CA - Egbert Rimkus (deceased), Cornelia Meyer, & 2 kids, Death Valley, 1996

[anthrobones]

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2057dfca.html

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2089dmca.html

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2076dmca.html

No link for the other little boy.

George Weber is reported missing with the police since August 1, 1996. He did not return from a California vacation with its father.
The disappearance of German architect Egbert Rimkus (http://www.doenetwork.us/cases/2089dmca) his girlfriend Cornelia Meyer (http://www.doenetwork.us/cases/2057dfca.html), his son Georg Weber, and Meyer's son Max, 4, has baffled officials for a decade. The travelers had bought an informational booklet at the Furnace Creek Visitors Center. A cash register receipt from the center's store indicates it was purchased on July 22, 1996.
A day later, as temperatures climbed to 124 degrees, the tourists drove south and then west in their 1996 Plymouth Voyager van, heading toward the stark Panamint Mountains.
The dirt trail they were on was being reclaimed by the desert. It was covered by loose rocks, large and small, as well as sand bars. Climbing from below sea level, the canyon road ascends to an abandoned mining camp at an elevation of about 2,500 feet. Known for his adventurous spirit, Rimkus must have found the drive to the camp an exciting adventure, according to people who knew him. Egbert stopped at the camp and left an entry in the log book that is kept in a steel box atop a short metal post. In German, it read, "7-23-96. Conny Egbert Georg Max. We are going through the pass."
Rimkus probably was referring to Mengle Pass, located near 7,196-foot-high Manly Peak on the southwest border of Death Valley National Park. After stopping at the cabin, the green minivan turned about a mile short of the pass and headed east along a sandy wash into remote Anvil Spring Canyon. Investigators familiar with the disappearance of the foursome are puzzled why they would have chosen to travel into such an isolated area.
In Dresden, Germany, the families and friends of the four tourists had expected them to return home by July 29. But their reserved seats aboard a Transworld Airways flight were empty. When they did not arrive, Heike Weber -- Rimkus' former wife and Georg Weber's mother -- went to the travel agency that arranged the foursome's trip to find out what had happened to the German tourists. The agency then inquired if the minivan rented by Rimkus and Meyer in Los Angeles had been returned. It had not. Dollar Rent-a-Car in Los Angeles said the van was overdue. The rental agent said the minivan would be reported as stolen if it wasn't returned within 30 days. On September 10, a stolen vehicle report was filed by Dollar Rent-a-Car with Los Angeles police.
The last anyone in Germany had heard from them was a fax that Rimkus had sent from the Treasure Island Hotel in Las Vegas. In it he had asked Heike Weber to send money. On August 14, Interpol listed the four Germans as missing persons. The vehicle they had travelled in was located on October 26, 1996 stuck in the wash at Anvil Spring Canyon. Its tires were buried deeply in the sand. Three were flat. There was no sign of the four German tourists.
Few clues were discovered in or near the minivan. No tracks were found which could be related to the missing persons, no purse, passports, rental car contract, keys, wallet, money or airline tickets were found.
Among items in the van were two Coleman sleeping bag boxes, along with a new Coleman sleeping bag, various pairs of shoes, and clean clothing for a woman, man and two children. There was also a 12-pack carton of Bud Ice beer, two unopened bottles of beer, empty one-gallon bottles of water and apple cider and a Swiss cheese wrapper. A camera, numerous rolls of exposed 35-mm film and a portable CD player also were found, along with an American flag, which had been taken from a stone cabin in Butte Valley, five miles away. A beer bottle was found a half-mile away that matched bottles in the vehicle, other than these clues, nothing else conclusive was found.
The official search for the missing tourists was called off on October 26, but subsequent efforts to learn the fate of the missing tourists continued for years, conducted by private parties and search-and-rescue groups.

[hoppyfrog]

There was an article about the Rimkus case in the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (CA) on July 23, 2006, but I cannot access it. It was titled "Family Lost Without a Trace a Decade Ago"

[annemc2]

Interesting case. I wonder when the fax was sent from Las Vegas to Germany? I didn't see a date in the write-up. And is it being inferred that the American flag was stolen from the cabin? That is odd.

[Angels_Not_Forgotten]

not really. I mean if they were from another country, maybe it was a suvioner, I dont know, though, somethings sounds really weird about it. I mean you take off walking with no supplies if something happens to your car?

[WhiteWolf]

I don't see any conclusive proof that all of them were in the mini van when it became stuck in the wash. Maybe Rimkus walked out on his own (maybe with his 10yo son, too) after he ditched the car at the wash?

[Beyond Belief]

I would like to see an inventory of the things they purchased for this trip, esp. the sleeping bags, camping equipment so we can see what their intentions were.

[Beyond Belief]

July 23

High: 123 at Death Valley, Calif.
Low: 35 at Stanley, Idaho


July 24

High: 124 at Death Valley, Calif.
Lows: 33 at Barrow, Alaska (contiguous 48 states: 35 at Stanley, Idaho)


July 25

High: 125 at Death Valley, Calif.
Low: 39 at Jackson, Wyo.


July 26

High: 121 at Death Valley, Calif.
Low: 39 at Jackson, Wyo.

[mooner123]

I've been thru death valley a few times and it can be unbearably hot--especially if you aren't used to hot temperatures. Just driving thru there i wondered what would happen if my air conditioning went out or my car broke down...the area is so desolate. You also don't see many cars out there except an occasional highway patrol officer or a few tourists. It takes (i think) at least an hour or more to drive thru, with not much to see except for sand and there is a point where you can see everything from up high, as it gets more elevated .

no one is really saying what they think happened to them, but what i think is more likely is not a kidnapping or murder (although it definitely could be) but hot temperatures, heat stroke, dehydration, etc. There are also wild animals, such as coyotes in death valley, which could explain why bodies were not found. i would think that one sandstorm would easily cover bodies as well. i hope that it's not the case, but it would seem almost impossible to find them if they never made it out of the desert.

[Beyond Belief]

I wonder about the beer bottle that was found. Did he throw it out the window on the way in or drop while they were walking away?

Did they stay with the car, using the airconditioner, until the fuel run out? What type of terrain was the car found in? Is there shelter within view of where the car got stuck? Mountains, forests, etc. Does the brochure they purchased show where water in located?

How long prior to them signing the guest book, did someone else sign the guest book? How long after them?

Had there been any attacks by wild animals outhere at all during the summer of 96?

I wish I had a map of where they were and where the bottle was found.

[mooner123]

if they were out there in death valley, away from the small ghost towns and small tourist areas, i doubt they found shelter anywhere. I'm trying to recall seeing at least ONE tree out there, and i can't, unless you count cactus. I guess that would rule out a forest! for most of death valley, all you can see is yellow sand with a few hills here and there. There is not much out there because it's too hot.

[Beyond Belief]

Ten years later, a Death Valley mystery still unsolved
http://www.dailybulletin.com/portlet/article/html/fragments/print_article.jsp?article=4081105



http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/archives/1996/dec/18/505400896.html


Disturbing to investigators is that temperatures ranged in the 120s the week the tourists were last seen alive -- temperatures which could easily kill someone traveling without water and air-conditioning for longer than three days.

A team of 45 searchers, eight horses and four helicopters from numerous law enforcement agencies combed the remote area where the minivan was recovered in October, a rescue effort that cost at least $80,000. Investigators have ruled out foul play, although Callison declined to further comment.

http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:1UXnJyfinW4J:data2.itc.nps.gov/morningreport/archive/1996/10-25.doc+Egbert+Rimkus&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=16

On October 21st, an abandoned vehicle was discovered in Anvil Springs Canyon, a remote location in the park. The vehicle had been reported stolen from a rental company in Los Angeles when it was not returned as scheduled on July 26th. At the same time, the four German national who'd rented the vehicle - Egbert Rimkus, 33, Cornelia Meyer, 28, Georg Weber, 10 and Max Meyer, 4 - had been reported as missing. Since their itinerary was unknown, the park had not been notified of their disappearance. A ground search is underway with mounted horse units and rescue teams and SAR groups from several state and federal agencies. Updates will follow as the search continues. [Ann Holeso, PIO, DEVA]

[anthrobones]

In late July 1996, a pair of German tourists, VANISHED . . .
Chuck Mueller, Staff Writer
Editor's Note: The following is the first part of a two-part series on four German tourists who vanished in the Mojave Desert 10 years ago Sunday. DEATH VALLEY - For a record 40 straight days in the summer of 1996, the temperature soared above 120 degrees in this scorching natural cauldron in the Mojave Desert.
Photo Gallery: 1996: German tourists vanished (http://javascript<img%20src=&quot;images/smilies/redface.gif&quot;%20border=&quot;0&quot;%20alt=&quot;&quot;%20title=&quot;Embarr assment&quot;%20smilieid=&quot;3&quot;%20class=&quot;inlineimg&quot;%20/>penGalj('news/072206_vanished');void(0);)
As inhospitable as it was, four German tourists drove their rented minivan into it in late July of that year - and vanished. It's one of the many mysteries of the Mojave.

.....
More at link:
http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_4081236

[anthrobones]

96-631 - Death Valley NP (California) - Significant Search in Progress


On October 21st, an abandoned vehicle was discovered in Anvil Springs Canyon, a remote location in the park. The vehicle had been reported stolen from a rental company in Los Angeles when it was not returned as scheduled on July 26th. At the same time, the four German national who'd rented the vehicle - Egbert Rimkus, 33, Cornelia Meyer, 28, Georg Weber, 10 and Max Meyer, 4 - had been reported as missing. Since their itinerary was unknown, the park had not been notified of their disappearance. A ground search is underway with mounted horse units and rescue teams and SAR groups from several state and federal agencies. Updates will follow as the search continues. [Ann Holeso, PIO, DEVA]

Above from: http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:1UXnJyfinW4J:data2.itc.nps.gov/morningreport/archive/1996/10-25.doc+egbert+rimkus&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=16&ie=UTF-8

[anthrobones]

96-16 22 Oct 96 Search Death Valley Myers
Sgt. Marty Williamson called at 1130 on Tuesday, 22 October to tell us that the Park Service needed assistance with a search for four touring German nationals who were missing in the Anvil Springs area in the southwest corner of Death Valley National Monument. The missing persons were Egbert Rimkus (34), his son Georg Weber (10), Cornelia Meyer (28), and her son Max Meyer (4). They were last seen in Las Vegas on or about 21 July.
I called Park Ranger Dan Dellinges, the incident commander in base camp at Furnace Creek Airport, to get as many details as possible. Based on my conversations with Sgt. Williamson and Ranger Dellinges, I decided to let everyone finish the workday and meet at the Hut at 0400 on 23 October.
The subjects' vehicle, a rental mini-van, had been spotted on Monday, 21 October by Death Valley Park Rangers on an aerial reconnaissance flight. It was found about two miles into Anvil Springs Canyon heading east. It had three flat tires, and all the doors were locked. Further investigation showed that the subjects had signed the visitor's log at the Warm Springs Canyon mine site on 23 July. They almost certainly had visited the Anvil Springs geologist's cabin at the eastern base of Manly Peak because items were found in the van that were missing from the cabin. The most notable, an American flag clearly labeled "Butte Valley Stone Cabin," was found under the rear seat of the van.
CLMRG members were given assignments and flown into the field from a remote landing zone south of Furnace Creek. CLMRG was to search down canyon (east). Burros had wiped out all signs of human foot prints, and burro prints look almost exactly like human prints. Roseman's team found some soiled toilet paper about 1/2 mile southeast of the van and an empty beer bottle about one mile east of the van. The bottle was retrieved by the helicopter crew, and investigators matched the lot numbers with other bottles found in the van. These were the first and last positive clues found during the entire search.
Mitchell and Green arrived late Wednesday night, and Mitchell relieved me in base camp. Green and I were teamed with three members of the Inyo County team Thursday morning and flown into Mesquite Springs several miles down canyon from our other CLMRG teams. We were to search up canyon until we met D. Burge's team. This was done without any success in finding additional clues.
All the teams then moved to a bivouac location about two miles up canyon. The Inyo team was extracted by helicopter that evening, and all CLMRG members were grouped together as one team of eight.
The assignment for the third day was to clear an enormous alluvial fan, an area of about four square miles. We spread out and did a line search of the entire inner perimeter of the alluvial fan. We discovered one possible clue during this search-a bunch of cotton stuck in a cactus. An investigator flew in and picked up a sample to compare with the stuffing of a sleeping bag found in the van. The cotton turned out to be from a cottontop cactus.

It was after 1500 by the time we finished this assignment. Base thought about giving us an additional assignment but instead decided to extract us from the field. A helicopter came in almost immediately and flew everyone out to the Warm Springs landing zone and staging area. We returned to base by about 1800, debriefed, ate some dinner, and headed home. We arrived at the Hut at 2300, did our own debrief, and secured at 2330.
No sign of any of the four people was discovered. The Park Service secured the organized search the following day. The search will continue on a less formal basis, and an investigation is ongoing into possibilities other than that the subjects are lost in the desert.
Participating CLMRG members: Mike Myers (leader), Dennis Burge, Tom Roseman, Mike Dorey, Steve Florian, Debbie Breitenstein, Cindy Goettig, Al Green, Andrew Mitchell, and Carol Burge (coordinator).
Above from: http://www.clmrg.org/TPFeb97.html

[Beyond Belief]

96-16 22 Oct 96 Search Death Valley Myers
Sgt. Marty Williamson called at 1130 on Tuesday, 22 October to tell us that the Park Service needed assistance with a search for four touring German nationals who were missing in the Anvil Springs area in the southwest corner of Death Valley National Monument. The missing persons were Egbert Rimkus (34), his son Georg Weber (10), Cornelia Meyer (28), and her son Max Meyer (4). They were last seen in Las Vegas on or about 21 July.
I called Park Ranger Dan Dellinges, the incident commander in base camp at Furnace Creek Airport, to get as many details as possible. Based on my conversations with Sgt. Williamson and Ranger Dellinges, I decided to let everyone finish the workday and meet at the Hut at 0400 on 23 October.
The subjects' vehicle, a rental mini-van, had been spotted on Monday, 21 October by Death Valley Park Rangers on an aerial reconnaissance flight. It was found about two miles into Anvil Springs Canyon heading east. It had three flat tires, and all the doors were locked. Further investigation showed that the subjects had signed the visitor's log at the Warm Springs Canyon mine site on 23 July. They almost certainly had visited the Anvil Springs geologist's cabin at the eastern base of Manly Peak because items were found in the van that were missing from the cabin. The most notable, an American flag clearly labeled "Butte Valley Stone Cabin," was found under the rear seat of the van.
CLMRG members were given assignments and flown into the field from a remote landing zone south of Furnace Creek. CLMRG was to search down canyon (east). Burros had wiped out all signs of human foot prints, and burro prints look almost exactly like human prints. Roseman's team found some soiled toilet paper about 1/2 mile southeast of the van and an empty beer bottle about one mile east of the van. The bottle was retrieved by the helicopter crew, and investigators matched the lot numbers with other bottles found in the van. These were the first and last positive clues found during the entire search.
Mitchell and Green arrived late Wednesday night, and Mitchell relieved me in base camp. Green and I were teamed with three members of the Inyo County team Thursday morning and flown into Mesquite Springs several miles down canyon from our other CLMRG teams. We were to search up canyon until we met D. Burge's team. This was done without any success in finding additional clues.
All the teams then moved to a bivouac location about two miles up canyon. The Inyo team was extracted by helicopter that evening, and all CLMRG members were grouped together as one team of eight.
The assignment for the third day was to clear an enormous alluvial fan, an area of about four square miles. We spread out and did a line search of the entire inner perimeter of the alluvial fan. We discovered one possible clue during this search-a bunch of cotton stuck in a cactus. An investigator flew in and picked up a sample to compare with the stuffing of a sleeping bag found in the van. The cotton turned out to be from a cottontop cactus.

It was after 1500 by the time we finished this assignment. Base thought about giving us an additional assignment but instead decided to extract us from the field. A helicopter came in almost immediately and flew everyone out to the Warm Springs landing zone and staging area. We returned to base by about 1800, debriefed, ate some dinner, and headed home. We arrived at the Hut at 2300, did our own debrief, and secured at 2330.
No sign of any of the four people was discovered. The Park Service secured the organized search the following day. The search will continue on a less formal basis, and an investigation is ongoing into possibilities other than that the subjects are lost in the desert.
Participating CLMRG members: Mike Myers (leader), Dennis Burge, Tom Roseman, Mike Dorey, Steve Florian, Debbie Breitenstein, Cindy Goettig, Al Green, Andrew Mitchell, and Carol Burge (coordinator

http://www.clmrg.org/TPFeb97.html

[anthrobones]

They also reported this case in Germany.
Article is in German.
http://www.berlinonline.de/berliner-kurier/archiv/.bin/dump.fcgi/1996/1027/none/0015/index.html

[anthrobones]

http://lang.sbsun.com/socal/gallery2/?folder=news/072206_vanished

Photo Gallery. Hope the link works.

[anthrobones]

I don't understand why they do not have a Doe Network page for the youngest boy.:confused:

[Beyond Belief]

It worked, thanks, thats awesome, it really brings it to life.

[anthrobones]

I wonder about the beer bottle that was found. Did he throw it out the window on the way in or drop while they were walking away?

Did they stay with the car, using the airconditioner, until the fuel run out? What type of terrain was the car found in? Is there shelter within view of where the car got stuck? Mountains, forests, etc. Does the brochure they purchased show where water in located?

How long prior to them signing the guest book, did someone else sign the guest book? How long after them?

Had there been any attacks by wild animals outhere at all during the summer of 96?

I wish I had a map of where they were and where the bottle was found.
There are photos on the link I provided below. The 4th and 10th show the area where the van was found. I'm guessing after the car got stuck, they decided to walk (not a good idea, but then neither is staying there) and got lost, overheated, etc.

[anthrobones]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_Valley

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_Valley_National_Park

http://www.nps.gov/deva/


http://www.nps.gov/deva/pphtml/maps.html

As for animals, there are coyotes, mountain lions, foxes, bobcats, rattlesnakes (the harmful animals at least). Not sure about bears. Anyone know?

[anthrobones]

unless you count cactus.
Or Joshua Trees. :p

[Beyond Belief]

I must have missed something. Were they to return to the cabin? Wheres the luggage?

[WhiteWolf]

I don't understand why they do not have a Doe Network page for the youngest boy.:confused:


I googled an article that states Cornelia and Max Meyer have been declared legally dead by her family.

[KarlK]

I must have missed something. Were they to return to the cabin? Wheres the luggage?My guess is they would have tried to reach the last sign of civilization they had encountered. Whether or not this was the cabin where the flag had been taken is unclear, as is the distance between the stranded van and the cabin.

While I feel sad for the loss of the tourists it's pretty obvious that the adults have only themselves to blame for what happened. Wandering the desert in a minivan following what amounts to little more than a mule trail not even suited for a Hummer is plain idiotic, and it's not like there aren't plenty of warnings against engaging into such a suicidal expedition.

[reb]

i too am confused. how far were they from the last cabin? why did it take so long for their van to be found? because no one was crazy enough to go out there and risk their own lives to find them? i agree with karl,, it's sad but definitely suicidal and irresponsible- especially with a 10-yr old child!!! once again, it's that false sense of security that people have inside an automobile (much like the kim family had)... when really it's just a few feet of temperate air surrounding you keeping you alive, and a few inches of metal between you and a quick death.

[KarlK]

i too am confused. how far were they from the last cabin? why did it take so long for their van to be found? because no one was crazy enough to go out there and risk their own lives to find them?I believe that several factors explain why it took so long to find the van. First of all they didn't tell anyone about their intended itinerary and being foreigners it's likely that they didn't know anybody locally. Also from what I gather their relatives in Germany only had a vague idea of their travel plans and therefore couldn't report them missing in a specific area, nothing beyond the inquiry with the car rental agency.

Secondly the "trail" they were on is obviously very seldom (if ever) used by vehicles as evidenced by the fact that nobody reported finding the van for months, not even rangers appear to venture there. Thirdly a green van parked among desert brush is probably not easy to spot from above especially if you're not looking for it. In fact it was found by pure luck, that area seems to be so remote that it could probably have remained unseen for years had that helicopter not happen upon it by chance.

[Julessleuther]

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2089dmca.html

http://lang.sbsun.com/a1/072206.pdf

Interesting that no evidence has ever been found.

[forthelost]

http://www.forthelost.org/calikids/WeberRimkusMeyer.doc

[kashmir]

This is my first post...but I saw this and it sent a chill through me:
http://ww2.cox.com/myconnection/tulsa/today/news/national/article.cox?articleId=D9BURIH00&moduleType=apNews

I guess this might be our missing family?

[annemc2]

Great find, Kashmir! Thanks for posting. Hopefully the family will finally get some closure.

[anthrobones]

Wow. I wonder what happened to them.

[CrimeSolver]

This case is existentially unsettling, haunting somehow. I'd like to see a map of where all the components of the story are in relation to each other: the visitors' center, the abandoned van, the cabin, and now the bones with the ID.

[fran]

I hadn't heard about this case until tonite. I've been through Death Valley. I believe the 'name' says it all. Go off any beaten path and it can be your doom. Tempratures go into the 120's, desolate, scary. Deserts are beautiful but you have to respect them.

FWIW, right now they're investigating this as a 'crime.' But there's nothing to indicate anything except it was most likely four people who got lost in the desert. They turned off onto the wrong road. That's all it would take, imo. Personally, I've always stuck to the main highways through this area. No remote area there for me!

JMHO
fran



http://news.aol.com/article/death-valley-bones-may-solve-mystery-of/766810?icid=main|compaq-laptop|dl1|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fnews.aol.com%2Fartic le%2Fdeath-valley-bones-may-solve-mystery-of%2F766810

Death Valley Bones May Solve Mystery

DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (Nov. 14) - Skeletal remains found in Death Valley may belong to one or more of the four German tourists who vanished in searing summer heat 13 years ago, authorities said Friday.

Two hikers discovered the bones Thursday in a remote area of the famous Mojave Desert park. The hikers were search-and-rescue workers from Riverside County but they were off duty at the time, Inyo County sheriff's spokeswoman Carma Roper said.


<<<<<<<<<<<<full article at link>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[CrimeSolver]

This is the general vicinity where the tourists got lost and perished: http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=goler+wash+death+valley&sll=35.948551,-116.788788&sspn=0.263482,0.533524&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Goler+Wash+Rd,+Inyo,+California+92328,+Unite d+States&ll=35.860448,-117.096534&spn=0.016486,0.033345&t=h&z=15
http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=goler+wash+death+valley&sll=35.948551,-116.788788&sspn=0.263482,0.533524&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Goler+Wash+Rd,+Inyo,+California+92328,+Unite d+States&ll=35.860466,-117.096534&spn=0.016486,0.033345&t=h&z=15
The van was found somewhere to the north of the spot marked on the map, the skeletal remains were found somewhere to the southeast, according to the article posted by Fran. Presumably, their intention was to exit the park westbound on Goler Wash Rd./Coyote Canyon Rd.

[KT Can]

WOW, irresponsible indeed. I've followed this story from the beginning, but only now do I truly understand the area of which we are talking about...I just youtube'd videos for the Goler Wash/Coyote Canyon area in Death Valley -- and NO ONE should EVER be out there with two children in a MINI-VAN!! What in God's name were they thinking??? Those are NOT roads, this is absolutely totally and completely off-roading type of stuff!!

I have to say that I agree with Karl...I feel sad for the loss of the tourists and their poor little children and the horrible situation with which they found themselves in, but I agree, the adults have only themselves to blame. This was idiotic and suicidal. I am grateful that they may have finally been found though. What a horrible way to go.

YouTube- Goler wash Dec 30

YouTube- Goler Wash, Barker Ranch, Mengel Pass, Death Valley 4x4 part 1

YouTube- Nissan group up Goler Wash - rough cut

[gaia227]

If it turns out they did not die from exposure is it possible they ran into Gary Hilton?

[scriptgirl]

Who is Gary Hilton?

[gaia227]

He was arrested for the murder of hiker Meredith Emerson and is now suspected to have killed several others, all in outdoor, recreational areas.

Gary M Hilton Serial Killer - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/15838537/detail.html

[gaia227]

The other person I thought of was Joseph Burgess the man who was killed recently in CA by police. He was the main suspect in the murders of a couple who was camping 37 yrs prior and now he is a suspect in the murders of Lindsay Cutshall and Jason Allen who were killed in a very similar way in 2004.
http://www.truecrimediary.com/index.cfm?page=cases&id=94

http://www.truecrimediary.com/index.cfm?page=cases&id=17 (nice write up about unsolved homicides along the west coast which could all be linked to the same person)

[Bluecat]

Unlikely. Most probable is death by heat exposure. Temps even in October are over 100 degrees F. Wouldn't take long to overwhelm people who are unprepared.

[gaia227]

Unlikely. Most probable is death by heat exposure. Temps even in October are over 100 degrees F. Wouldn't take long to overwhelm people who are unprepared.

I agree it is most-likely death due to exposure. I was speculating IF there was foul play. Hopefully the ME will be able to establish COD.

[broadpath]

I think I've mapped out their path on Google Earth. This is pure speculation on my part.

BTW, GE has a feature to view previous images and there is an image of this area taken October 6th, 1995, just a few months before this catastrophe.

I think that 35 55'29N 117 04'55W is the cabin at Anvil Springs. They likely came here from the road to the North East. Apparently there is water (a spring) here and a living cottonwood tree. Many photos of the cabin are available if you enable "Geographic Web".

There is a triangular intersection of roads here. The road going South would have taken them to Mengel Pass. Assuming this was their goal, they made a tragic mistake by taking the road to the East. FWIW the road East from the cabin looks more worn than the road south. Especially on the 1995 image. Could the driver have assumed the most used road was the one to follow?

The road east goes directly into Anvil Spring Canyon where the Minivan got stuck. It looks like a fairly decent road goes into the canyon and then peters out in the wash at 35 54'44.70N 117 03'14.16"W. I wish I had the coordinates of where they found the van.

Up to this point you can imagine an adventurous soul saying "we can do this" and it doesn't seem too outrageously crazy.

But then it gets crazy. Instead of walking back the few miles to the cabin with water they apparently walked south into Goler Wash where the bones were found.

Maybe they had decided NOT to go on through Mengel Pass and to return by the way they'd come. That could explain why they went east from the cabin instead of south. But if a mistake was made it seems to be right there - they chose the wrong road to follow. Maybe they became confused by the heat. Maybe they were arguing and were distracted. Maybe they lost their bearings and read the map wrong. What happens to one's judgment when it is 120 degrees and a probably dehydrated person drinks a beer? (If you call Bud Ice beer).

The biggest mystery to me is why they went into Goler Wash instead of back to the cabin.

[kbl8201]

why do i have the feeling this is gonna show up next on "other victims" in the jaycee section

[4x4abc]

van was found at 35 55' 37.86N 117 01' 06.91W

remains were found around 35 49' 10.17N 116 57' 38.93W

[broadpath]

Summary:

Geologist's Cabin: 35 55'29"N 117 04'55"W, 4400 feet elevation
Van: 35 55' 37.86N 117 01' 06.91W, 3100' elevation
Remains: 35 49' 10.17N 116 57' 38.93W, 2400' elevation

Sunset (in Los Angeles) on 7/23/1996 was 8PM.
Moonrise was 1:19PM and it was up all night.
It was a new quarter moon that night.

Could they have waited in the van until sunset then followed the light of the moon to the west? That would possibly explain why they climbed over the 400' rise.

(Elevation taken from Google Maps "terrain" view)

By a straight line the van and remains are separated by 8 miles. From the van to the geologist's cabin was less than 4 miles but was uphill 1300 feet. Even though there is a difference of 700' from the van to the remains, there is no downhill path between them. They had to climb over a rise of approximately 3500', meaning they climbed 400' from the van elevation. I crawled the Google terrain map and if they had decided to go downhill the logical path would have lead them straight down Anvil Spring Canyon and back to the West Side Hwy.

The path they selected is not obvious. Maybe they were trying to find Barker Ranch. It's in the basic direction (west) they chose.

Of course, all of this is based on an assumption that the remains were found where they died and not dragged there by beasts. Does anyone know the nature of the remains? Was there a complete skeleton or just a part?

[4x4abc]

details:
Idyllwild Town Crier (http://towncrierbreakingnews.blogspot.com/2009/11/rmru-members-find-bones-likely-those-of.html)

by the way, moonset must have been around midnight - only the full moon will be visible all night

[broadpath]

Thank you for the link to the Town Crier. The blog says that Mahood and Walker, the two members of Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit who found the remains, will return this weekend (11/20 and 21) with about 100 additional searchers to look for more remains and information. The ID they found was Cornelia's. Her father has left a comment on the blog at the link you posted.

That blog doesn't mention the coordinates of the remains. Since you know the coordinates I'm assuming you know more about the find. Silly question, but was the wine bottle empty? Would you guess that Cornelia (assuming those were her bones) was holding the wine bottle when she passed?

[CrimeSolver]

Thanks for the details. Boy, these people sure made all the wrong decisions, including going in the wrong direction at each turn. Had they just gone south and then west through Mendel Pass, they might, with luck, have found their way to that cluster of communities around Searles Lake, but instead they went on a trek to nowhere. Tragic.

[4x4abc]

Since you know the coordinates I'm assuming you know more about the find.

broadpath,

no, I don't have any first hand knowledge of any of the locations. I have extrapolated the van position from images 4 and 10 of the photo gallery in this article (http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_4081236), the distance to the cabin checks out with initial discovery report.
Image 4 was taken looking NW, image 10 was taken looking NNE - GoogleEarth confirms the backgrounds and thus the approximate location.

For the approximate discovery location I combined the following three known facts:
location 2-4 miles from reservation border, elevation 2500 ft, location from van 8-11 miles - the rest is GoogleEarth.

I have explored the area extensively over the last 25 years. The road from Sourdough Springs to Wingate Wash road passes pretty close (within 2 miles) to the projected discovery location. In fact, I had some work back there the same year of the family's disappearance. Too bad both of these historic roads are now closed. Sorry, did not want to hijack the thread.

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Rimkus, 34, disappeared from Inyo County, California on July 22, 1996, along with his ten-year-old son Georg Weber, his girlfriend Cornelia Meyer, and Cornelia's four-year-old son Max Meyer. The four were all tourists from Germany and they disappeared while visiting Death Valley. They were presumed to have become lost in the desert and died of exposure, but extensive searches turned up no indication of their whereabouts.

In November 2009, bones from two human adults were found in Death Valley National Park. Nearby was identification linked to the missing tourists. In June 2010, some of the bones were identified as Rimkus's. Other bones were identified as coming from an adult female, presumably Cornelia Meyer, but they were too dry to render enough DNA for analysis. No bones from human children have been recovered.

http://www.charleyproject.org/resolved.html


Rest in peace, Egbert.

[Kat]

van was found at 35 55' 37.86N 117 01' 06.91W

remains were found around 35 49' 10.17N 116 57' 38.93W

Hi 4X4. thank you for that information.

Did anyone ever plug those coordinates into a map so we could have a look? I'd do it but I'm at a loss for those things.

Rest in peace to the four. Prayers for their families.

FWIW, I am not familiar with Death Valley. I am familiar with the extreme environment of the Chihuahuan Desert. (I adore the desert, it is in my heart and we plan to return to live out our years in the desert). It is my understanding that Death Valley is much more of an extreme environment.

Unfortunately, every year people lose their life in that extreme environment. When the ambient temp is that high, and the humidity as low as it is in the desert, one can dehydrate without any exertion.

Add into that a naivete about that environment, the requirement of water just to function for each individual and you have disaster. So many don't realize that even if they don't feel sweat on thier bodies (when the environment is that dry your persperation will evaporate before you feel it wet on your skin) they are rapidly depleting their internal hydration.

I'm so sorry that these four lost their lives in the desert. Prayers again to their families.

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

I just plugged them into Google maps. Not sure about the accuracy because I am clueless about coordinates. But this is what Google maps shows.

Coordinates from 4x4

A - Vehicle Location
B- Remains Location

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=35+55%27+37.86N+117+01%27+06.91W+to:+35+49%27+10 .17N+116+57%27+38.93W&sll=36.482036,-116.946716&sspn=0.523383,1.234589&ie=UTF8&ll=35.8935,-116.916504&spn=0.527331,1.234589&t=h&z=10