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

[EllieGato]

I'm going to go back and watch on a big screen tomorrow.

 

[Gardener1850]

I'm going to watch it tomorrow with headphones in full. I didn't realize that was MH's companion.

I think she is with the man with the Go Pro. I think he keeps looking over at her because she is speaking at times but she can't be heard on the camera. I got the impression they were locals doing a day hike or section hike (as opposed to thru hike) and had stopped for lunch or a rest break. The man asks him details about the trails in NC/TN and about how he was getting food along the route. And the go pro man also talks a bit about how his brother hiked the AT and had all his food packed in advance and sent to him at different points. I can't make out much more of the conversation though. I wish there was a way to isolate Denim's voice and increase the volume on that part only so we could here what he is saying.

MOO.

 

[Coffee56]

I too think he could be from anywhere. With the amount of news/social media attention concentrated in that area I would think someone would have recognized him. Even if he was a loner he had to interact with people. Bank, grocery store, work.
I’ve also been looking outside the age range. In some of his clean shaven photos I see someone younger.

 

[amytothekate]

Anybody know a sound engineer to send the video to? It appears as though what Collier County Sheriff's shared is a video of a video, making it extra difficult to hear anything.

@EllieGato & @Coffee56 - I also waffle between whether any of the personal information he shared with other hikers was true, or made up to serve as an additional layer of security to conceal his identity. Given the lengths he went to (only carrying cash, even using an alias at hostels, etc.), it's certainly plausible. Then I wonder, if he had no ties to NY, why did he start there, and not at the beginning of the AT, in Maine?

A theory that has been percolating in my mind (and that gives credibility to him having ties to NY) is that some life event took place (laid off, death of a loved one, break-up, etc.) that was the impetus for him to decide to "disconnect" and head out to nature for a two week hike in Bear Mountain State Park. It was there where the idea of through-hiking the AT came to him, and set off toward Unionville, NY. This scenario would make sense to me if he lived in the NYC area, given the ease of access to BMSP. JMO.

 

[Gardener1850]

Imagining for a minute he had a reason to want to disappear or hide in plain sight on the AT... I think that if he was from somewhere else in the country NY would be an easy place to choose to start the AT without making obvious that he intended to hike the AT. JFK is one of the busiest airports in the US. He could have bought an overseas flight with a connecting flight through JFK but rather than getting on his next flight he could get off in NYC where it would be easy to disappear into a crowd. NY also has public transportation to the AT via Bear Mountain State Park. He could lay low and camp out for a couple weeks and monitor the news to see if anyone tracked him. Then when he was sure no one caught up with him he could continue on down the trail. Fewer thru hikers choose to hike southbound because of the weather patterns and the difficulty of the trail in Maine. More AT thru hikers start in GA in early spring and hike NOBO trying to get to Maine before winter hits. It seems that most of the people Denim encountered were section hikers, NOBO hikers, day hikers or trail angels. Because he chose to hike SOBO and at a slow pace of about 10 miles per day there was not another hiker who followed him for the entire AT route at his pace (at least not one I have found). It's border-line genius if you want to hide and encounter as few hikers as possible.

MOO.

 

[SugarQueen]

I took a ride to town hall in Unionville. They have not been contacted by LE ! I am the only one who has contacted them about our hiker. She reiterated that she didn’t find any permit under Ben Bilemy. She also said she doesn’t think she found anything under the other hikers names. ( I suspect she got busy and forgot all about it.). She took the names of the other hikers and said she will see if she has anything. She did say if hikers come in late there is no where for them to get the permit so they just camp without one.

 

[Coffee56]

So posted this in the wrong thread. Long week.

Everything says no for this kid but I can’t seem to let him go. Age, location, reported brown eyes (they look green to me), and I doubt he’d have access to that much money. Reported to also have gauges in his ear but I’m not sure in the photo that they look like what I think of as gauges. If they are indeed gauges I don’t think they’re very large. Would the lip ring and gauges have time to heal. Would they even heal? I have no knowledge of lip rings or gauges. I’m not even sure he’s still missing. No updates that I can find. Also not sure that he would function that well off meds.

Does not drive, roams a lot, online video gamer. Schizophrenia and Paranoia.

Saratoga Springs searching for man missing since June 25

 

[dotr]

This has probably been brought up here before, but again wondering about MH's youthful appearance in contrast to his grey hair.
Could he be younger than his hair might suggest considering he died of malnutrition? speculation, imo.rbbm.
Does Poor Nutrition Make Your Hair Grey?
"Melanin -- a natural pigment -- provides your hair with its illustrious color.
" Poor nutrition, for example, is thought to affect the production of melanin. Specifically, that means getting too little protein, vitamin B12, and the amino acid phenylalanine"
"Occasionally, an underlying medical condition could be to blame. "Some autoimmune and genetic conditions are linked to premature graying," Benabio says. Check with a doctor to make sure you don't have a thyroid disorder; vitiligo, which causes areas of the skin and hair to become white; or anemia."
Does Poor Nutrition Make Your Hair Grey?
"A poor diet can interfere with your body's ability to produce melanin in your hair follicles, leading to gray hair.
Copper
Scientists are zeroing in on specific nutrient deficiencies related to gray hair. Researchers assessed the relationship between iron, copper and zinc concentrations in premature-graying individuals. Of the three nutrients, individuals with gray hair had significantly lower copper levels than the control group, according to a study published in the April 2012 issue of the journal "Biological Trace Elemental Research." Your body requires copper to produce pigment for your skin and hair."
"Hypothyroidism -- a condition in which your thyroid fails to produce enough hormone -- commonly causes premature gray"

 

[LeenC]

This has probably been brought up here before, but again wondering about MH's youthful appearance in contrast to his grey hair.
Could he be younger than his hair might suggest considering he died of malnutrition? speculation, imo.rbbm.
Does Poor Nutrition Make Your Hair Grey?
"Melanin -- a natural pigment -- provides your hair with its illustrious color.
" Poor nutrition, for example, is thought to affect the production of melanin. Specifically, that means getting too little protein, vitamin B12, and the amino acid phenylalanine"
"Occasionally, an underlying medical condition could be to blame. "Some autoimmune and genetic conditions are linked to premature graying," Benabio says. Check with a doctor to make sure you don't have a thyroid disorder; vitiligo, which causes areas of the skin and hair to become white; or anemia."
Does Poor Nutrition Make Your Hair Grey?
"A poor diet can interfere with your body's ability to produce melanin in your hair follicles, leading to gray hair.
Copper
Scientists are zeroing in on specific nutrient deficiencies related to gray hair. Researchers assessed the relationship between iron, copper and zinc concentrations in premature-graying individuals. Of the three nutrients, individuals with gray hair had significantly lower copper levels than the control group, according to a study published in the April 2012 issue of the journal "Biological Trace Elemental Research." Your body requires copper to produce pigment for your skin and hair."
"Hypothyroidism -- a condition in which your thyroid fails to produce enough hormone -- commonly causes premature gray"

I don’t think it’s that weird for him to have grey hair while still looking youthful. I know guys who turned grey at 25. My own grandmother has had grey hair for almost as long as I can remember but you can count her wrinkles on one hand even though she turns 83 this summer. When she was in her seventies people would mistake her for my mother. It’s not always some rare disease or disorder. It’s most likely just genetics.

 

[dotr]

I don’t think it’s that weird for him to have grey hair while still looking youthful. I know guys who turned grey at 25. My own grandmother has had grey hair for almost as long as I can remember but you can count her wrinkles on one hand even though she turns 83 this summer. When she was in her seventies people would mistake her for my mother. It’s not always some rare disease or disorder. It’s most likely just genetics.

Just wondered if MH was younger than he is believed to be, keeping younger missing persons in mind.

 

[Gardener1850]

So posted this in the wrong thread. Long week.

Everything says no for this kid but I can’t seem to let him go. Age, location, reported brown eyes (they look green to me), and I doubt he’d have access to that much money. Reported to also have gauges in his ear but I’m not sure in the photo that they look like what I think of as gauges. If they are indeed gauges I don’t think they’re very large. Would the lip ring and gauges have time to heal. Would they even heal? I have no knowledge of lip rings or gauges. I’m not even sure he’s still missing. No updates that I can find. Also not sure that he would function that well off meds.

Does not drive, roams a lot, online video gamer. Schizophrenia and Paranoia.

Saratoga Springs searching for man missing since June 25

In his thread here there was an indication he was located, but MSM never confirmed the comments: UT - UT - Arthur Oliveira, 22, Saratoga Springs, 25 June 2017

 

[MaryFromFla]

There were comments, early on about MH having had mentioned losing weight prior to the AT hike. Has this been included in the discarded comments? I am not trying to muddy the waters again. We might not be looking in the right direction if he were reported missing but as much heavier.

 

[amytothekate]

One person reported that MH told her he had been "much heavier" at the start of the hike, so you may be on to something!

 

[EllieGato]

I decided to email CCSO the tip/theory that benbilemy could be a social security number. I, of course, gave them my real name, but I made up a new email catch phrase that will hopefully get their attention.

I took a ride to town hall in Unionville. They have not been contacted by LE ! I am the only one who has contacted them about our hiker. She reiterated that she didn’t find any permit under Ben Bilemy. She also said she doesn’t think she found anything under the other hikers names. ( I suspect she got busy and forgot all about it.). She took the names of the other hikers and said she will see if she has anything. She did say if hikers come in late there is no where for them to get the permit so they just camp without one.

Sounds like their investigation is taking a more laid back approach than ours.

I do hope I got their attention.

 

[amytothekate]

I've completed a first pass at an annotated map with associated photos. I took the advice of @Gardener1850 and submitted it for Mod review prior to sharing. Fingers crossed!

 

[EllieGato]

Just wondered if MH was younger than he is believed to be, keeping younger missing persons in mind.

I go back and forth on this. I see him as about 42-45 in the Mountain Crossings photo where he holds up the maps. In that photo he looks mildly taken aback. Not necessarily really concerned, but surprised and guarded. Maybe the expression adds to the age estimation.

The photos with the longer beard and hair, particularly the ones he is smiling in, he seems a bit younger, like 35 or so. And maybe the more carefree expression adds to that.

Then the photo from in front of the truck... he looks like he just experienced a big dose of reality. Something heavy on his shoulders he just revisited? He looks serious. "Let's Do This!" Kind of look. He seems 47 here. My age. With a lot on his shoulders to carry.

I'm with Dotr on the grey hair. Sure, I will agree that mostly genetics produce the grey, but stress too.

LeenC pointed out that Pernicious anemia is it's own disease/disorder when I mentioned it before. But I think what I really meant was Unattended B12 Deficiency. It does affect hair. I can tell you first hand that stress and high use of energy will deplete B12 (among other things) and you can supplement it to the max without getting the levels back up to normal, and that's when it can grey your hair.

 

[EllieGato]

There were comments, early on about MH having had mentioned losing weight prior to the AT hike. Has this been included in the discarded comments? I am not trying to muddy the waters again. We might not be looking in the right direction if he were reported missing but as much heavier.

@amytothekate is putting together an updated timeline with info and hopefully she will be able to post it. I was working from a tattered spiral so i am not as organized as others here but to the best of my knowledge this is my interpretation:

Mentions of MH with a phone or using someone else's are gone. I think this was one poster across a few sites that mistook ER71 for MH.

There still remains one post of him mentioning health problems. But 2 are gone or moved or I can't find them.

There still remains a mention of him saying he weighed more before hiking.

I think definite cases of mistaken identity were mostly removed and never up for very long.

There may still be some mistaken identity out there. But most (not all) comments seem to support other comments.

MOO

 

[EllieGato]

And one more thing about the B12 deficiency... his eyes look effected by this also. They look a bit sunk, hollowed, darkened in the last photos.

MOO

 

[SugarQueen]

I honestly didn’t put too much thought into his changing appearance. He was new to hiking and took on a massive hike. I just took it as fatigue, exhaustion, change in diet, and lack of the kind of sleep one would get in their own bed.
I’ve contacted 3 people trying to get info about Unionville, plus LE. No one is stepping up and it’s pissing me off.

 

[amytothekate]

I'm excited to share the annotated map/timeline. Tricia asked that I include in my post: this map has been reviewed and approved prior to my sharing it. This wouldn't be possible without the timeline @Gardener1850 put together. Everything included comes from official LE postings and official business postings. Of course, this does not mean everything is 100% accurate!

This has been hand-stitched together in Photoshop from approximately 20 screenshots of maps with MH sightings/interactions marked. After that, I overlaid the trails, then associated photos and annotations were placed on a top layer. Due to the shape of our little blue planet, as well as the dynamic nature of trails, please keep in mind that some marked locations and trails may be a bit skewed.

A final note, some photos and sightings were intentionally excluded due to the inability to verify the sighting location, and/or the photo was not found via an official source. I hope this is helpful. I welcome feedback and have set the map up in a way that we can edit/add to it without too much trouble.

• MH Annotated Map & Timeline with Photos