalmerLakeAnon as I remember things being said and can't find the quotes now)
4. Is dad involved in the case or searching at all? Where is he located?
5. Does Kevin have a CO driver's license?
6. Passport? Have LE confirmed he did not leave the country?
7. Were his FB or email records ever accessed?
8. In #240 Megan says Kevin didn't tell her he was coming home - wasn't he expected at the dinner?
9. Were cadaver dogs used at any point or just air scent?
10. How deep is the water in the creek now and has it changed much since Sept? Maybe @otto can help here.
11. Were Kevin's drawings of the Secret Underground Drug Palace found in his belongings?
12. What footwear did he have on when he left?

Some extra thoughts on things that happening around Kevin's disappearance:

Was there any tension between Kevin and New Dad? Is there any reason he may have wanted to avoid mom's wedding?

Was he enrolled for the new school year?

The summary of searches thusfar, please note if I missed anything:
LE/SAR searched daily from Sept 4 - 6, and again 8-11
Crews search for missing hiker in El Paso County
Orgs include EPC Sar, FremontSAR, DCSAR Colorado, Pike National Forest rangers/rescue, FFL helis and horses
Posters were put up along the trails

Here is some info on Colorado Forensic Canines which I am assuming has not been utilised yet and do not always require LE invitation:
http://www.krdo.com/news/top-storie...e-skeletal-remains-in-teller-county/714819089
Colorado Forensic Canines

1) The phone was turned off. Last pinged at home at around 7:30 am
2) Kevin took the bus to Monument, where our mom picked him up and took him home on Saturday evening. He was going to take a bus bake to Wyoming on Monday. He even wrote down the bus schedule and left the note on the kitchen counter (which was kind of strange, he never does that)
3) They broke up some time in May
4) Our dad has been in the process of moving to Michigan when this all started. He has been coming back to Colorado for a few weeks at a time, here and there. He has been contacting the Palmer Lake police as well as the Laramie/UW Campus police. He is very much pursuing what kind of legal trouble Kevin may have been in.
5) Kevin has a CO license
6) I do not think Kevin has a passport. We have only left the country once (to Canada) and we were young enough we only required birth certificates. All legal documents of his were at his house in Laramie.
7) FB: no. Email: the Palmer Lake police recovered some files from his computer's external hard drive, including some emails and search history. HOWEVER, the newest of these were from 2017, too long ago.
8) Megan found out that Kevin was home from our mom, and the dinner being at our mom's house, of course he was expected to be there: this essentially means he was expected to be home when the dinner was going on.
9) To my knowledge, 1 cadaver dog was used and supposedly got a hit on Mt. Herman. In the same spot, the SAR searched extensively with repelling equipment and more dogs. Nothing every came of that.
10) In the rocky parts of the creek, it is often about ankle, mid-calf or knee deep. In the more still water, I would guess up 3 or 4 feet deep. There would be less water in the creek now than in September.
11) I don't think there were any pictures. I think they must have all been on his computer
12) Kevin was wearing military boots.

There was no tension from what I know. I know our stepdad liked Kevin, but him and I did talk about how disrespectful and arrogant Kevin was. This may have caused tension between them, but I don't think there were face-to-face arguments or anything like that.

I think Kevin withdrew from all of his classes before the school year started. I know he did not attend any classes during his first (and only) week of the semester.

SAR and LE were involved 9/3-9/6, 9/9, and 10/1

 

[PalmerLakeAnon]

1) The phone was turned off. Last pinged at home at around 7:30 am
2) Kevin took the bus to Monument, where our mom picked him up and took him home on Saturday evening. He was going to take a bus bake to Wyoming on Monday. He even wrote down the bus schedule and left the note on the kitchen counter (which was kind of strange, he never does that)
3) They broke up some time in May
4) Our dad has been in the process of moving to Michigan when this all started. He has been coming back to Colorado for a few weeks at a time, here and there. He has been contacting the Palmer Lake police as well as the Laramie/UW Campus police. He is very much pursuing what kind of legal trouble Kevin may have been in.
5) Kevin has a CO license
6) I do not think Kevin has a passport. We have only left the country once (to Canada) and we were young enough we only required birth certificates. All legal documents of his were at his house in Laramie.
7) FB: no. Email: the Palmer Lake police recovered some files from his computer's external hard drive, including some emails and search history. HOWEVER, the newest of these were from 2017, too long ago.
8) Megan found out that Kevin was home from our mom, and the dinner being at our mom's house, of course he was expected to be there: this essentially means he was expected to be home when the dinner was going on.
9) To my knowledge, 1 cadaver dog was used and supposedly got a hit on Mt. Herman. In the same spot, the SAR searched extensively with repelling equipment and more dogs. Nothing every came of that.
10) In the rocky parts of the creek, it is often about ankle, mid-calf or knee deep. In the more still water, I would guess up 3 or 4 feet deep. There would be less water in the creek now than in September.
11) I don't think there were any pictures. I think they must have all been on his computer
12) Kevin was wearing military boots.

There was no tension from what I know. I know our stepdad liked Kevin, but him and I did talk about how disrespectful and arrogant Kevin was. This may have caused tension between them, but I don't think there were face-to-face arguments or anything like that.

I think Kevin withdrew from all of his classes before the school year started. I know he did not attend any classes during his first (and only) week of the semester.

SAR and LE were involved 9/3-9/6, 9/9, and 10/1

Question 2: Saturday 9/1, Monday 9/3