Identified! FL - Big Cypress Natl Preserve, Male Hiker, Denim & “Mostly Harmless” July 2018 - Vance Rodriguez #2

[UnlicensedPI]

I'm reluctant to post this because MP is in Namus and LE said that there wasn't a match with anyone in Namus. According to the Doe Network, there is DNA. His story suggest he jumped, but he could have staged that. Just want to get your opinions.

Sean Patrick Friel, brown hair, blue eyes, 5'10 - 5'11, current age 44 (2020)

Sean was last seen or heard from after checking out of a Marriott Hotel in Solana Beach CA. His 1993 Grey Nissan truck was found abandoned on Pacific Coast Highway, near the entrance of Torrey Pines State Reserve, and impounded. It contained his US passport, luggage, computer, and cellphone. His shoes, socks, and glasses were found at the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean.

I don't think he's a match due to his height, his hiking history and his glasses (no evidence MH ever wore glasses or contacts), but I have to say I could see MH having a similar story:

"Friel had been planning to move to Los Angeles at the time of his disappearance and start a new job as a computer programmer. He is described as a mild-mannered and low-key man who does not usually get angry. He is an avid hiker and a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University.

He attended several Zen and Buddhist retreats prior to vanishing, and some of his loved ones theorized he staged his 2004 disappearance in order to simplify his life."
Sean P. Friel – The Charley Project

 

[Bit of hope]

I don't think he's a match due to his height, his hiking history and his glasses (no evidence MH ever wore glasses or contacts), but I have to say I could see MH having a similar story:

"Friel had been planning to move to Los Angeles at the time of his disappearance and start a new job as a computer programmer. He is described as a mild-mannered and low-key man who does not usually get angry. He is an avid hiker and a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University.

He attended several Zen and Buddhist retreats prior to vanishing, and some of his loved ones theorized he staged his 2004 disappearance in order to simplify his life."
Sean P. Friel – The Charley Project

That story makes it even better for me to be a possible. Why should we believe all MH told different people along the trail......Height is with 1 or 2" inches of not a big thing.

 

[Bit of hope]

I'm reluctant to post this because MP is in Namus and LE said that there wasn't a match with anyone in Namus. According to the Doe Network, there is DNA. His story suggest he jumped, but he could have staged that. Just want to get your opinions.

Sean Patrick Friel, brown hair, blue eyes, 5'10 - 5'11, current age 44 (2020)

Sean was last seen or heard from after checking out of a Marriott Hotel in Solana Beach CA. His 1993 Grey Nissan truck was found abandoned on Pacific Coast Highway, near the entrance of Torrey Pines State Reserve, and impounded. It contained his US passport, luggage, computer, and cellphone. His shoes, socks, and glasses were found at the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean.

Sorry, I totally forgot to put the file in.
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Btw. In the Charley P file his height is stated 5'9 - 5'10. The glasses could be kind of a problem, depending on how bad his eyes were.

 

[K9Enzo]

I'm reluctant to post this because MP is in Namus and LE said that there wasn't a match with anyone in Namus. According to the Doe Network, there is DNA. His story suggest he jumped, but he could have staged that. Just want to get your opinions.

Sean Patrick Friel, brown hair, blue eyes, 5'10 - 5'11, current age 44 (2020)

Sean was last seen or heard from after checking out of a Marriott Hotel in Solana Beach CA. His 1993 Grey Nissan truck was found abandoned on Pacific Coast Highway, near the entrance of Torrey Pines State Reserve, and impounded. It contained his US passport, luggage, computer, and cellphone. His shoes, socks, and glasses were found at the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean.

Just glancing at the pic, I thought this was Kurt P. Beehler Jr. Some speculated (perhaps not on WS) that he was possibly MH. Kurt's story is somewhat similar to this gentlemen. I don't believe Kurt's body was ever recovered which fueled speculation as to his whereabouts. On both men, it's a no for me. IMO.

Remembering the life of Kurt P. Beehler, Jr.

 

[Bit of hope]

Just glancing at the pic, I thought this was Kurt P. Beehler Jr. Some speculated (perhaps not on WS) that he was possibly MH. Kurt's story is somewhat similar to this gentlemen. I don't believe Kurt's body was ever recovered which fueled speculation as to his whereabouts. On both men, it's a no for me. IMO.

Remembering the life of Kurt P. Beehler, Jr.

Just glancing at the pic, I thought this was Kurt P. Beehler Jr. Some speculated (perhaps not on WS) that he was possibly MH. Kurt's story is somewhat similar to this gentlemen. I don't believe Kurt's body was ever recovered which fueled speculation as to his whereabouts. On both men, it's a no for me. IMO.

Remembering the life of Kurt P. Beehler, Jr.

Thanks for your opinion. Being similar story's doesn't mean the same outcome perse, though.

 

[Ursamajr]

I'm reluctant to post this because MP is in Namus and LE said that there wasn't a match with anyone in Namus. According to the Doe Network, there is DNA. His story suggest he jumped, but he could have staged that. Just want to get your opinions.

Sean Patrick Friel, brown hair, blue eyes, 5'10 - 5'11, current age 44 (2020)

Sean was last seen or heard from after checking out of a Marriott Hotel in Solana Beach CA. His 1993 Grey Nissan truck was found abandoned on Pacific Coast Highway, near the entrance of Torrey Pines State Reserve, and impounded. It contained his US passport, luggage, computer, and cellphone. His shoes, socks, and glasses were found at the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean.

Personally, I don't see any physical similarities.

 

[Bit of hope]

It's a kind of "funny" what people see....In my opinion he totally has the looks of HM. But I will never try to match because of the looks....It's not going to happen, stats, story, kind of looks, the "type"....the combination of it...will do the trick....if
somebody is in the "systems" anyway. Edit to add

 

[janewall]

Sorry, I totally forgot to put the file in.
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Btw. In the Charley P file his height is stated 5'9 - 5'10. The glasses could be kind of a problem, depending on how bad his eyes were.

I checked for a thread on Sean Patrick Friel here, but couldn't find one.

It's peculiar to me that he left behind his passport and valuable electronics in his vehicle, but a wallet was not found and his credit cards were later used in Brazil. His shoes, socks and glasses all appear to have been staged/arranged. That makes me wonder if it wasn't suicide at all, but either foul play that wasn't recognized, or SPF did plan an escape - but how did he get to Brazil without a passport?

If he could do that, there's no reason to think he couldn't travel around elsewhere incognito, using his wits and whatever he had in his wallet. He doesn't look like MH to me, but a person's appearance can change a lot over 10+ years, especially if they want it to.

 

[MichelleBlue]

I never got a response from the CCSO about the name I submitted. How do you submit a name to NAMUS?

 

[Victoria Chambers]

I never got a response from the CCSO about the name I submitted. How do you submit a name to NAMUS?

We in the UK cannot create an account with NAMUS.. we can browse all the MPs, UIDs and whatnot but we cannot log into or submit persons to. It is not nice of CCSO to not even reply in acknowledgment for what you're only trying to help identify this man. I've read other forums and some members say a reply is received soon after submittance. Please try elsewhere with your details. It's worth it even if to just rule him out X

 

[Gardener1850]

I never got a response from the CCSO about the name I submitted. How do you submit a name to NAMUS?

Try sending an email to the Regional Program Specialist contact for this case: The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
Be sure to mention it is NamUs #UP51453 and ME/C Case Number 2018-00358.

 

[ballads1]

I'm reluctant to post this because MP is in Namus and LE said that there wasn't a match with anyone in Namus. According to the Doe Network, there is DNA. His story suggest he jumped, but he could have staged that. Just want to get your opinions.

Sean Patrick Friel, brown hair, blue eyes, 5'10 - 5'11, current age 44 (2020)

Sean was last seen or heard from after checking out of a Marriott Hotel in Solana Beach CA. His 1993 Grey Nissan truck was found abandoned on Pacific Coast Highway, near the entrance of Torrey Pines State Reserve, and impounded. It contained his US passport, luggage, computer, and cellphone. His shoes, socks, and glasses were found at the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean.

Personally, I don’t see the resemblance. The nose is off to me, but maybe it’s the angle.

 

[Ursamajr]

It's a kind of "funny" what people see....In my opinion he totally has the looks of HM. But I will never try to match because of the looks....It's not going to happen, stats, story, kind of looks, the "type"....the combination of it...will do the trick....if
somebody is in the "systems" anyway. Edit to add

I guess it's kind of "funny" to me too but for the opposite reason you have. I'm an artist and I have studied portraiture - distance between eyes, nose to lips, ears in relation to nose and eyes. Hairlines and pigmentation of skin. Nostril shape and size. Tilt of the eyes and cupids bow. Depth of where the eyes sit. Brow bones. There are so many little details of a face that any difference detail, when combined with other tiny and small differences, add up to a totally different face. Sometimes someone will say they think someone looks like this or that person and for the life of me I try to see it - I really do and I just can't.

I wonder how many people in the world have some form of prosopagnosia to some (even if slight) extent. Possibly all of us to different degrees.

I'm not sure of what you mean when you say that he looks the "type" but I'm probably just being a little dense.

Edited to be a little more clear.

 

[MichelleBlue]

Sorry, I don't see the resemblance with most of the possibilities posted here, but I seriously love that you all continue to search to give MH a name. ❤

 

[GaryColumbo]

Hi, all. My first time posting. This Outside article was very interesting. I pretty quickly found Logan Buehler's Instagram...where he casually posts about finding MH's body. There's a picture of the cops on the scene, too. After sifting through all of this for the past few weeks since I saw Jason Nark's Twitter post about the story, becoming a bit obsessed by it, it was a surreal thing to see one of the guys who found him and a pic of that night. Buehler seemed a bit too cavalier about it to me, too.

Not sure if anyone’s posted this yet, but it’s an Outside article vividly describing what it’s like to hike this section of trail. It sounds like a deceptively harsh area to walk. If you read to the bottom, there’s a bit about the guys who found MH’s body and a rather sad and unflattering description of him (maybe it’s not? I feel it is, but then I’ve probably become attached to MH reading up on him, so may be I feel a bit ‘protective’ of him. Lol, I don’t know—he just seemed so sweet). All that aside, this article states he was found sitting cross-legged. I feel like I hadn’t read that exact description yet, but it’s possible I’m not remembering correctly.

The 'Florida Man' of Thru-Hikes

 

[Ursamajr]

Hi, all. My first time posting. This Outside article was very interesting. I pretty quickly found Logan Buehler's Instagram...where he casually posts about finding MH's body. There's a picture of the cops on the scene, too. After sifting through all of this for the past few weeks since I saw Jason Nark's Twitter post about the story, becoming a bit obsessed by it, it was a surreal thing to see one of the guys who found him and a pic of that night. Buehler seemed a bit too cavalier about it to me, too.

Maybe finding MH was a bit of a shock and thats how he handled it. By the time they found him he was practically skeletal. It's not abnormal for people to think a dead body is a mannequin at first. Maybe a bit of disassociation. Personally, I don't suspect foul play.

 

[GaryColumbo]

Maybe finding MH was a bit of a shock and thats how he handled it. By the time they found him he was practically skeletal. It's not abnormal for people to think a dead body is a mannequin at first. Maybe a bit of disassociation. Personally, I don't suspect foul play.

Let me be very clear: 1) I'm not suggesting foul play; 2) I'm not judging the reaction of the guy who found him. It was just jarring to read his casual description on The Gram. I can't imagine how I'D react, both in person and on social media.

 

[carbuff]

It must be pretty shocking to find a body like that. I can totally see being flippant as a way to distance oneself from the memories of the event.

 

[Victoria Chambers]

It's a kind of "funny" what people see....In my opinion he totally has the looks of HM. But I will never try to match because of the looks....It's not going to happen, stats, story, kind of looks, the "type"....the combination of it...will do the trick....if
somebody is in the "systems" anyway. Edit to add

I think facial features, resemblances, etc. are a very good thing to go off of in this case. His name, his story, albeit, probably not far off the truth, but it's not the truth. None of his given info has gotten anybody an inch closer to identifying him. His face however, we would know if we saw it. 99% of the rule out list Do bear some resemblance facially to MH. I personally do not trust the info he had given concerning his home life. His given name was fake. We have to assume his story is too! They go hand in hand IMO X

 

[Ursamajr]

I'm not entirely convinced that his story was fabricated. Hopefully it's okay if I get a little personal here.

I'm an only child, I started losing family relatively young since the generation gaps are pretty big in my family. I only have 4 cousins and only two of them I really chat with regularly - regularly for me is about twice a year. I never had children. I moved out of my home state for a little and when I returned "home", I didn't keep in contact with the friends I had out of state other than liking pictures on social media and stuff like that. There was a lot of turnover in the job I had out-of-state so there wouldn't be a group of people that had a collective big red flag raise if more than one of them tried to contact me and failed. They probably wouldn't know if I went missing. My family probably wouldn't know either unless one of them was seeking me out. Combine all of this and the fact I live in the biggest city in the states (just like MH claimed he did) where you can get lost in a crowd if you wanted to.

I can totally see this being the situation that MH was in. I think MHs parents are both diseased and/or there was a major break in those relationships. I don't think MH was ever married. I don't think MH worked for a company in NYC as much as he worked as a consultant for a company in NYC. He could have worked freelance and if a company sought him out for services he just wasn't there and they contacted someone else. No red flags raised. If he was only working in short bursts at companies, and possibly doing some IT work remotely, he may not have formed friendships and acquaintances with people at those jobs. Heck, if shown a picture, they might not even recognize him.

At least IMO all of this makes finding his footprints so difficult. He's out there though.