Netflix: Murder Mountain

[Lilibet]

Believe me, Lilibet, the situation has definitely NOT improved since you left. I feel pretty safe because I live in town, but I would never again live in the Emerald Triangle boondocks.

Thanks for your confirmation, Burblestein, as well as your other knowledgeable contributions to this thread.

Although in my post I said that “when people go out into those hills to work on grows they go at their own risk,” I originally wrote that “when people go out into those hills for any reason they go at their own risk.” I modified my statement to be specific to people working on grows, not wanting to seem extreme, but like you, I consider it dangerous just to live in the hills minding your own business as we did.

At the time we lived there, we knew of at least two murders of innocent landowners by people attempting to steal harvested marijuana who went to the wrong property. One was just up the road from us and our friends in town were frantic, thinking it was my husband.

I wouldn’t even live in any of the neighborhoods in Garberville or Redway (the two more populated, but very small towns) nowadays because of the people hanging out downtown. Even the little neighborhoods are interspersed with people involved in dangerous activities. I seriously fear for our friends who still live there.

For those who want to learn more, I encourage you to peruse the Emerald Triangle Forum cases, thank Burblestein for caring enough to gather them together...and weep.

 

[tvscum]

Story airing tonight in San Diego, CBS News 8:
TONIGHT on News 8 at 11pm: Mystery of Murder Mountain

 

[tvscum]

‘Murder Mountain’ person of interest identified in court records

 

[burblestein]

Great find, tv! Started reading on it, and it led me to a Googling, which led to: Words Worth: "I was waiting for the day Neil was going to kill me"; Matthew Brown infers who Alderpoint 8 leader was and who they reported to which tells of yet another homicide on Murder Mountain. It seems that Neil Decker was murdered on 18 July 2014, and Scott W. Johnson was killed four days later.

Be warned. It's graphic.

 

[Steelhead]

Finished watching Murder Mountain. I thought it was pretty good. It seemed mostly accurate to me, from what I saw and people I've talked to, except the exaggeration of the number of missing persons. Not sure if this was posted yet, but I tend to agree with it:

"Humboldt County may have lots of problems, but mass disappearances a la the Argentinan junta are definitely not among them."

Oh Dear God, Please Not Again With This Horseshit About Humboldt County’s Missing Persons Rate

Since I live in town, I hear way more about the meth, heroin, and homeless problems, which also bring their share of missing people.

What's happening up in them hills is staying up in them hills for the most part, IMO.

 

[Burglar]

This docu series made one HUGE mistake: not talking about the real problem in SoHum, which is METH. Many of the people interviewed are users. As far as the investigation goes, there is so much more to the story than what was in the series. The “alleged” is a man name Quentin Lenig from Indiana. His father owned property in ranch sequoia adjacent to where Garrett’s body was ultimately found. Also, The mysterious character who the private investigator figured out was still in Humboldt, not Ocean Beach, is a man named Dave Strachwitz.

 

[burblestein]

Indeed, it's not the pot itself that causes all the turmoil in the hills. It's the black market for pot that is the root of all the ruckus. And in their greed to grow more, more, ever more, illicit growers string themselves out on meth. If they were trying to run amok on pot, they would probably fall asleep before accomplishing anything. But on crank they are cranked! That's one reason for the batshit crazy local drivers in some of our locales. As well as a host of other social menaces.

Meth, the perfect Nazi drug. It makes you mean, irrational, aggressive, nasty. I want nothing to do with crank or cranksters.

 

[star82]

I thought the show was really interesting and it's also really interesting to hear about the lived experiences that have gone on out there. It's beautiful country, but I don't think it would be worth the risk to live out there.

 

[burblestein]

So I grabbed a free membership to Netflix just to watch the entirety of MM. Unmentioned anywhere in this thread is the amount of screen time given to the disappearance of Asha Kreimer--who disappeared from Mendocino County, not Humboldt.

I guess any publicity about any missing person is helpful, but in this case, it's awfully misleading. If she's going to be looked for in Humboldt when she actually vanished from Mendocino....

 

[Lilibet]

So I grabbed a free membership to Netflix just to watch the entirety of MM. Unmentioned anywhere in this thread is the amount of screen time given to the disappearance of Asha Kreimer--who disappeared from Mendocino County, not Humboldt.

I guess any publicity about any missing person is helpful, but in this case, it's awfully misleading. If she's going to be looked for in Humboldt when she actually vanished from Mendocino....

Yes, the amount of Asha Kreimer screen time was very misleading...almost like filler. I don’t remember now if they made it clear that she disappeared in Mendocino county or not. I guess her Mom thinks she could be anywhere in the Emerald Triangle. Who knows?...she may have approached the filmmakers with Asha’s story.

 

[burblestein]

Still another murder on Murder Mountain:

CA - CA - Hugh Duggins, 71, Humboldt County, 21 January 2016

 

[burblestein]

Lilibet, I watched the Asha sequences like a hawk. There was no mention of her disappearing from Mendopia.

 

[Lilibet]

Lilibet, I watched the Asha sequences like a hawk. There was no mention of her disappearing from Mendopia.

I guess that explains why I didn’t remember whether it was mentioned.

 

[AmazingEventOnMM]

Is there anywhere that mentions the name of the Rancho Sequoia farm owner that led the A8 to Garrett's grave?

Not only is the name all over the internet, his photos are out there also. The suspect, or "person of interest," was originally from Indiana and his father had purchased two properties for his two sons on Murder Mountain. The remains of the murder victim from San Diego, Garrett, was unearthed right next to one of those two properties. The suspect/ POI / returned to Indiana and lives there until at least recently. The photos show him to be exactly the kind of guy who would be involved in the drug industry.... and the kind of guy to murder. Sort of a Charles Manson character..

 

[Lilibet]

Not only is the name all over the internet, his photos are out there also. The suspect, or "person of interest," was originally from Indiana and his father had purchased two properties for his two sons on Murder Mountain. The remains of the murder victim from San Diego, Garrett, was unearthed right next to one of those two properties. The suspect/ POI / returned to Indiana and lives there until at least recently. The photos show him to be exactly the kind of guy who would be involved in the drug industry.... and the kind of guy to murder. Sort of a Charles Manson character..

Welcome to Websleuths @AmazingEventOnMM. I haven’t stopped by this thread for awhile and missed your post. Your post makes me wonder if this guy is responsible for any other murders on Murder Mountain or elsewhere in SoHum.

 

[minnie.snow.da]

Hi all,

Any speculation yet about whether Quentin had someone else bigger involved in his grows and deals? Basically what Garret got into and didn’t see that part coming, could be he planned on cutting him out the whole time.

All those murder or “accidental” shooting of the people who could put him away are suspicious and meth brings in the worst with it in terms of company and connections.

 

[Lilibet]

Hi all,

Any speculation yet about whether Quentin had someone else bigger involved in his grows and deals? Basically what Garret got into and didn’t see that part coming, could be he planned on cutting him out the whole time.

All those murder or “accidental” shooting of the people who could put him away are suspicious and meth brings in the worst with it in terms of company and connections.

Hi @minnie.snow.da and welcome. I’m not aware of any speculation about Q being in a partnership with someone bigger (I haven’t looked into it), but it wouldn’t surprise me at all. Garret may have believed it was just a partnership with a few and he was used. If you Google “Bulgarians growing pot in Humboldt county” you can learn about “someone else bigger” possibly. It’s all so sordid, and yes those shootings are suspicious and meth is evil…especially the stuff being made in Mexico and brought in now. It’s a whole different drug with different effects than before. I’ll try to find the article about it I read. It’s eye-opening.

Found it: ‘I Don’t Know That I Would Even Call It Meth Anymore’

 

[mickey2942]

@Lilibet that was riveting. And makes so much sense in relationship to the crimes, homeless population. Scary too!

 

[Lilibet]

@Lilibet that was riveting. And makes so much sense in relationship to the crimes, homeless population. Scary too!

Yes, that info really blew me away! We are right on Interstate 5 between SoCal and WA. We call the largest town in our county “Methford” instead of Medford. Lots of homeless and some bizarre crimes.

 

[Lilibet]

I ran across these stories again on Kym Kemp’s Redheaded Black Belt news blog in Southern Humboldt County (SoHum) and thought some might like to read them. They were first published on a blog in 2008 and are fiction, but are based on the pot-growing culture in that area. SoHumBorn is a wonderful writer. Some of this is hard to read, but no harder than watching ”Murder Mountain.”

Kym Kemp wrote this upon re-publishing them in 2010:
In December 2008, a Southern Humboldt blogger began posting fictional tales of the marijuana culture. Some people were appalled. Most were enthralled. For three months her stories gripped the online community and then, abruptly, she was gone. Even though SoHumBorn pulled her blog, for months her stories were available in the cached version but eventually they, too, were swallowed into the dark abyss. Recently she gave me permission to revive them. I’ll be doing one each Sunday for awhile. Do you have a favorite? Let me know and I’ll try and include it. The stories of this culture, true and fictional, need to be saved.

https://kymkemp.com/sohumborn-stories-marijuana-fiction/

Just a disclaimer: My husband and I were not involved in the marijuana culture, but due to living in SoHum we experienced some scary times because of it. So I have no doubt that the fictional stories have a basis in reality and give insight into life as a SoHum marijuana grower back in the day.

And here are some more recent stories by the same writer, using her real name. These are true.

Pinner: Well, That’s Just Rude

Things we thought we knew. (The launch of a new column.)…

kymkemp.com

Pinner: Rabbits

“Someone asked me once, what it was like to have so much loss in our community.”…

kymkemp.com

Pinner: 1999

She could hear the blood moving in her body, and she thought maybe he could too.

kymkemp.com

Pinner: Inked

“I’m standing half covered in a kitchen with my mother-in-law who is now aware that the woman her baby boy married has covered her back in a tattoo of pot plants.”…

kymkemp.com

Pinner: Yes, They Do [Part 1]

“If we’re being honest here, just about everything trumps her caution. That part of her is underdeveloped or, the part of her that feels more alive when she’s afraid is over developed…

kymkemp.com

Pinner: Yes, They Do [Part 2 of 3]

She’s alone. Far from anyone. She has two strangers in her home and now she is reminded of things she doesn’t like. Things with bony little fingers scratching.

kymkemp.com

Pinner: Yes, They Do (Part 4)

“The pre-dawn hours and the typing of stories is a secret indulgence that has the feel of a lover, mixed with therapy. It’s illicit, and foolish, but she feels better somehow. Like she’s relieving a…

kymkemp.com

Pinner: Yes, They Do (The End)

When there’s a problem, you clean house. You throw away the burner phone. You keep your head down.

kymkemp.com