NY NY - Colin Gillis, 18, Tupper Lake, 11 March 2012

[ForesterJake]

I mentioned the large woodland area north of Rte 3 only because of the potential of "foul play". Hopefully this is not the case here with Colin! If only more details were available...
Much emphasis has been on the water, but in my personal opinion, if I needed to hide a body (again, "foul play"), I would be inclined to head inland into terrain I was "comfortable" with (as I personally have a phobia of water). Furthermore, open water presents two problems: muddy shores & slushy snow are great for preserving footprints & disturbance!

Going back to the "Mt Matumbla Road", was there is a gate and the road was unplowed ??? (Or is this road maintained for winter logging operations? Winter logging is almost at / is at the "shut down" period for "mud season" around March here in the north country. Furthermore, with warm days and cold nights, log trucks tend to run through the night while the ground is frozen). If unplowed & snow covered, it's not likely to be an area one would try to hide a body. However, IF open & maintained, this would be my suggestion:

1. Speak to any operating logging companies AND FORESTERS (extremely knowledgeable of the woodland topography!!!) re: 2012 winter logging sites, woods
, & log landings
2. Investigate log landings (usually opportunities to hide something here), especially recently abandoned ones (2012)

I am in no way insinuating that loggers are involved in Colins disappearance! It's simply that a logging site with its slash (branches & worthless wood) & churned up ground could provide an opportunity to hide a body with minimal effort & detection.

I hope that I'm wrong.... just how my mind works as I study the area via Google Earth

 

[SunsetGirl]

http://brockport-spencerport.whec.com/news/news/64453-news10nbc-talks-person-who-may-have-been-last-see-missing-brockport-student



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqB-Q0Jo4lU

Thank you very much for posting this - it's one I hadn't seen. Also, the YouTube railroad search video. I have much to learn about searching the internet for ALL related articles, images & videos. I can't get over what a massive search effort there was for Colin. I admire his family for their devotion & dedication to finding him!!!

 

[Kadence]

Welcome ForesterJake and welcome back to your amazing wife SunsetGirl! We have a great group of dedicated people here on Team Colin! After seeing Colin's graduation speech, it makes me even more dedicated to finding him, his personality just shines, I love it! Wanting2Help, thank you for the video finds!!

As for the shoe, those reports were retracted and the "telephone game" was definitely at play with the first erroneous report of Colin's shoe being found. I think we all know how the media works in that regard, everyone wants to have the first "breaking news" story, even if it's not verified. Some people see the story, repeat it, never check back to see it's not true, because you think it's true because its reported on the news (I'm right there!) and then we have it as a truth that gets repeated.

I'm interested in Mt Matumbla Road, think we definitely need to look into this more!

As for single shoes - I see them all the time and always wonder why is just one shoe in the middle of the road, on the side of the road, on the beach! I know about the two shoes tied together hanging on a power line/tree limb thing but not the one shoe thing!

Again, I can't thank everyone enough for being part of Team Colin!!

 

[Leomoon80]

I watched his Graduation Speech in 2011 and he seems to be a son who would make any parent proud.

R.I.P.Colin......

 

[SunsetGirl]

Welcome ForesterJake and welcome back to your amazing wife SunsetGirl! We have a great group of dedicated people here on Team Colin! After seeing Colin's graduation speech, it makes me even more dedicated to finding him, his personality just shines, I love it! Wanting2Help, thank you for the video finds!!

As for the shoe, those reports were retracted and the "telephone game" was definitely at play with the first erroneous report of Colin's shoe being found. I think we all know how the media works in that regard, everyone wants to have the first "breaking news" story, even if it's not verified. Some people see the story, repeat it, never check back to see it's not true, because you think it's true because its reported on the news (I'm right there!) and then we have it as a truth that gets repeated.

I'm interested in Mt Matumbla Road, think we definitely need to look into this more!

As for single shoes - I see them all the time and always wonder why is just one shoe in the middle of the road, on the side of the road, on the beach! I know about the two shoes tied together hanging on a power line/tree limb thing but not the one shoe thing!

Again, I can't thank everyone enough for being part of Team Colin!!

Kadence - I can't help but notice you are now a Verified Insider for Colin Gillis. I'm so pleased! Is it appropriate to ask your connection to this case? Just wondering. Also, was that a definite confirmation of Colin's shoe NOT being found? To me, that makes a difference. Thanks for your kind words of appreciation. I can't stop thinking about Colin and that night.

 

[ForesterJake]

Some thoughts on the Driver's I.D. on the road... it's possible that Colin had this in the same pocket as his cell phone (is it known if Colin carried a wallet? Maybe he only carried his I.D. in a pocket? Many people do this).

Perhaps his I.D. inadvertently was pulled out, or it fell out, as he checked his phone for cell service. Or was simply warming cold hands in the same pocket. Cold hands effect dexterity & feeling- the I.D. may have simply been pulled out by accident (again, if in a pocket rather than safely tucked away in a wallet). I've certainly lost a note or receipt or any other slip of paper slipping my phone in & out of the same pocket. Being dark, it could easily go unseen. An "honest" lost item in the dark?

 

[SunsetGirl]

snipped by me ... So, even if the state trooper drove very slowly, looking carefully, maybe Colin had stepped into the woods (to relieve himself, for example) and simply was not spotted. How heavily traveled is Route 3 at that time of the night? Could Colin have just continued on and no more vehicles passed him?

Another theory... would the state trooper be driving with blue lights on? If I were an 18-yr old kid who had been drinking (etc.) and I was walking along a road & saw flashing blue lights, what would I have done? Probably jumped behind trees/brush to hide.

 

[Kadence]

Hello all! Yes, I am "freshly" verified and want to make sure I do/say everything in the best interest of the family and Colin. I'm new to this so I hope you understand, I feel an enormous sense of both trepidation and excitement. I will be back soon with answers to your questions, until then, go Team Colin! Y'all are amazing and really have some excellent theories and feedback!!! Thank you so much! Hang in there with me please!

 

[SunsetGirl]

Just wondering ... is there a way to find out who has Un-Friended someone on Facebook? ... Colin has a FB page and he has quite a few Friends. Would his family notice who is no longer listed as his Friend? Can you somehow access a list of who were his Friends prior to the day he went missing and compare to see who is no longer there?

IF one of Colin's friends or former classmates (I'm guessing those would be the kids at the party) knew something about what happened to him, would they try to distance themselves from him/his family/whoever was reading & analyzing his FB posts? Sign of a guilty conscience? Let's just say it would raise a red flag to me if someone Un-Friended him AFTER he went missing or removed their FB page all together!

 

[Kadence]

Just wondering ... is there a way to find out who has Un-Friended someone on Facebook? ... Colin has a FB page and he has quite a few Friends. Would his family notice who is no longer listed as his Friend? Can you somehow access a list of who were his Friends prior to the day he went missing and compare to see who is no longer there?

IF one of Colin's friends or former classmates (I'm guessing those would be the kids at the party) knew something about what happened to him, would they try to distance themselves from him/his family/whoever was reading & analyzing his FB posts? Sign of a guilty conscience? Let's just say it would raise a red flag to me if someone Un-Friended him AFTER he went missing or removed their FB page all together!

Great stuff SunsetGirl! Apparently FB doesn't like for any of their users to have a negative experience on FB (hence the no "dislike" button!) they have also shutdown/shutout all types of programs to see who has de-friended a FB user but this person has found an easy way to figure it out, genius really! Check it out:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/how-to-find-out-who-has-unfriended-you-on-the-new

I will check with the Gillis family to see if they can access Colin's FB account and see what it shows using the above method.

Thanks to everyone for hanging in there with me, I promise to be back with some answers to a lot of your questions soon!!! Go Team Colin! Again, I'm so happy to have you on board!

 

[Hap]

Snow, snow, and more snow. Probably not to helpful for anyone searching. Kadence, are there still any active searches for Colin? I'm sure there is not a day that passes without the family thinking about him. Let him know we all care and would love to help bring him home.

 

[Kadence]

Snow, snow, and more snow. Probably not to helpful for anyone searching. Kadence, are there still any active searches for Colin? I'm sure there is not a day that passes without the family thinking about him. Let him know we all care and would love to help bring him home.

No active searches at the moment but the hope is that with the upcoming anniversary date of Colin's disappearance (March 11th) that interest will be renewed. All, please make contact with any news outlets/reporters that you know (or don't know!) to make sure Colin's anniversary date is acknowledged and tips asked for, the more it's in the news can only be helpful. Let's reach out to any and all!

I do have an answer for you regarding the found shoe, Colin's shoe was NOT found, several shoes were found over the months following Colin's disappearance but none of them were his.

More to come very shortly...

Did I happen to mention how awesome y'all are? Yes, y'all are awesome!! Thank you for being here!

 

[ontheclock]

Hi Nugget and ontheclock! Don't go anywhere! I agree that Colin's case is solvable. I would like to gather a group of people on WS committed to Colin's case - Team Colin! Would y'all be interested? We need to break this case down from the beginning and meticulously look at details, I feel the answer is in the details.

Wanting2Help, rosesfromangels, travelbug, Tarabull, neverletgo, sherlockh, andalso, hap, alreetlike, deca, Ashcat, rizzo0904 and everyone else, please join Team Colin and let's bring him home! Anyone else in the NY area besides Wanting2Help?

Count me in. I see there's a whole new page to read! Kudos to everyone posting.

 

[SunsetGirl]

I do have an answer for you regarding the found shoe, Colin's shoe was NOT found, several shoes were found over the months following Colin's disappearance but none of them were his. ~snipped~

Thank you for clarifying this! It changes the direction of my mind. What a puzzling case!!!

I eagerly await more info. I will also check with our local news media re: covering the 2-yr anniversary. Colin's disappearance deserves more than a brief paragraph or two!!!!

 

[littlemermaid]

I have been paying attention. Thinking of Colin

 

[SunsetGirl]

Forester.Jake & I were in the snowy woods again today working ... it's very quiet in the woods - gives us lots of time to ponder. Today we talked about hypothermia ... it was about 20F - we consider comfortable compared to the brutal cold we had been having - and I was working without gloves on which led me to thinking about Colin not wearing a hat, gloves or coat that night ... so we talked about how possible it is that Colin really did succumb to hypothermia and has yet to be found. This seems a very real possibility (and less scary than 'foul play') ... A key piece of info is what time did Colin leave the party?

 

[TripleA]

I was hoping that with all of the activity this past week or so that maybe something would turn up for Colin.

 

[SunsetGirl]

I'm going to chime in on this thread. Over the years, I have found that lost individuals in cold climates tend to do two things. First is behavior found in some individuals with Hypothermia...they begin to shed clothing (~snipped~). Second is that in an attempt to find someplace warm, they will burrow in under a pine tree or thicket to find relief from cold, wind and snow. If they expire, it makes them very hard to find. You are not looking for a person laying on the ground next to the trail...you are looking for a "lump" in the ground litter or using a flashlight to look into thickets, under pines and in any hole or cave. Many untrained or inexperienced searchers tend to miss this.

Thank you Trackergd for this!

Researching hypothermia and found this helpful article - Get Naked and Dig: The Bizarre Effects of Hypothermia

 

[ForesterJake]

Bumping for Colin

 

[SunsetGirl]

I'm a big fan of the new TV show Cold Justice ... I'm developing new respect and appreciation for the hard work that LE puts into investigations. I'm also learning that sometimes time needs to pass - time for people to mature, develop a conscience, to give detectives a chance to re-interview people, compare new and old statements, look for inconsistencies or perhaps that one tiny new detail that helps point them in the right direction. So much goes on that we the general public have no clue about ... when LE says they're following up all leads, that something is still an active or ongoing investigation, we have to trust that they really are and they know what they're doing!