Identified! FL - Big Cypress Natl Preserve, Male hiker, "Denim" & "Mostly Harmless", Jul 2018 - Vance Rodriguez

[othram]

Thanks for the update! In due time. I’m very glad to hear about the solve though!

Thank you!

 

[GatorFL]

I'm completely ignorant about hiking more than an afternoon so for those that hike great distances, once the end of the trail or destination is achieved, what is the usual way to get back home? Get picked up, turn around and hike back, etc? I've just been wondering what his plans may have been in the Keys once he got there.

Most people I've hiked with get picked up. A spouse or family member meets them at the end of the hike. Easy to coordinate with a cell phone. Without one, not sure what the plan would be. Get cleaned up and buy a plane ticket?

 

[JudgeJoe]

Apologies, not yet. This time it is a terrible murder that was long overdue to be solved. Hiker worker in progress however.

Can hardly wait to see which one! I especially LOVE IT when someone thinks they’ve gotten away with murder all these years and then BOOM! There go the sweet retirement years & community reputation. How soon will the announcement be released?

 

[psych-nurse]

Most people I've hiked with get picked up. A spouse or family member meets them at the end of the hike. Easy to coordinate with a cell phone. Without one, not sure what the plan would be. Get cleaned up and buy a plane ticket?

That's kind of what I assumed but that would mean someone was awaiting a call that never came and would have alerted authorities. He couldn't have rented a car or flown without ID. Wonder if he could've rented a storage unit in the Keys that held a vehicle or even a UPS mailbox that held ID and important papers he would need when he arrived? Just kind of seems there would've been a plan for after arrival.

 

[JudgeJoe]

That's kind of what I assumed but that would mean someone was awaiting a call that never came and would have alerted authorities. He couldn't have rented a car or flown without ID. Wonder if he could've rented a storage unit in the Keys that held a vehicle or even a UPS mailbox that held ID and important papers he would need when he arrived? Just kind of seems there would've been a plan for after arrival.

Makes me wonder how he arrived at his starting point to begin with.

 

[othram]

Can hardly wait to see which one! I especially LOVE IT when someone thinks they’ve gotten away with murder all these years and then BOOM! There go the sweet retirement years & community reputation. How soon will the announcement be released?

In about 1 hour.

 

[deadfoot13]

Makes me wonder how he arrived at his starting point to begin with.

Bear Mountain/Harriman State Parks are accessible from NYC by both bus and train, so if NYC is truly his origination point then he would have been able to utilize public transportation.

 

[lonewanderer]

Bear Mountain/Harriman State Parks are accessible from NYC by both bus and train, so if NYC is truly his origination point then he would have been able to utilize public transportation.

There is a FaceBook post from a man that met him, in which MH told him that he took the bus to Bear Mountain. This post was made way before MH was found dead.

 

[JudgeJoe]

There is a FaceBook post from a man that met him, in which MH told him that he took the bus to Bear Mountain. This post was made way before MH was found dead.

Missed that. I wonder how he paid for his bus ticket, if there was vid surveillance there, if footage is uploaded & stored, and if LE ever looked into that.

 

[lonewanderer]

Missed that. I wonder how he paid for his bus ticket, if there was vid surveillance there, if footage is uploaded & stored, and if LE ever looked into that.

I think the hard part would be having no solid timeline of when he boarded the bus (if he boarded and the statement was true in the first place).

Also, not sure how many different buses he could have been on.

It would just be extremely tough I think

 

[Curious_in_NC]

I'm completely ignorant about hiking more than an afternoon so for those that hike great distances, once the end of the trail or destination is achieved, what is the usual way to get back home? Get picked up, turn around and hike back, etc? I've just been wondering what his plans may have been in the Keys once he got there.

Great question! I don't think anyone he met on the trail ever mentioned his plans after Key West, although surely someone must have asked him that. Given his lack of ID, I would probably go with (a) turn around and hike back, although (b) join a crew on a boat sailing South, or (c) Key West actually was his home, are other interesting and far-fetched possibilities to consider IMOO.

 

[neesaki]

Can hardly wait to see which one! I especially LOVE IT when someone thinks they’ve gotten away with murder all these years and then BOOM! There go the sweet retirement years & community reputation. How soon will the announcement be released?

FYI: Here’s the link for the thread on the now solved case, the 1974 murder of Carla Walker. Good work, @othram !
TX - Carla Walker, 17, raped and strangled, Fort Worth, 17 Feb 1974 *Arrest in 2020*

 

[Valiant]

I would not assume he had no ID for most of the trip. He could well have carried ID and disposed of it. I think he made a specific effort toward the end to remove anything that could be used to ID him. No ID, no contact info for anyone, nothing.

 

[GatorFL]

That's kind of what I assumed but that would mean someone was awaiting a call that never came and would have alerted authorities. He couldn't have rented a car or flown without ID. Wonder if he could've rented a storage unit in the Keys that held a vehicle or even a UPS mailbox that held ID and important papers he would need when he arrived? Just kind of seems there would've been a plan for after arrival.

LE does not think he made it to the Keys ever. Mike Gormley was told by CCSO that MH was not spotted on any cameras headed south.

 

[MadMcGoo]

There is a FaceBook post from a man that met him, in which MH told him that he took the bus to Bear Mountain. This post was made way before MH was found dead.

I don’t remember this either. I wonder why this was mentioned on Facebook before he was found dead. If you happen to find the post again, would you mind linking it for us curious cats? TIA!

 

[othram]

FYI: Here’s the link for the thread on the now solved case, the 1974 murder of Carla Walker. Good work, @othram !
TX - Carla Walker, 17, raped and strangled, Fort Worth, 17 Feb 1974 *Arrest in 2020*

Thank you!

 

[branmuffin]

Thank you!

Thanks for all you do. Just out of curiosity, which case you've worked on has generated the most interest from the general public?

 

[othram]

Thanks for all you do. Just out of curiosity, which case you've worked on has generated the most interest from the general public?

Good question. Not sure!

 

[Gareth_H]

Guys I've done a fairly in-depth vid on MH's notes. In particular his protein bars, and how there's an incongruity to put it mildly in his intake of food and what he evidently knew he should have been eating/carrying.

 

[Bellaplutt]

Guys I've done a fairly in-depth vid on MH's notes. In particular his protein bars, and how there's an incongruity to put it mildly in his intake of food and what he evidently knew he should have been eating/carrying.

I’ve mentioned before that his calculations were off, he knew some of what he was doing nutrition wise but not as much as you claim 1 gram of carbs equals 4 calories, 1 gram of fat is 9 calories and 1 gram of protein is 4 calories and this doesn’t always add upp in his calculations. So not a pro! And the ideal numbers for daily intake that is written above these calculations is very low for someone burning a lot of calories hiking, 65 grams of fat is very low!