Identified! FL - Big Cypress Natl Preserve, Male Hiker, Denim & “Mostly Harmless” July 2018 - Vance Rodriguez#4

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True. But he could not have been laying comatose in a tent with no water for 19-20 days until he died and the other hikers found him. He had to be alive July 3.

Nobody's said he was lying comatose with no food or water. He could have been lying there unable to call out or give a signal. Is the specific date of July 3rd relating to the hikers? Just because those hikers stated they saw his tent doesn't mean it was his cue to call out to them. He could have been delirious or sleeping. Dying people still sleep.

When my father went into hospice care I was amazed at how long he lasted after his body started shutting down. The doctor illustrated it to me by bouncing a tennis ball on the floor. The patient seems to rally every day but every day they bounce a little less just like that tennis ball until they just stop.
 
I disagree. Take a look at the pictures, that poor shirt went from a nice shiny grey in the early pictures to a dingy yellowed crusty mess in the last picture next to the truck. And his underwear which you can see in the postmortems, you can tell they have lost their color they look almost bleached out. He did get off trail at times to get cleaned up but it wasn't like most hikers.

He told one hiker he only showered once a month.

BBM

Anecdotal, but back when my son played traveling soccer it was obvious that some people just do smell worse then others. When a car pool of athletes take their off cleats in the mini-van....

And, I come from a long line of serious Laundro-philes. My son's uniforms did not smell because I found a pre-treat & wash method to remove sweat, grass stains, mud, turf fibers, and (most of the time) blood from the athletic fabric and no fading, either. Probably Denim/MH didn't take 2 days and multiple products to do his laundry -- rinse in the rain, more likely.

(Further, when a teenager who is naturally smellier does not live with a Laundro-phile, olfactory disaster can result. )

In this image -- what is the rectangle on Denim's right chest under his shirt?

Imgur
kPZ8TMb.jpg


Did we talk about this & I missed it?
 
BBM

Anecdotal, but back when my son played traveling soccer it was obvious that some people just do smell worse then others. When a car pool of athletes take their off cleats in the mini-van....

And, I come from a long line of serious Laundro-philes. My son's uniforms did not smell because I found a pre-treat & wash method to remove sweat, grass stains, mud, turf fibers, and (most of the time) blood from the athletic fabric and no fading, either. Probably Denim/MH didn't take 2 days and multiple products to do his laundry -- rinse in the rain, more likely.

(Further, when a teenager who is naturally smellier does not live with a Laundro-phile, olfactory disaster can result. )

In this image -- what is the rectangle on Denim's right chest under his shirt?

Imgur
kPZ8TMb.jpg


Did we talk about this & I missed it?[/QUOTE

Hmmm, I missed that, too. I suppose it could be a money pack hanging from his neck but I've never seen evidence in other pics where we have a better view of his neck. Could it be some kind of medical device? Trying to think what kind. My mom had a pacemaker but it was a quarter of that size and it was under her skin higher up nearly to her clavicle. My late FIL had a stroke that left him without the ability to swallow and the hospital gave him a permanent tube called a PEG that you attached feeding packs to, very similar in size. But surely that would appear on autopsy?
 
Hmmm, I missed that, too. I suppose it could be a money pack hanging from his neck but I've never seen evidence in other pics where we have a better view of his neck. Could it be some kind of medical device? Trying to think what kind. My mom had a pacemaker but it was a quarter of that size and it was under her skin higher up nearly to her clavicle. My late FIL had a stroke that left him without the ability to swallow and the hospital gave him a permanent tube called a PEG that you attached feeding packs to, very similar in size. But surely that would appear on autopsy?

Initially to me that rectangle looked like the outline of his pectoral muscle and the lower outline of his ribcage. In the photo he kind of looks like he is puffing his chest out a bit.

Perhaps it could be a small notebook or his wallet that he wanted easy access too? Though i think this may be a case of the photo being compressed and making shadows look sharper than they actually are.

I dont think it was a peg tube or anything like that. That would have been easily seen in the postmortem photos. There was also nothing that looked like it was under his skin on his chest.
 
Please forgive me because I know this was covered before but I can't find it: How was Michael Austin Davis determined not to be MH? I can't get over the fact that they look alike (when you age Davis and add facial hair), were the same height and Davis even worked in computers. The resemblance is uncanny and I can't find how or by whom he was determined not to be MH.
Thanks everyone.

Fingerprints didnt match.
Initially to me that rectangle looked like the outline of his pectoral muscle and the lower outline of his ribcage. In the photo he kind of looks like he is puffing his chest out a bit.

Perhaps it could be a small notebook or his wallet that he wanted easy access too? Though i think this may be a case of the photo being compressed and making shadows look sharper than they actually are.

I dont think it was a peg tube or anything like that. That would have been easily seen in the postmortem photos. There was also nothing that looked like it was under his skin on his chest.

Yes a PEG would have been easily identified and even if he'd removed it he'd have a gaping stoma in his front. My late FIL ripped his out because it wasn't the way he wanted to live. He died of sepsis.

It's more likely his notebooks. Although the outline looks more square and his notebooks were rectangular.
 
Nobody's said he was lying comatose with no food or water. He could have been lying there unable to call out or give a signal. Is the specific date of July 3rd relating to the hikers? Just because those hikers stated they saw his tent doesn't mean it was his cue to call out to them. He could have been delirious or sleeping. Dying people still sleep.

When my father went into hospice care I was amazed at how long he lasted after his body started shutting down. The doctor illustrated it to me by bouncing a tennis ball on the floor. The patient seems to rally every day but every day they bounce a little less just like that tennis ball until they just stop.
Well they were there a number of hours, including overnight, and they did not realize he was in the tent. He either wasn't there or didn't move for hours. And if he wasn't comatose he was moving about consuming supplies and purifying and drinking water.
 
BBM

Anecdotal, but back when my son played traveling soccer it was obvious that some people just do smell worse then others. When a car pool of athletes take their off cleats in the mini-van....

And, I come from a long line of serious Laundro-philes. My son's uniforms did not smell because I found a pre-treat & wash method to remove sweat, grass stains, mud, turf fibers, and (most of the time) blood from the athletic fabric and no fading, either. Probably Denim/MH didn't take 2 days and multiple products to do his laundry -- rinse in the rain, more likely.

(Further, when a teenager who is naturally smellier does not live with a Laundro-phile, olfactory disaster can result. )

In this image -- what is the rectangle on Denim's right chest under his shirt?

Imgur
kPZ8TMb.jpg


Did we talk about this & I missed it?
Yeah, he wasn't a laundrophile that is for sure.

His maps or notebooks I am guessing.

This picture, and a couple of others, show how skinny his legs are. I mean, they are skinny! Just noting that.
 
BBM

Anecdotal, but back when my son played traveling soccer it was obvious that some people just do smell worse then others. When a car pool of athletes take their off cleats in the mini-van....

And, I come from a long line of serious Laundro-philes. My son's uniforms did not smell because I found a pre-treat & wash method to remove sweat, grass stains, mud, turf fibers, and (most of the time) blood from the athletic fabric and no fading, either. Probably Denim/MH didn't take 2 days and multiple products to do his laundry -- rinse in the rain, more likely.

(Further, when a teenager who is naturally smellier does not live with a Laundro-phile, olfactory disaster can result. )

In this image -- what is the rectangle on Denim's right chest under his shirt?

Imgur
kPZ8TMb.jpg


Did we talk about this & I missed it?

I would say it is highly likely this is his maps, inside of a Ziploc bag, (possibly with other items) creating the double rectangle look. If there is any item crucial to access at all times, and needs protection from rain (or if no rain, excessive body sweat particularly from the belly area) it is paper and non-laminated maps. This is just my guess as an experienced hiking and map user.
 
Look at his shirt to the right of his hat. It looks to me that whatever that is goes all the way across. You can see a point jutting out on his t-shirt about where I think it ends.

You are absolutely correct. Whatever it is it goes from one side to the other. It's got to be some kind of security thing, like a money belt. I've seen runner's money belts but they are worn lower down resting on the hip . Maybe he hiked his up higher since he'd lost so much weight. I doubt it would stay up there though. Something like this.

https://www.unitedsportsbrands.ca/products/nathan-the-zipster-lite
 
You are absolutely correct. Whatever it is it goes from one side to the other. It's got to be some kind of security thing, like a money belt. I've seen runner's money belts but they are worn lower down resting on the hip . Maybe he hiked his up higher since he'd lost so much weight. I doubt it would stay up there though. Something like this.

The Zipster Lite
That would make sense for sure, though that rectangle shape could also be caused by the way his pack straps are pinching his shirt, creating the illusion of a rectangular object when there may not have been one.
 
Yeah, he wasn't a laundrophile that is for sure.

His maps or notebooks I am guessing.

This picture, and a couple of others, show how skinny his legs are. I mean, they are skinny! Just noting that.
I noticed that too, and his color isn’t good, just doesn’t look healthy at all here. I almost think that is his rib cage showing through his shirt.
 
I would say it is highly likely this is his maps, inside of a Ziploc bag, (possibly with other items) creating the double rectangle look. If there is any item crucial to access at all times, and needs protection from rain (or if no rain, excessive body sweat particularly from the belly area) it is paper and non-laminated maps. This is just my guess as an experienced hiking and map user.
Idk, it would be really uncomfortable wearing a plastic ziplock bag up against ones skin like that, especially in the heat. Jmo of course.
 
Idk, it would be really uncomfortable wearing a plastic ziplock bag up against ones skin like that, especially in the heat. Jmo of course.

I agree.

I don't think it was intended to be stored inside the shirt the whole time. He has that massive pack and hiking poles out, as well as some other essentials. It indicates to me that this picture was taken right before he stepped off for a hike.

If this is the case, tucking it into his shirt for the picture makes sense to me. His shorts have no pockets, and he looks like he is about to start hiking. I doubted he wanted to take his pack off and stuff the contents inside for the photo op, or take it off to place the contents in his shirt behind his back.

I imagine him taking the picture, walking a bit, and then pulling out the contents as he hiked. There is one picture of him standing, resting on his poles and smiling. In his hands is a Ziploc bag.

This is just my speculative observation.
 
I am going to guess a couple things about that photo.

It is overcast outside and so the lighting is not great, thus the color.

I think he was sleeping before it was taken, he sort of has that just woken up look. The puffy eyes sort of give it away in that pic.

Mornings are my least favorite time when hiking. You never sleep great and breakfast is typically oatmeal or a granola bar and instant coffee.
 
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