I hope they understand how much we grew to love Mostly Harmless. "What we do is, we capture tens of thousands of markers to hundreds of thousands of markers," said Mittelman. To go through the trail blind was naive, I thought that was a bad decision. And while he had no cell phone or identification, his possessions included backpacking gear, food, and nearly $4,000 in cash. KEV said his pack was 53 1/2 pounds in Damascus, VA -- she took a photo of it on the scales because it was so heavy she almost toppled over trying it on. His death was not suspicious, and he likely died a few days before. The breakthroughs and innovations that we uncover lead to new ways of thinking, new connections, and new industries. His emaciated body was discovered in a tent, just a few miles from a major Florida highway. We just dont know where he was from or who he really was. He was depressed and moody his whole life, Godso recalls. He said that they were the only two there so they talked pretty late into the evening, and the conversation got pretty deep. WebThe film, They Called Him Mostly Harmless , centers on a hiker who was found dead in his tent in Big Cypress National Preserve. Priceless. After Rodriguez was identified as the hiker, the womans mother commented on Facebook, This man was so abusive to my daughter, he changed her., His colleagues from that time, learning of his story now, seemed saddened. A comment on the Mountain Crossings post said that Mostly Harmless had made it to Springer. His identityand troubled pastwere discovered by the internet. The first story confirming his identity was published by Adventure Journal just before Christmas. Im sketching in details in the half light. There was no cellphone, ID, credit cards and apart from his hiking gear, just two notebooks (with coding notes) and critically $3,640 in cash. WebWhen the department posted a composite photo to Facebook, fellow hikers sent in dozens of photos and reported meeting him. One of yall commented on an old blog saying it may have been connected to this guy. When asked his name, the hiker introduced himself as "Mostly Harmless." Im sorry you lost your friend. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. There is at least one photo of the family at a table that I believe Vance is in (back, right). They then looked through missing persons cases in the area, and when no one matching his description was found then they widened their search to surrounding areas. They said he was doing the trails without the GPS or even a detailed map so they exchanged trail information- making sure to go into greater detail than usual to help him out the best they could. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Pamela Clark Is On Track To Become the Oldest Female AT Thru-Hiker Ever, Backpacker Radio #190 | Brian "Buck-30" Tanzman on 45,000 Miles of Hiking, the Hot Springs Trail, Desert Winter Thru-Hike, Tracks in Australia, and More, Backpacker Radio #189 | Christine Reed on POTS, Hiking with Grief, and Her Book: Alone in Wonderland, Top Stoves, Filters, and Power Banks on the Appalachian Trail: 2022 Thru-Hiker Survey, Top Backpacks on the Appalachian Trail: 2022 Thru-Hiker Survey, 12 Helpful Tips for Dealing With Rain While Hiking the Appalachian Trail, The Top Sleeping Bags, Quilts, and Pads on the Appalachian Trail: 2022 Thru-Hiker Survey, 15 Surprising Sections of the Appalachian Trail No One Tells You About. Horton said that His body was kind of twisted. He had traveled without a phone or an ID. I and others worked to confirm his identity, with the first press story about Rodriguez appearing in late December in Adventure Journal. In another attempt to identify the deceased hiker, investigators issued a bulletin seeking information from the public. He had money, though, and he was just a few miles from a major highway. "I do a lot of hiking and things like that, And that's part of the agreement we all know that we look out for each other. Denim said that his dad was abusive and he didnt speak to his parents but talked about a sister, and he mentioned that he had an ex-girlfriend. Web'Mostly Harmless' is identified: After more than two years, the hiker is identified as Vance Rodriguez. I contacted one of the friends and explained that a hiker had disappeared and that his name might have been Daryl McKenzie. On December 23, 2020, journalist Jason Nark released an updated article about MHs former life as Vance Rodriguez. Two women who were hiking the FT encountered Mostly Harmless. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. I have a similar scar from gastric bypass surgery. There was nothing significant in the report, but it seemed that the male had previous surgery at some point. K, who asked for anonymity because of the public obsession about the hiker, was then finishing college in upstate New York. When his landlord opened the door to the apartment, eight months later, he found unopened food along with Rodriguezs passport, wallet, and credit cards. CCSO knows the proper steps to take and will do so. East coast-based writer and backpacker trying not to get lost in the woods. His sister wrote back, My family has no comment., After graduating from high school, Rodriguez enrolled at the University of Southwestern Louisiana, now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. I didnt so much care about his name as his story. He died doing something he loved.". He also declined her offer to a shower and a place to stay. Mostly Harmless checked into Top of Georgia Hostel & Hiking Center under the name Ben Bilemy, which was more than likely an alias since hikers were not allowed to check in under their trail names. He again mentioned that he was from, or at least started in, New York. My husband is a software engineer and says the notes are legit code but dated. The group grew to more than 6,000 members. And did the coroner ever update the case of death? He had never been bowling in Newport News. He told Gormley he was headed toward Key West with a 50-pound pack on his back in Florida's mounting heat, and the Trail Angel became concerned. He wore his sadness like an extra layer of skin, Marie recalls. Police were able to confirm that the unidentified man had used the alias Ben Bilemy to register at several hostels while hiking. He reached out to Godso, who remembers worrying that Rodriguez would commit suicide. Someone would have to tell all the people who missed him. Sheriff's detectives According to NamUs, 4,400 unidentified bodies are recovered each year. What do you do when the answer to the mystery isnt what you thought or hoped? Submissions should outline a mystery and provide a link to a more detailed review of the case such as a Wiki article or news report. First thing investigators did was look into matching his fingerprints to any through various databases, such as criminal or military, which all came back no match. I read it through to me, he even seemed quite healthy (except for the kachexy). It might be helpful to know what worked in this case. We go outside because it helps take us inside ourselves. A genomics company, Othram, had taken his DNA and started to do cutting-edge genetic analysis to identify him. Please enter valid email address to continue. "I'll give you a reason not to like me, Rodriguez had written on Slack, describing a kind of move in Screeps, two months before he went into the woods. Or was he working on some type of trail bar for hikers? Marie recognized the face and she knew all about the scar. I hope he has his name back soon. Absolutely no one needs to feel the need to take this into their hands when the whole reason we are even aware is because CCSO has been informed and is doing their job. But it typically involves removing parts of the large or small intestine as well. It began in a yellow tent, erected in the Big Cypress National Preserve. They do. It was only 4 months before he would be discovered deceased. "My phone stays blown up all the time with people sending me messages like, 'Could it be this person?' We know that he started out in NY, hiked the AT all the way to the FT. Sarasota and Ft. Meyers are not part of the FT and completely out of the way. And, of course, people thought they knew who he was. He said that they were the only two there so they talked pretty late into the evening, and the conversation got pretty deep. According to the worker who sold him the maps, he paid in cash so there was no way to track down any information on the man who bought them. Mostly Harmless was in good spirits at this time, and he seemed to be enjoying his hike. But it ended quite badly. Im trying to look at them, but it seems as though theyre based out of Vancouver which isnt close to New York, where its rumored he was from and they dont appear to have any US offices. WebSo the Florida Department of Law Enforcement drew up an image of Mostly Harmless, and the Collier County investigators shared it with the public. Picture Limitless Creativity at Your Fingertips. His name shouldnt even be on this page. And why, when things started to go wrong, didnt he walk out?, Rodriguezs friends have a theory about the second question. Both these pictures were taken by Kristin Ernst Vanpelt and posted in the comments section of the Collier County Sheriffs Office post. Appendix cancer surgery would have that big vertical scar, though, as it spreads through the abdomen and isnt just dealt with through a typically appendectomy cut on the side. That's what he called himself when he was on the trail, and off the grid. The coldest case where is Maura Murray? Because he, like myself recognize his picture. We enlisted the help of the Lafayette Parish County Sheriffs Office, which made contact with his family. He told Kelly that he had started in New York and was heading down to Key West. In 2018, fellow hikers discovered an unidentified deceased person on a trail in Big Cypress Preserve, Florida. Around this time, according to K, Rodriguez also made a threat that was both terrifying because of his skills and ironic because of the anonymity he was about to seek: He threatened to dox K if she ever left him. The hiker took a picture of him also. When this man asked someone else Whos that guy?, the reply was Hes mostly harmless or along those lines, so Mostly Harmless kept the trail name. A couple of years ago an emaciated hiker was found dead in his tent in Southwest Florida. He had no ID, but had almost $4,000 in cash. I know that when he had to deal with anything, he would just lay down and sleep, K told me. 7-16-20: Photos have been released of the scene: In July 2020, it was announced that detectives have partnered with a private DNA laboratory in Texas to identify Mostly Harmless using a new technique in forensic genealogy and handles the process in-house. Here's the statement from the the sheriff's office. Collier County Sheriffs Office Fairbanks was sure it was Mostly Harmless. Mostly Harmless was officially identified today as Vance John Rodriguez, two and a half years after his body was found in a tent in a Florida national park. 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