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

[Dylansmom08]

CCSO and DNA Lab Partner In Attempt To ID Hiker ‘Mostly Harmless’ - Life In Naples Magazine

This looks like we may be getting answers in the hopefully near future Orthram is on the case and has his DNA. So if all goes well his family will finally be tracked down and he can have his name back. This is will be a great day when that happens so many people have come together to give this man his identity back.

 

[MaryFromFla]

If the trails have regular park rangers checking the trails wouldn't someone have noticed his tent there for such a long time and investigated? You'd think a single tent there for so long would have raised some red flags for LE since foul play could have been in play.

The place is HUUGE. With many marked and unmarked trails. Some places the trails lead to areas underwater, completely impassable. Many game trails can appear as an actual trail. Most of this land is Public Use. Not all of it would have been traveled regularly by rangers or park mainteance crews. They may only operate in a certain area or areas. Odds are they never knew he was there until after his death.

 

[gfinale]

@Valiant has a valid point too - he could be lactose intolerant (apparently 65% of the human population is!) and maybe he just wasn't feeling it that day. My favorite part of pizza is the crust. Sometimes I wonder if he just ate it first. I know I've done that before.

I was under the impression that it was known that he only ate the outside crust but maybe that's not the case. If it is though, do you order something covered in cheese if you're lactose intolerant? Maybe I don't understand and some days it affects someone more than others? If I knew I couldn't eat 90% of something I'm ordering and paying for, I would order something else, even that had crust but I could eat more of.

 

[Ursamajr]

I was under the impression that it was known that he only ate the outside crust but maybe that's not the case. If it is though, do you order something covered in cheese if you're lactose intolerant? Maybe I don't understand and some days it affects someone more than others? If I knew I couldn't eat 90% of something I'm ordering and paying for, I would order something else, even that had crust but I could eat more of.

Do we know if there was a menu? If so, I wonder what else was on it. Just personally - I know I have eaten around a part of food I didn't want if that food was the only option available. If that makes sense?

 

[MaryFromFla]

The place is HUUGE. With many marked and unmarked trails. Some places the trails lead to areas underwater, completely impassable. Many game trails can appear as an actual trail. Most of this land is Public Use. Not all of it would have been traveled regularly by rangers or park mainteance crews. They may only operate in a certain area or areas. Odds are they never knew he was there until after his death.

***729000 acres*** in the preserve. That is a lot of oppertunities to get lost and not be easily seen. As for the time..I am leaning toward the theory of him working in some aspect and not actually being in or staying in the park for all of the time for April to July..

 

[Laughing]

I actually own a version of that computer called the ZX81 with expansion memory but I'd have to dig it out

Well if we're on this track, I keep my ceremonial 8088 chip in view on my desk.

Yup.

 

[Ursamajr]

CCSO and DNA Lab Partner In Attempt To ID Hiker ‘Mostly Harmless’ - Life In Naples Magazine

This looks like we may be getting answers in the hopefully near future Orthram is on the case and has his DNA. So if all goes well his family will finally be tracked down and he can have his name back. This is will be a great day when that happens so many people have come together to give this man his identity back.

This is so exciting and yet... I still have a little pang of dread. I really hope this is the right thing and won't be opening a huge can of worms with his family.

 

[lonewanderer]

I was under the impression that it was known that he only ate the outside crust but maybe that's not the case. If it is though, do you order something covered in cheese if you're lactose intolerant? Maybe I don't understand and some days it affects someone more than others? If I knew I couldn't eat 90% of something I'm ordering and paying for, I would order something else, even that had crust but I could eat more of.

Perhaps someone bought it for him? "Here honey, you look hungry. This pizza's on me".

He could have not wanted it but took a few bites to be polite.

 

[lonewanderer]

@Valiant has a valid point too - he could be lactose intolerant (apparently 65% of the human population is!) and maybe he just wasn't feeling it that day. My favorite part of pizza is the crust. Sometimes I wonder if he just ate it first. I know I've done that before.

The pizza doesn't appear to be cut into slices, and I dont see anything on the table to cut it with. It looks like he had no other choice but to eat the crust first or tear the pizza apart with his hands (or improvised tool).

Come to think of it, in one of the two pics from that, he is making a "c'mon, really" sarcastic type face. Maybe there was nothing to cut the pizza with and someone made a silly joke about it, and he made that face being a good sport.

Mere speculations.

 

[wardo27]

I am not aware of 2 sets of hikers around those times, just the ones on July 3, 2018 and then there were the two who found him on July 23, 2018. Can you provide more info or links about these additional hikers? Are you sure the 2 sets of hikers are not actually the same ones? To my understanding, the ones making the video left him water in the morning.

We are not allowed to post links to those groups, but I can send you a link privately. Yes, there were TWO different sets of hikers. When the gentleman who made the video commented on what had happened re: MH, another hiker who it seems knew the video-maker claimed he was there on July 3rd, after the video-taking guys, and he and his hiking partner/s left the water and also saw the tent.

 

[branmuffin]

Why would he order it though because it seems no one else has pizza in front of them.

Maybe it wasn't very good. Maybe it had been microwaved and was soggy and the only edible portion was the crust, according to his tastes.

 

[branmuffin]

***729000 acres*** in the preserve. That is a lot of oppertunities to get lost and not be easily seen. As for the time..I am leaning toward the theory of him working in some aspect and not actually being in or staying in the park for all of the time for April to July..

I believe that he left the trail more than once, not just the FT but perhaps the PT and the AT. Just because there are images of him holding up a Thru-Hiker sticker doesn't mean he actually did the whole trail.

 

[Catmommy]

And whether or not he had a lactose intolerance and whether or not his pizza was wet and whether or not he didn't even like pizza and whether or not he was just acting like he was eating the frackin snackin pizza is going to do what as to solving who he was?

 

[Catmommy]

Mostly Harmless may have known he had visitors to his tent and chose not to interact for his own reasons. Mostly Harmless may well have hidden from other hikers because that's what he felt like doing. Mostly Harmless may have decided that the trail was his last home. Mostly Harmless left no note as to his identity or even a farewell. Mostly Harmless is already a legend. Who could ask more from a life than that?

(my admiring opinion only)

 

[gfinale]

Do we know if there was a menu? If so, I wonder what else was on it. Just personally - I know I have eaten around a part of food I didn't want if that food was the only option available. If that makes sense?

Although they are a pizza shop, they do have more such as chicken tenders and wings, fries, beans, chilli, soup, salad, etc. They apparently actually closed down 6 months after MH was there.

Hopefully, posting a menu isn't breaking the rules. I did ask where I can go to see all the rules btw.
The Damascus Pizza Company Bar And Grill

 

[gfinale]

I don't think this has been mentioned before. He must have gone to at least 2 restaurants/bar and grills with different sets of people because I have one pic with him in Damascus Pizza Co. Bar and Grill and another with him in O'Rielly's Bar and Grill. Does anyone know if O'Rielly's is in the one in Harrisburg?

 

[gfinale]

Well if we're on this track, I keep my ceremonial 8088 chip in view on my desk.

Yup.

Nice

 

[gfinale]

We are not allowed to post links to those groups, but I can send you a link privately. Yes, there were TWO different sets of hikers. When the gentleman who made the video commented on what had happened re: MH, another hiker who it seems knew the video-maker claimed he was there on July 3rd, after the video-taking guys, and he and his hiking partner/s left the water and also saw the tent.

Please do, thanks! Cool, another witness!

 

[gfinale]

And whether or not he had a lactose intolerance and whether or not his pizza was wet and whether or not he didn't even like pizza and whether or not he was just acting like he was eating the frackin snackin pizza is going to do what as to solving who he was?

I can't tell you how many times info like that has led to somewhere that leads to finding a person. It adds up. For instance, if we found he was emphatic about a certain uncommon kind of hiking bar then we could see where the closest places to buy that bar were from where he was at. Talking to them could find he bought them there and a new witness. This is ONLY an example that doesn't need to be shot down because I'll juist provide a million more. As far as eating, we are looking to figure out how extensive his eating issues may have been considering he died of starvation. What adult in his 40s eats around the edges of a round pizza regularly? Oh, you can say you've known 1 or 2 and I will say you also know 500 others who don't! Police won't go this far at all, especially when it's not suspicious and that's why many people can be found that the police will not find. It's not their job really anyway. We want them upholding the law.

 

[gfinale]

I believe that he left the trail more than once, not just the FT but perhaps the PT and the AT. Just because there are images of him holding up a Thru-Hiker sticker doesn't mean he actually did the whole trail.

What are your reasons for thinking he purposely left the trail multiple times, Branny or are you saying it's a possibility?