Identified! FL - Big Cypress Natl Preserve, Male hiker, "Denim" & "Mostly Harmless", Jul 2018 - Vance Rodriguez

[GatorFL]

And you're up off the ground substantially which is great!

Hammocks are good for summer and fall hiking. Winter time you need an under quilt so they lose some of their weight advantage for an ultralight hiker. I am a side/stomach sleeper so I've never tried camping in a hammock. My folks have one on their deck in the mountains, so relaxing.

 

[GatorFL]

Thanks, so she had a tarp after all. That makes sense now.

It's also called a rain fly. They're really nice setups. Roughly half the weight of weight of a 1p tent because there are no rods. I looked at them pretty hard when I bought my winter sleeping bag. I had it made by Hammockgear and had a long chat with the owner of the company about hammock camping. If I thought I could sleep 6-7 hours in one I would grab one for sure.

 

[GatorFL]

I clicked like as in glad you told us but I can't believe they didn't at least take pics of ALL his stuff.

The case file is not all that great. It has all the rule outs investigated by CCSO and some other tidbits, but not an inventory. I think there is probably a more detailed file they are not releasing to the public.

 

[wardo27]

I clicked like as in glad you told us but I can't believe they didn't at least take pics of ALL his stuff.

If I'm not mistaken, it's only because of some visual sleuthing with the unpublished photos, that it was determined that he indeed carried a Sawyer brand water filtration bottle. That's an example of an item he did have, but was not present in his list of belongings. @GatorFL ?

 

[gfinale]

The case file is not all that great. It has all the rule outs investigated by CCSO and some other tidbits, but not an inventory. I think there is probably a more detailed file they are not releasing to the public.

Which I think is wrong. They don't suspect foul play but withhold a bunch that could identify him!

 

[neesaki]

The case file is not all that great. It has all the rule outs investigated by CCSO and some other tidbits, but not an inventory. I think there is probably a more detailed file they are not releasing to the public.

This is what a I think as well. And also wondering if they didn’t release all autopsy results.

 

[Ursamajr]

It seems like everyone who came across MH said he was kind. He seems to have shed his identity early or entirely on in his adventure.It's always possible that in his generosity or just in the process of shedding his identity, he may have given the watch/wallet/etc away or left it anonymously for someone to take. Could have been in a random spot or could have been at a camp. It's always possible that some people who interacted with him or his possessions may not be aware of what ultimately happened. I wonder if every hiker who signed guest books (and there most liker were hikers who didn't sign at all) around the same time as him have been contacted.

 

[Canaille]

I keep thinking about him and another hiker who discussed their like for Dr Who, Sci Fi and talked about their fathers. I would love to know what about their fathers that they talked about. And if anything said could’ve indicated his father was still alive or not. Makes me wonder if he had a bad relationship with his dad.

 

[gfinale]

This is what a I think as well. And also wondering if they didn’t release all autopsy results.

They shoot themselves in the foot because if people think they're being jerked around like that then they won't help the police.

 

[gfinale]

I keep thinking about him and another hiker who discussed their like for Dr Who, Sci Fi and talked about their fathers. I would love to know what about their fathers that they talked about. And if anything said could’ve indicated his father was still alive or not. Makes me wonder if he had a bad relationship with his dad.

MH told that person he had an abusive father which is why he stopped seeing his parents many years before.

 

[Canaille]

MH told that person he had an abusive father which is why he stopped seeing his parents many years before.

Thank you! I haven't seen that yet.

 

[gfinale]

Thank you! I haven't seen that yet.

It mentions talking about the fathers in our timeline but it doesn't mention them talking about the abuse. Can others confirm about the abuse. I've read it in a few places.

 

[wardo27]

It mentions talking about the fathers in our timeline but it doesn't mention them talking about the abuse. Can others confirm about the abuse. I've read it in a few places.

I strongly recommend looking at the timelines on other sites, and searching Websleuths for this information. It's all out there.

To repeat: A hiker met him at a shelter at Springer Mountain in Dec. 2017, and they were the only two there. The hiker posted his account of this meeting on FB and it's been shared. The hiker stated: "We were the only two so we talked late into the evening and we went pretty deep. He cut ties with his parents because his dad was abusive. Told me his dad took him out in the yard and tried to fight him when he was a teenager. We shared a few stories about our mutual abuse. I really don't think he would want to be returned to his family if I remember right."

When asked additional questions, the hiker stated "He started in New York and lived there prior to. If he mentiond a hometown, I don't remember it. I've already given the police department everything I know."

 

[Canaille]

This really is sad. I forwarded info to a friend. If I remember correctly, he said that Ben is son in Hebrew and Bilemy means "I don't know" in Turkish, I think. I remember reading something like that here. So, he had an abusive father and his alias seems to be basically "son I don't know".

 

[youcancallmeal]

Canaille and how weird would it be if he chose this name out of the blue not knowing what it means. I would find that pretty coincidental....and I do not believe in coincidences.

 

[gfinale]

Dupe

 

[GatorFL]

This is what a I think as well. And also wondering if they didn’t release all autopsy results.

I am only speculating about there being a larger file. The case file that has been released is mostly NAMUS ruleouts. There is some other stuff in there like the initial scene description and a partial list of his belongings.

I guess after some consideration if the detectives have a more complete file with some info that needs to be redacted or other secret information, it makes sense that they are only releasing some of the file. I think the detectives have done a fantastic job, BTW. They successfully got a lot of information about this guy in a really short period of time.

The autopsy looks complete to me. As I've said here before it seems the ME thought a basic autopsy would be adequate. Perhaps he could have done some additional testing, maybe not.

Some things can never be truly known and the more I study this case the biggest mystery remains what caused MH to starve to death? As I converse with many people interested in this one, I continue to come back to either mania or anorexia as a cause. Several people with anorexia have confirmed they had similar behavior as MH: eating bites around the crust of a pizza, concern with caloric density of foods, very poor diet choices, no realization of their weight and body condition, drinking lots and lots of water and feeling far more comfortable alone than with others. My opinion, but one I share with others who, like I said, suffered from an ED.

 

[lonewanderer]

This really is sad. I forwarded info to a friend. If I remember correctly, he said that Ben is son in Hebrew and Bilemy means "I don't know" in Turkish, I think. I remember reading something like that here. So, he had an abusive father and his alias seems to be basically "son I don't know".

Turkmen, an older language.

I have lived and worked in Turkey, and it is not spelled Bilemy, and when said it loud, it sounds like "Ben buh-limb"

 

[Pseudonymph]

The signature looks like Ben Bridges to me.

 

[carbuff]

The signature looks like Ben Bridges to me.

Hm, possible. Hmmm.