MT MT - Paul Batson, 45, Stillwater Co, 29 Apr 2018

[Timekeeper65]

ThinkThinkThink ArcadeKris first posted on page 1 of this thread. There are a total of 3 comments. I searched members and typed in the name ArcadeKris to find the comments.

 

[ThinkThinkThink]

ThinkThinkThink ArcadeKris first posted on page 1 of this thread. There are a total of 3 comments. I searched members and typed in the name ArcadeKris to find the comments.

Thanks, cpeacock1! I'm a tech mess here lately...(ok, I often am anyway. lol)

ADDITIONAL NOTE: Well, that was easy -- yep, Page 1. After reading all three AK posts, my guess is that was a family member. AK's first post indicates he/she is "in this town now." And with all the specific details the person had, I'm thinking only a true insider (family member) would have that town and scene info, from being there in the midst and LE's input... also, in the last post, the person was "traveling," and that would make sense to me, if that was family member who came to the scene for info/to be on site but had to later leave to travel home. So I'm thinking no more info came (that was mentioned in third and final AK post) because of possible disagreement within family on releasing more info and/or LE's guidance not to.

That's just make best guess...I could be totally wrong.

 

[DakotaMayi]

I know its a bit strange to quote my own post but I was wondering if the name Arcadekris had a connection to Paul's Navy past. Paul was a Navy veteran of Gulf War One and I was trying find the name of the ship he served on but came up with nothing but I did find a destroyer named the USS Acadia which is somewhat similar to ArcadeKris but what is interesting is the Navy had classified this ship as a Yellowstone class destroyer and Paul went missing near the Yellowstone River.
I was able to review the crew roster of the ship during its service in the Gulf War and there was one crew member that listed his hometown of Billings MT. but don't know if he still lives there or not.
I am curious what ship Paul served on during the war and maybe some clues could be derived from that. I did research if any other ships might have a name connection to Paul, Montana or ReedPoint but no results.

Where are you Paul.

I have nothing of use to add, but I still think you are on to something here.

@ThinkThinkThink - I thought female too, but I guess that might be part of the act, or we were just wrong.

It's certainly odd that someone wouldn't come back after what they said.

 

[ThinkThinkThink]

I have nothing of use to add, but I still think you are on to something here.

@ThinkThinkThink - I thought female too, but I guess that might be part of the act, or we were just wrong.

It's certainly odd that someone wouldn't come back after what they said.

I hear ya, and that could very well be right, AnaPisces...I added a note to my Post #703 (after re-reading the AK posts)...on my take on why that person may have disappeared off our thread so abruptly.

 

[DakotaMayi]

Thanks, cpeacock1! I'm a tech mess here lately...(ok, I often am anyway. lol)

ADDITIONAL NOTE: Well, that was easy -- yep, Page 1. After reading all three AK posts, my guess is that was a family member. AK's first post indicates he/she is "in this town now." And with all the specific details the person had, I'm thinking only a true insider (family member) would have that town and scene info, from being there in the midst and LE's input... also, in the last post, the person was "traveling," and that would make sense to me, if that was family member who came to the scene for info/to be on site but had to later leave to travel home. So I'm thinking no more info came (that was mentioned in third and final AK post) because of possible disagreement within family on releasing more info and/or LE's guidance not to.

That's just make best guess...I could be totally wrong.

Makes sense, @ThinkThinkThink - also, it matches in with everyone else (family) seemingly stopping discussion of Paul.

 

[Steelslady]

I can't believe there are new new developments in this case. Very puzzling! I don't get a good feeling about this.

 

[DakotaMayi]

I can't believe there are new new developments in this case. Very puzzling! I don't get a good feeling about this.

You suspect foul play @Steelslady?

 

[Steelslady]

You suspect foul play @Steelslady?

I don't know why, but yes, I do. There was a time when I thought maybe he might have left for awhile to get away or something, but this just seems odd to me now. Keeping fingers crossed that that isn't the case, but I am not getting a good vibe about this now.

 

[Mercedes]

I am curious if Arcadekris was Paul. The bolded comments by me sound like something Paul would say since he was known to use sarcastic humor. Arcadekris was one the earliest posters to this thread but hasn't been heard from since. Maybe Paul was trying to leave clues but just speculating on my part.

Do most women use the term “take a dump”? To me, does sound like a man.

 

[Mercedes]

I am curious if Paul has bank accounts, duh!, and if he withdrew a fair amount of money with which to live on when he disappeared?

Also, I feel like the car keys being left by the car could be greatly symbolic (or not). I can just see him holding the keys and then ceremoniously dropping them, turning and walking away to a new life (wherever that might be.).

 

[Mercedes]

I know Paul in real life. If I don't post, it's only because I have nothing new to add. I am not being secretive. I check this thread every day and appreciate the news related to Paul's disappearance.

Do you happen to know if he has left before? If so, do you know why? Thx.

 

[Mercedes]

Like Paul’s coworker, I was aware of the interview overlapping with the day that he said he would be back at work. We only realized this after he went missing and put the pieces together.

For me, it indicates something that was very much planned. That’s what gives me hope he’s alive and taking a break.

Why would this indicate a plan to you? Why would you schedule an interview on the very same day you were expected to return to work? Puzzling to me. Thx.

 

[Mercedes]

Though ...
(and this is morbid so I apologize) if it was me thinking of an end to my own life, throwing myself into the mighty Yellowstone, or jumping off a cliff, or dousing myself in bacon grease and finding a grizzly bear would be just exactly the places my own mind would go. Has gone. And with a very recent well-publicized drowning suicide (Timothy Cunningham of Atlanta who drowned himself in the Chattahoochee River), I do think self-harm in Paul's case is a very real possibility. Except he seemed to have everything to live for and a wonderful life, from the outside. But depression doesn't recognize those 'wonderful life' and 'everything to look forward to' rules.

There are so many things we do not know. I still think it could have been some random accident. But what about the keys? If there were keys left? Nefarious human abduction and harm seem far less likely to me. But I have been wrong and not seen the very worst evil in my own family.

Going into every weekend my breath catches a little: will Paul be found before Monday? I do believe it is likely he is in the river and fear a family with children floating or fishing will find him. I am so sorry to Paul's friend's and family for anything hurtful I have said and for his continued absence.

49 days missing. Happy Father's Day, Paul, wherever you are.

I could never douse myself in bacon grease. Just sayin!

 

[Mercedes]

I thought they had confirmed he was in fact in Reed Point, but now I'm wondering whether they've changed their minds.

My brother, who still lives in the area, says there are some interesting rumors going around, some of them contradictory But mostly people think he probably had an accident of some sort, probably slipped and fell into the river.

True! IMO

 

[Mercedes]

What I have found odd is that LE has never publicly confirmed that he was ever in the state of MT
They have never provided or stated they have surveillance video, eye witness accounts, credit card activity or ping data, finger prints or blood evidence that puts him in MT. I understand his car was found in Reed Point but no evidence that he drove it there. If LE made such statements I must have missed it.

Cell phone activity perhaps!

 

[DakotaMayi]

Ok, @ArcadeKris, you officially have me enthralled. Please come back to us.

 

[loreet]

130 Days Missing. That’s too long for Paul’s family.

There has been no more recent Montana news since the investigation into his disappearance was declared ‘cold.’ I check at least once a week and watch several local papers.

There was an unidentified body found in the Clark’s Fork of the Yellowstone River back in July. I know this is weird, but back when we were determine whether Paul had actually come through Montana (he did, entering on the interstate from the west) it occurred to me that during April the Clark Fork would have been starting to rage. He would have crossed it numerous times. One of my imaginary possible self-harm scenarios was that he left his car in Reed Point and backtracked west by hitchhiking then jumped off a bridge into a different river, the Clark Fork for example. Honestly it seemed a more likely river than the Yellowstone, given his path of travel.
Officials trying to ID body found in Clark Fork River | Local | missoulian.com
I don’t know if this person has been identified. There have been no updates from the Missoula Sheriff’s Department.

I guess it’s like my bear & bacon grease scenario, overly complicated. But the kind of thing I might have done if I wanted to leave some hope for my loved ones or really didn’t want to be found.

 

[loreet]

Sorry I tried to edit my post but ran out of time. The unidentified body was found in the Clark Fork River, not the Clark’s Fork of the Yellowstone. Sorry for any confusion. And it would have been the Clark Fork River that Paul would have crossed coming into the state of Montana from the West.

 

[Spartygirl]

Sorry I tried to edit my post but ran out of time. The unidentified body was found in the Clark Fork River, not the Clark’s Fork of the Yellowstone. Sorry for any confusion. And it would have been the Clark Fork River that Paul would have crossed coming into the state of Montana from the West.

Oh dear..this doesn't sound good to me. For some reason I just keep thinking he may have been walking along the riverside or river bank and slipped and fell into the river. Not suicide but an accident.
I just keep going to that thought. My only other opinion is that he just wanted to get away and is actually living comfortably in a cabin somewhere.

 

[MattJ]

130 Days Missing. That’s too long for Paul’s family.

There has been no more recent Montana news since the investigation into his disappearance was declared ‘cold.’ I check at least once a week and watch several local papers.

There was an unidentified body found in the Clark’s Fork of the Yellowstone River back in July. I know this is weird, but back when we were determine whether Paul had actually come through Montana (he did, entering on the interstate from the west) it occurred to me that during April the Clark Fork would have been starting to rage. He would have crossed it numerous times. One of my imaginary possible self-harm scenarios was that he left his car in Reed Point and backtracked west by hitchhiking then jumped off a bridge into a different river, the Clark Fork for example. Honestly it seemed a more likely river than the Yellowstone, given his path of travel.
Officials trying to ID body found in Clark Fork River | Local | missoulian.com
I don’t know if this person has been identified. There have been no updates from the Missoula Sheriff’s Department.

I guess it’s like my bear & bacon grease scenario, overly complicated. But the kind of thing I might have done if I wanted to leave some hope for my loved ones or really didn’t want to be found.

Loreet, I’m so glad you mentioned this. I don’t want to believe that it is my buddy, but it’s important to rule it out. I would think that Paul would be one of the persons considered, but maybe not given the distance from Reed Point. I just reached out to a family member with the information you shared. Again, I would think they would’ve already been contacted concerning it, but I’ve heard nothing about it. Still believe that Paul is somewhere safe taking time away, but if there’s a chance this is Paul, his family deserves that closure. Tried to get updates on this story, but I see nothing since July 20th.