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

[RickshawFan]

He was found with only the clothes seen in pics - shorts, shirt, underwear. boots. No extras. Pics posted from months ago show him in the same shirt and shorts. Talk about traveling lightly. This is such a mystery.

It would be very typical to be wearing endlessly the same shirt and shorts when thru-hiking. May as well just have one stinky outfit and not two. Many thru hikers don't carry a change of clothes. Maybe all they're carrying: just a pair of long underwear, some kind of jacket (often puffy), spare pair of wool socks, spare pair of underpants (wash one, wear one), light gloves and hat in winter, raingear.

 

[Yokota-Red]

Look on facebook, I think it may be his sister that is in the pictures with him, the ballon photo you can see his hand and the tattoo is noticeable. It's possible that it has even faded more in the two years
he was missing.

 

[LeenC]

One thing that I keep thinking about is that the tent he had is not available in stores on most of the East coast/Southern states. (see the "store locator" map here: https://www.brooks-range.com/ ) Someone earlier in this thread said the tent looked like a 2013 model. He most likely had that tent before starting out on the AT (JMO). Since it's an expensive tent, maybe he even bought it long before quitting his job. I know he could have ordered online or got it second hand, but I suspect he has ties to a city where the tent brand is sold or he previously took a hiking vacation someplace where the tent was sold. There is only one store in New York that sells Brooks Range brands and it is in Keene Valley, NY: Home - The Mountaineer
That store also sells the brand of hiking boots he had: SALOMON : Running shoes, trail running, hiking, ski and snowboard
If he was from NYC, my theory is that he took a hiking/camping vacation to the Adirondacks sometime around 2013 and while he was still employed. JMO. If we knew what brand his missing backpack was I suspect it would be a brand sold in that same Keene Valley store as well. The other items are less expensive and available in more locations (The trekking poles are sold at Walmart, for example).

You truly have some amazing sleuthing skills! It would be really interesting for someone to go there and show his picture in that store. Maybe even put a missing poster there in hopes of more hikers from that area seeing him!
It would make sense if he went hiking before. He must have gotten the idea somewhere. Maybe he actually loved it but never got around to it because he lived in the city and worked long hours.
Though, having the ten could also mean he just had a passion for camping outdoors and not necessarily hiking. Which make slightly more sense to me because as witnesses state he started his adventure wearing jeans which is something only an inexperienced hiker would do.
I’ve also been wondering if his pants were ever found? For one there is the pair of jeans and then a black pair of trousers which he is wearing in slme of the pictures.

Here's a challenge-- can anyone identify the brand of bandana/handkerchief hanging from his shoulder here?

At first I thought it might be the Mountaineering Store's bandana. They have a lot of pictures on their Instagram of people holding up the bandana to show where they hiked with it: The Mountaineer (@mountaineerbandana) • Instagram photos and videos

But the edges seem to be different. The Mountaineering Bandana has mountains and the UID's bandana has some stars.

I have no idea about the bandana, but I noticed he was wearing a watch. I don’t believe a watch was found with him, unless I’m mistaken (?). I can’t tell what brand it is but on first glance, I’d say it doesn’t look very expensive.

The red thing on his pack is a pack cover. You put it on when it rains. It's like a gigantic version of those old-fashioned shower caps they used to issue you in motels.

I'm not convinced the tent is the Foray model. I'm not looking at the photo right now, but it didn't look like a 2 person tent, nor one that has a separate fly. The roof is very low. You'd crawl into this thing backwards. If it is a Brooks Range, it might be a Propel.

I also saw a photo of his stuff (must have been at his last resting place) where his shoes were staged tidily and the insoles pulled out and standing in the shoes. This is to dry them. At any rate, I doubt he was in that spot very long. For some reason, the way he left the shoes suggests he wasn't in extremis.

There doesn't seem to have been any animal activity in and around his campsite. This also strikes me as very unusual. You'd think raccoons would have got into it.

It’s possible he was determined to keep going when he took off his shoes. But was overcome by pain when he woke up the next morning and didn’t really have much of a choice but to keep lying down.

Going with the “terminally ill” theory, there’s a couple of other things I have been wondering about:
1) If he had undergone radiotherapy it could be that his bones actually look older than they are. Then again, I suppose the autopsy would have showed wether or not he had been treated for cancer.
2) It could be that people who knew him before, never actually saw him with grey hair. A lot of people’s hair grows back grey after chemo. Though, his hair looks really thick in the sketch. Not at all what you would expect from someone who underwent cancer treatment.

 

[Gardener1850]

<Snipped for focus>
I have no idea about the bandana, but I noticed he was wearing a watch. I don’t believe a watch was found with him, unless I’m mistaken (?). I can’t tell what brand it is but on first glance, I’d say it doesn’t look very expensive.

You are right, no watch is mentioned in the list of items found with him. I also noticed sunglasses hanging from his chest strap in this photo:

but no sunglasses were accounted for. Very interesting to me that he had sunglasses but he is not wearing them in any of the photos. While not everyone wears sunglasses to obscure their identity, that is something I would expect if he were in hiding-- keeping the sunglasses on. Instead, he took them off and looked right at the camera. This photo appears to have been taken in Florida towards the end of his journey. It is as if he is smiling proudly wanting the world to know who he is and what he has accomplished. JMO. We have to find out his name.

 

[carbuff]

Well, the top age of Mostly Harmless's range is 50, so 54 is not very far above that. Age estimates are always approximations based on things like wear of the bones and teeth, smoothing of the skull sutures, developing arthritis, bone loss...et cetera. People age at different rates and (for example) the remains of a healthy active 60-year-old might look younger than the remains of a 40-year-old smoker who worked at an arthritis-causing job. So generally a few years over or under isn't a ruleout, though it's something to take into account.

(Sorry, quote didn't post. This is in response to the suggestion of Mr. Phillips and whether he's too old to be our guy.)

 

[carbuff]

You reach your night time destination, get water, fix dinner (i.e. boil water), and go to bed. This might be 8-8:30! No chance to shoot the breeze a whole lot about where you came from.

As Mr. Carbuff says, "I stayed up late, clear to hiker's midnight."

 

[thesensitivechild]

Should one of us call the store Gardner mentioned or email them with the information? Maybe they can reach out to past co workers? Even have listed transactions. It’s also posisble he used craigslist if in the city and bought all gear from one person. But I think your theory is more likely Gardner. Great work

 

[Nancy Drew RN]

The gear to trace would be the stuff that he's photographed with towards the beginning, not necessarily his final possessions. I'm not as familiar with the AT practices, but on PCT through-hike blogs I've read, there are commonly boxes or what have you at stops where you can put in unwanted gear (no longer needed or to lighten your pack) and then take what you need as well. If he was staying in hostels, he had money, so he could have purchased other items along the trail, too. But if he had a bandanna (random example) that could only be purchased from Wyoming, it might just mean he grabbed it from one of those spots, not that he had ties to Wyoming.

I think the camping in Bear Mountain park for two weeks could be ominous, if he were homeless/living rough versus just out to hike. Not a lot of people who are capable of meaningful employment would choose to do that, and that might indicate ongoing issues he was having/a family that is less likely to report him missing or be actively seeking him. I am intrigued by the possibility of the sister in Florida, though.

 

[Gardener1850]

The gear to trace would be the stuff that he's photographed with towards the beginning, not necessarily his final possessions. I'm not as familiar with the AT practices, but on PCT through-hike blogs I've read, there are commonly boxes or what have you at stops where you can put in unwanted gear (no longer needed or to lighten your pack) and then take what you need as well. If he was staying in hostels, he had money, so he could have purchased other items along the trail, too. But if he had a bandanna (random example) that could only be purchased from Wyoming, it might just mean he grabbed it from one of those spots, not that he had ties to Wyoming.

I think the camping in Bear Mountain park for two weeks could be ominous, if he were homeless/living rough versus just out to hike. Not a lot of people who are capable of meaningful employment would choose to do that, and that might indicate ongoing issues he was having/a family that is less likely to report him missing or be actively seeking him. I am intrigued by the possibility of the sister in Florida, though.

Thanks for the info about people leaving things behind for others. I think he could have picked up the trekking poles this way-- either from another hiker or at a store along the way. They are cheap and available at Walmart, unlike the rest of his main gear. The tent, hiking pack, boots and coat are more expensive items that I would not expect to be given away.
Some estimated values:
Brooks Range tent retails around $350-$400
Brooks Range Mojave Down Jacket around $150-$300
Gregory hiking pack around $200-$280
Salomon Boots $150-$175

By contrast, the Outdoor Product trekking poles he had only cost $15-$20 at Walmart. Better quality trekking poles sold at the Mountaineer store in Keene Valley range in price from $75 to $160.

If he had one expensive item like the tent only I might be able to believe it was given to him or he got it second hand but all the expensive items together (that happen to all be sold at an upstate New York hiking store) makes me think he purchased them at a time when he still had plenty of money or money wasn't a concern. JMO.

 

[carbuff]

I also want to know what was in his backpack that made it so heavy.

 

[Yokota-Red]

Hi, just me again, I know that some of you don't agree with my match, but respectfully I'll try again to convince you... Regarding our J.D. and the missing veteran from Garland, TX Timothy Jackson, if you look between their eyes they have the exact same crease between their eyes, I did call it into Garland they can check on it further.

 

[Gardener1850]

Hi, just me again, I know that some of you don't agree with my match, but respectfully I'll try again to convince you... Regarding our J.D. and the missing veteran from Garland, TX Timothy Jackson, if you look between their eyes they have the exact same crease between their eyes, I did call it into Garland they can check on it further.

Respectfully, there is no need to try to convince us. If you strongly think it's a match, by all means send it in. However, the Sheriff's office has pretty much said now that they have checked NAMUS and he is not any of the missing listed there. For that reason alone, I would say that it's unlikely to be Timothy Jackson. Just my opinion. I also don't see the similarities you are seeing but I have also suggested several MP's in this thread that others have politely disagreed on. It doesn't bother me and I hope you won't let differences of opinion bother you either. It's not a personal thing as this isn't about us anyway--it's about the UID and giving them their name back. Just speaking for myself here, I would rather be told that others are not seeing it so that I can move on and keep looking for other possible matches. We all have different strengths and different perspectives to contribute. I hope you will keep trying to look for other matches.

 

[Gardener1850]

Should one of us call the store Gardner mentioned or email them with the information? Maybe they can reach out to past co workers? Even have listed transactions. It’s also posisble he used craigslist if in the city and bought all gear from one person. But I think your theory is more likely Gardner. Great work

I think that is a brilliant idea to call or email should anyone feel comfortable do that. Another suggestion is to post the Sheriff's flyer update on the store facebook page: Mountaineer Keene Valley
(I don't have fb right now so can't do this myself)
If he did visit that store perhaps others who were there the same time as he was will remember him. Or perhaps he took a trip to the Adirondacks with a friend. Maybe that friend liked the store Facebook page and will see the post. It's a long shot, but you never know. I feel we need to keep spreading the word online. Sooner or later the right person will see it.

 

[eucalyptuz]

This is such a sad and yet, oh, so intriguing case. I haven't read the whole thread yet but I will try soon.
So many photos of him and yet so few known details. I wonder if he was extremely talented listener and so he was easy company for many but didn't end up revealing much about himself. You would think that some facts should have surfaced by now?!? a college name, an old pet, a favorite food, an ex girlfriend, a one-time boss...some fragments of a life that we could piece together. Has any one of his traveling companions mentioned an accent?...Could he possibly be Canadian?
My thoughts on the alias 'Ben Bilemy' is that maybe it is a truncated version of his actual name for instance : Ben Barthelemy.
Curiouser and curiouser!

 

[RickshawFan]

One thing that I keep thinking about is that the tent he had is not available in stores on most of the East coast/Southern states. (see the "store locator" map here: https://www.brooks-range.com/ ) Someone earlier in this thread said the tent looked like a 2013 model. He most likely had that tent before starting out on the AT (JMO). Since it's an expensive tent, maybe he even bought it long before quitting his job. I know he could have ordered online or got it second hand, but I suspect he has ties to a city where the tent brand is sold or he previously took a hiking vacation someplace where the tent was sold. There is only one store in New York that sells Brooks Range brands and it is in Keene Valley, NY: Home - The Mountaineer
That store also sells the brand of hiking boots he had: SALOMON : Running shoes, trail running, hiking, ski and snowboard
If he was from NYC, my theory is that he took a hiking/camping vacation to the Adirondacks sometime around 2013 and while he was still employed. JMO. If we knew what brand his missing backpack was I suspect it would be a brand sold in that same Keene Valley store as well. The other items are less expensive and available in more locations (The trekking poles are sold at Walmart, for example).

Some great ideas, here. That idea about the Brooks Range being associated with a specific store is very clever.

Salomon shoes are sold, like, everywhere. No way to find a clue there. He could even have got them discarded into a "hiker box" (things thru hikers discard and leave at hostels).

The pack is a Gregory. As far as I can tell, a fairly plush Gregory. However, in the photo with the red pack cover, all I can see is the logo, so I can't be sure what model. Gregory's are sold, like, everywhere.

Brooks Range is an online store. There are many tiny companies like this in the ultralight hiking arena. Many are sewing shops in garages. They are geek hobbies. These companies are too small to be carried by regular stores, except maybe one or two stores that I can think of, and even then, those stores might not actually be distributors (they'd instead get the gear sewing company to mail the item direct to the customer; this is called "drop shipping").

A few of these gear makers do well, but the vast majority never make it out of their garages

It's unclear to me whether any of the Brooks Range tents are designed and made in a way that would make them weatherproof or durable. Or whether the quality of fabric is compatible with the price point. A couple that I see online have cheap tarp fabric for floors; this method is typical of VERY low end tents. And there's no parabolic curve at ground level, no bathtub floor, etc. These features have been de rigueur for at least 40 years.

Our hiker may simply have bought his tent on eBay from a hiker who figured out its substantial disadvantages.

As I look at his tent (a one layer model with almost no ventilation and so small it has to be slithered into), I wonder if he got carbon monoxide poisoning..... He could've tried to cook in it, especially if he'd become ill and couldn't move very well.

 

[RickshawFan]

That is what it sounded like to me from the poster's comment. I got the impression he quit his job and was living homeless in a Campground for a couple months before deciding to start hiking.

ETA: but maybe he had some money because the Bear Mountain Park campground costs money to camp: Bear Mountain State Park

I don't recall seeing a public campground at Bear Mountain State Park, but maybe that's just me.

There's an AT shelter on the south fringes of Bear Mountain Park. I forget how far, but not very. He coulda stayed there for free. It's quite a bit off the trail, so he could easily have gone unnoticed.

Whoever named him "Denim" would know where he hopped on the trail. You usually get your trail name within a few days of getting on the trail.

 

[RickshawFan]

Something I can't figure out.... How would a coroner conclude that the guy weighed <90 lbs? Can you accurately get the weight of a corpse that's been decomposing for a few days?

 

[fred&edna]

I also want to know what was in his backpack that made it so heavy.

Looked at some "HOW TO PACK FOR AN APPALACHIAN TRAIL THRU-HIKE" lists and came up with this.

Tent
Sleeping bag
Sleeping pad
Warm coat
Rain jacket
Shoes/Boots
Socks
Change of clothes & socks
Bandana or beanie/warm cap
Gloves
First Aid kit
Water filter
Water bottle
Stove
Food: Energy bars, nuts, dried fruit, beef jerky
Cook-Kit
Toiletries: toothbrush/paste, soap, hand-sanitizer, razor
Towel
Potty kit
Light w/batteries
Compass
Trail maps
Knife/Utility tool
Matches/Lighter
Bear Cannister
Bug Spray
Duct tape/nylon rope
Water-proof bag/s

Seems kinda' hefty when you pack it all up. But, it's very possible he didn't pack all of these items and/or maybe he shared/left items for others along the way. Either way... he didn't have all these items when found.

 

[Yokota-Red]

Respectfully, there is no need to try to convince us. If you strongly think it's a match, by all means send it in. However, the Sheriff's office has pretty much said now that they have checked NAMUS and he is not any of the missing listed there. For that reason alone, I would say that it's unlikely to be Timothy Jackson. Just my opinion. I also don't see the similarities you are seeing but I have also suggested several MP's in this thread that others have politely disagreed on. It doesn't bother me and I hope you won't let differences of opinion bother you either. It's not a personal thing as this isn't about us anyway--it's about the UID and giving them their name back. Just speaking for myself here, I would rather be told that others are not seeing it so that I can move on and keep looking for other possible matches. We all have different strengths and different perspectives to contribute. I hope you will keep trying to look for other matches.

Gardener1850, I will also keep looking for other possible matches, I totally agree with you about getting this dear man back to his family so that they can have some closure. I do like working with you and I'm sure I can learn a lot from someone with your experience. Thank you, Pat

 

[RickshawFan]

Here's a challenge-- can anyone identify the brand of bandana/handkerchief hanging from his shoulder here?

Don't worry about the bandana. You buy them at Walmart for $1 or so. The one in the photo here has the traditional bandana design IMO. The design and the bandana are quite faded.

If that jacket is a Brooks Range, it pretty much confirms my idea that this is not a high quality company, even though it may have high quality prices. I'm betting anything this hiker bought his gear from eBay, Craigslist, or another hiker who wasn't happy with it. About a third of thru hikers don't make it more than about 3 days; they sell their almost new equipment cheap!