Police seek elusive, armed mountain man, called "time bomb," in southern Utah

[wfgodot]

Mountain man on the loose: Armed recluse has eluded capture for five years as he
breaks into remote cabins, eats food, steals provisions and sneaks off into the wild (Daily Mail)

He's eluded authorities for more than five years, a mountain man who roams the wilderness of southern Utah, breaking into remote cabins in winter, living in luxury off hot food, alcohol and coffee before stealing provisions and vanishing into the woods.

Investigators have clawed for clues, scouring cabins for fingerprints that match no one and chasing reports of brief encounters only to come up short, always a step behind the mysterious recluse.

They've found abandoned camps, dozens of guns, high-end outdoor gear stolen from the homes and trash strewn around the forest floor.
---
He's roamed across 1,000 square miles of rugged wilderness where snow can pile 10 feet deep in winter.
---

"Time bomb," eh?

But the man authorities say is armed and dangerous and responsible for more than two dozen burglaries has continued to outrun the law across a swath of mountains not far from Zion National Park.

And while there have been no violent confrontations, detectives say he's a time bomb. Lately he has been leaving the cabins in disarray and riddled with bullets after defacing religious icons, and a recent note left behind in one cabin warned, 'Get off my mountain.'
---

much more, quite interesting, and with pictures, at link above

[Velouria]

Great, he sounds like a cross between Ted Kacyznski, Eric Rudolph, and the Barefoot Bandit.

Hope he's apprehended before he hurts someone.

[mysteriew]

Wilderness version of homeless.

I'm wondering if this guy might schizophrenic or something. The way he avoids people, defaces religious items, and is so erratic. He actually looks pretty young. I'd guess mid to late 20's. Someone has to know this guy.

[not_my_kids]

I would argue against the schizophrenia theory. This guy is good. He is able to maintain himself not just while in a cabin, but through long stretches in the wilderness, without getting turned around, hurt, or becoming sick enough that he dies or needs to reach out for help. He has been seen only a handful of times, and obviously doesn't wish for human contact.

Personally, I think that he defaces religious icons due to a percieved wrong. Could be the loss of a home or job that led to his living in the woods in the first place. Could be that he prayed for his company not to close, his wife not to leave, his home not to be foreclosed on, and those unanswered prayers just led to a lot of anger. I think he destroys some cabins based on nothing more than what he sees in the cabins. I would think it is likely those that live modestly and don't have religious or government affiliations that do not have their homes totally destroyed. Those that he did destroy were chosen because of what he saw once he was inside.

Call me crazy, I wouldn't be carrying a gun, I would be leaving him care packages, maybe it would keep him out of the cabin, try to establish a little human connection with the guy, and try to lure him off the mountain. I think that's their best hope. The guy is obviously much better at hiding than LE is at seeking, and he's not coming down until he gets damn good and ready. I think LE might be just a wee bit irritated at their own failure to catch him, and making him out to be worse than he really is. I wouldn't be able to be that frightened of the guy. He doesn't wish to have societal interaction, through crime or anything else. He takes what he needs, expresses himself (vulgarly at times), and then goes back to the woods. I don't see him turning rapist or murderer now, UNLESS the media, which he undoubtedly does have access to, and LE, paint him as a potential killer and horrible monster.

[wfgodot]

Another character who has been in the woods, albeit in the Welsh woods, for years - no reports of him carrying a gun though, which in itself makes for a striking contrast between the United Kingdom and the United States:

Police hunt "Wales wolfman" in Pantyffynon Woods - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community

Police hunt "Wales wolfman" in Pantyffynon Woods - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community

[jjenny]

I think he is at the very least into his thirties, judging by the photos.

[wfgodot]

Yeah, he looks to be at least 33-34.

[HMSHood]

Originally Posted by mysteriew

Wilderness version of homeless.

I'm wondering if this guy might schizophrenic or something. The way he avoids people, defaces religious items, and is so erratic. He actually looks pretty young. I'd guess mid to late 20's. Someone has to know this guy.

I am thinking he is more has paranoid or antisocial personality disorder. He probably is an injustice collector as he likely as major issues, likely stems from personal issues. He could of lost a job recently, foreclosure, or had some issues with family or relationships.

[jjenny]

Originally Posted by HMSHood

I am thinking he is more has paranoid or antisocial personality disorder. He probably is an injustice collector as he likely as major issues, likely stems from personal issues. He could of lost a job recently, foreclosure, or had some issues with family or relationships.

He's been out there for five years so very unlikely he had lost a job recently. If he is out there all alone for that long his mental state could be deteriorating because humans are social animals.

[mysteriew]

From the articles I guess there is a theory floating around that he may be one of the "lost boys" from the FLDS. I wonder if anyone has ever thought to leave some of the newspapers from the time period where they were busted lying around? It might be interesting for him. If he is a "lost boy" it could possibly even lure him out. Brochures from the lost boys group might be helpful too.

If he is a lost boy and if he doesn't end up harming anyone, I would almost be willing to see him get by with what he has done so far, as long as he would agree to get help.

[~n/t~]

How does he survive in the winter? One photo has him with snow shoes.

It always fascinates me how these guys can elude authorities for so long. Like the Barefoot Bandit as an example. I wish they would put their "skills" into doing something positive rather than causing havoc and terror.

[jjenny]

I don't believe for a second this is a "lost boy." For one, he appears to be at the very least in his thirties. For other, he reportedly has all these guns, and I don't think FLDS is that much into guns.

[gitana1]

This is fascinating. Besides the theory he is a former FLDS member, investigators are looking at two fugitives, both appear to be older than their 30's though. One is Robert William Fisher who slit the throats of his wife and two children and then blew up his house after his wife threatened a divorce. Remind you of anyone? I wonder if the coward who murdered Susan Powell and her sons knew about this guy:

Robert William Fisher - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Robert William Fisher - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Robert William Fisher - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Here's a few pictures of him:





http://www.fugitivehunter.org/wanted2.html

Another is Jason Derek Brown who killed an armored truck driver in 2004. He looks suspiciously like Sean Penn to me:



http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,329367,00.html (other pictures and video at link).

Both men are avid outdoorsmen and Brown has connections to Utah, Fisher to Arizona, which is very close. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46427869/ns/us_news-life/

I think Fisher looks most like the fugitive:



(Picture from above link).

But, the eyes look more like Brown's.

[gitana1]

Originally Posted by jjenny

I don't believe for a second this is a "lost boy." For one, he appears to be at the very least in his thirties. For other, he reportedly has all these guns, and I don't think FLDS is that much into guns.

Well, there have been Lost Boys for decades. So it is possible he's one. The term applies to boys who have been kicked out of the cult. But when they grow up, they are still deemed to be Lost boys. I hope that makes sense!

[Emma Peel]

Originally Posted by gitana1

This is fascinating. Besides the theory he is a former FLDS member, investigators are looking at two fugitives, both appear to be older than their 30's though. One is Robert William Fisher who slit the throats of his wife and two children and then blew up his house after his wife threatened a divorce. Remind you of anyone? I wonder if the coward who murdered Susan Powell and her sons knew about this guy: Robert William Fisher - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Here's a few pictures of him:





http://www.fugitivehunter.org/wanted2.html

Another is Jason Derek Brown who killed an armored truck driver in 2004. He looks suspiciously like Sean Penn to me:



http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,329367,00.html (other pictures and video at link).

Both men are avid outdoorsmen and Brown has connections to Utah, Fisher to Arizona, which is very close. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46427869/ns/us_news-life/

I think Fisher looks most like the fugitive:



(Picture from above link).

But, the eyes look more like Brown's.

Caveat: haven't a clue about this. Have read nothing. Photos caught my attention. So this is just FWIW - from a first glance.

If we're trying to match up the snow shoe pix to Fisher or Brown -

First, The snowshoe dude looks on the young side.

Second - Not seeing the pronounced Adam's apple belonging to Fisher. Not feeling the eyebrows of Brown on snowshoe dude.

Third - Fisher has some ... double chin ... a little bit ... going on. Snowshoe dude - not so much.

Fourth - The forehead - you've said "eyes" - but the forehead's different - Brown's being more pronounced.

Fifth - Upper lip. Snowshoe guy looks to have a thin upper lip. Not so much on Fisher, but yes on Brown.

So all of that might make me lean more to Brown?


again, just FWIW.

[Quiche]

One of the comments under the article wonder if it's the missing young man, Steven Koecher... interesting.

As far as him "arming" himself-- I wouldn't wander around in the wilderness without a rifle and a good knife. Is that really "arming" yourself against humans? I'm concerned about the rush to judgement that he's a killer. No one's been killed, right? Also, if arming himself to terrorize people was his aim, why the abandoned camp with all those guns, ammo, and stuff?

When this economy turned bad, here in my suburban jungle there were a number of daytime break-ins that emptied pantries and deep freezers instead of stealing appliances, money, or jelwelry. One dude actually spent his days inside a couple's home, eating, showering, doing laundry, watching TV. Essentially, he used their "empty" house as his own. He left it exactly as he'd find it. LE figured he'd been doing it for a very long time... What finally clued the homeowner in was finding the TV set to a channel they never used, then a bunch of other "odd" happenings began to add up-- especially smelling things in the air when they'd been gone for hours (popcorn, shampoo, etc.).

I know a lot of guys who would select to live like this rather that be an urban homeless person. (lots of wilderness lovers in my area) The breaking and entering reports seem a little slanted, imo-- I, for one, am holding back my judgement on this guy... property crime is one thing, and it seems he's never done a "home invasion" type of terrorizing, he's accessing homes that aren't in use. It also seems he cases them (maybe for entire seasons). I think he's accessing what he needs to survive (snow shoes, for example, weatherproof clothes etc.) and move on. He looks very well outfitted and not overly so.

I think it's wrong to scare people and incite them to kill this guy... "time bomb"! Pfft. What are they thinking? He obviously isn't in the criminal databases, or they'd know who he was.

moo

[mysteriew]

Quiche to some extent I can agree with you. But with this guy, he has been showing some anti social behaviors in that he has vandalized some cabins, defacating in a pan in one cabin. I think that is what has led to the concern that he may be a "time bomb."

[Peliman]

How about his age? What age do you consider he is? I have a different take on his background but age could be important?

[gitana1]

Originally Posted by Quiche

One of the comments under the article wonder if it's the missing young man, Steven Koecher... interesting.

As far as him "arming" himself-- I wouldn't wander around in the wilderness without a rifle and a good knife. Is that really "arming" yourself against humans? I'm concerned about the rush to judgement that he's a killer. No one's been killed, right? Also, if arming himself to terrorize people was his aim, why the abandoned camp with all those guns, ammo, and stuff?

When this economy turned bad, here in my suburban jungle there were a number of daytime break-ins that emptied pantries and deep freezers instead of stealing appliances, money, or jelwelry. One dude actually spent his days inside a couple's home, eating, showering, doing laundry, watching TV. Essentially, he used their "empty" house as his own. He left it exactly as he'd find it. LE figured he'd been doing it for a very long time... What finally clued the homeowner in was finding the TV set to a channel they never used, then a bunch of other "odd" happenings began to add up-- especially smelling things in the air when they'd been gone for hours (popcorn, shampoo, etc.).

I know a lot of guys who would select to live like this rather that be an urban homeless person. (lots of wilderness lovers in my area) The breaking and entering reports seem a little slanted, imo-- I, for one, am holding back my judgement on this guy... property crime is one thing, and it seems he's never done a "home invasion" type of terrorizing, he's accessing homes that aren't in use. It also seems he cases them (maybe for entire seasons). I think he's accessing what he needs to survive (snow shoes, for example, weatherproof clothes etc.) and move on. He looks very well outfitted and not overly so.

I think it's wrong to scare people and incite them to kill this guy... "time bomb"! Pfft. What are they thinking? He obviously isn't in the criminal databases, or they'd know who he was.

moo

Well, maybe. But this has me worried:

And while there have been no violent confrontations, detectives say he's a time bomb. Lately he has been leaving the cabins in disarray and riddled with bullets after defacing religious icons, and a recent note left behind in one cabin warned, "Get off my mountain."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46427869.../#.T0AMpPnGDCs

That doesn't sound like a mild-mannered homeless guy who'd prefer to live in the wild, than on the streets.

Someone mentioned Steven Kocher as a possible match. Here's his picture:
http://www.ksl.com/emedia/slc/2203/220397/22039740.jpg

Here's another few:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...i/StevenK4.jpg

https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/im...1wTMg4EKEFXb3w

[not_my_kids]

Most wanted fugitives have prints on file, either from prior offenses, or that were taken from their residences after their crime and after they fled from LE. For that reason, I doubt that he is any of the wanted fugitives listed above.

Even with the shooting up of the cabin, I believe him to be harmless. It seems that he shot up a cabin he knew was unoccupied, and had no intention of physical harm to anyone. Once again, to me, it just seems he was making a statement in a very grandiose manner. Not a legal one, and yes, I feel sorry for the people that live there, but when you come right down to it, since he likely knew the cabin was empty, a little plaster, paint and maybe some new windows, and it will seem like it never happened. It's just property damage, and i think that's all he wants, is to make his statements and damage some property.

[not_my_kids]

Can't be Robert Fisher. Fisher is a Navy veteran, meaning prints are on file.

Jason Brown also has prints on file.
http://www.amw.com/fugitives/brief.cfm?id=29538
So, it can't be him, either.

[Quiche]

Hmmmm, maybe he knew the people where he defecated? And perhaps the more personal statement, "get off my mountain" is a clue to his home turf? I immediately wonder if there's been development that is a little over the top for the region? (Like an 8,000 square foot luxury home in A-frame cabin world?) He seems a little more protective of certain areas-- that's a clue to who he is, imo, rather than why he's a menace.

I'm curious, Peli, what are you sensing about this guy?


And thanks, Gitana, for posting those Steven Kocher pics-- he looks so young! Of course, living like a mountainman would add some grizzle. I don't know... the way he went missing doesn't smell of a call to the wild, but he was certainly within the southern Utah regions.

It will be interesting to see how this all shakes out, I just hope there's not any violence between folks due to "time bomb" statement.

[jjenny]

I don't think he looks like Steven Kercher at all. And I would never believe someone "harmless" if that someone breaks into other persons homes (whether these homes are occupied or not).

[mysteriew]

About mountain man. Wouldn't you expect that a guy who was living in the rough, living away from society, living in a very cold area would have long hair? In the picture at least I am not seeing long hair. Also most men living in a very cold environment in the winter time would let their beards grow, because all that hair does provide some protection from the cold. The beard will usually get quite thick, long and bushy.

I am beginning to suspect that maybe this guy might be like a weekend 'survivalist'. That maybe he isn't as isolated as he seems, and maybe does the camping thing on weekends or just in winter. And maybe the rest of the time he is living in civilization.

That could also explain why he hasn't been seen out in the woods in the summer when there would be more people around.

[CarlK90245]

He’s eluded authorities for more than five years, a mountain man who roams the wilderness of southern Utah, breaking into remote cabins in winter, living in luxury off hot food, alcohol and coffee before stealing provisions and vanishing into the woods.

Investigators have clawed for clues, scouring cabins for fingerprints that match no one and chasing reports of brief encounters only to come up short, always a step behind the mysterious recluse.

They’ve found abandoned camps, dozens of guns, high-end outdoor gear stolen from the homes and trash strewn around the forest floor.

Authorities say the man is armed and dangerous and responsible for more than two dozen burglaries. He has continued to outrun the law across a swath of mountains not far from Zion National Park. He’s roamed across 1,000 square miles of rugged wilderness where snow can pile 10 feet deep in winter.

Read More:
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/53...tml.csp?page=1