Found Deceased TN - David Riemens, 60, Watertown, 8 Aug 2012

[ZaZara]

I don’t know that there would be anything illegal about it. There has never been an officially named suspect by LE. There has never been any charges filed against anyone in the case that I am aware of. There were tons of rumors that accused various people of harming David but no formal people of interest or charges, and the rumors were never based on anything concrete.

I’m also not aware what the autopsy report officially said, but I would think that if LE felt there was any sort of danger to the general public, due to something found in the autopsy that indicated foul play, it would have been made very well known to the general public. Had there been proof of a violent death at the hands of someone else, why not come right out and say “Well folks, there is a killer in our midst”???

There is something that bothers me about the article written quoting Captain Moore. The quotes were old, taken from years before, and it has never been announced to the general public that David was “murdered”. The article itself seems to be very amateurishly written with no current quotes from people who were close to David.

As far as the skull being found 50 feet from the rest of the remains, that is absolutely no surprise. This area has copious amounts of wildlife that will do that. Coyotes, bob cats, raccoons, black headed buzzards will all eat and scatter remains.

Let me give you the perfect example- In August, our next door neighbor had a 500 lb. calf die along the fence line to our property. At the time, the said 81 year old neighbor had COVID, so we let him know when we found the calf, which was within a very short time of the calf dying. The carcass was scavenged to just the backbone within about 3 days. Another neighbor called us and wanted to know why there were so many coyotes howling after dark on the hill across the lane from her house- which was exactly where the calf was. But, the carcass was gone so quickly it never had time to develop a stench, in Tennessee, in August! The hottest month of the year here! There were scavenger birds on the carcass as wel.

The take away is that there are still no answers. The people close to David have never seen fit to make a public statement concerning his autopsy results or a possible cause of death. Now we need to ask ourselves why!

Wow Cutter, what a story!

In England, the case would go to the Coroner who would investigate and offer a verdict about the death. Could be an open verdict too, when there is little information. It doesn't have to be a crime for a case to go to the Coroner. Remains of a missing person found after 6 years, yes a Coroner would have to investigate those and report. There may not be a lot to go on. Tell it! At least, everyone would know where we stand. Wallet, car keys.

Am I right that this point of decision is missing in your judicial system?

 

[cutter99]

Wow Cutter, what a story!

In England, the case would go to the Coroner who would investigate and offer a verdict about the death. Could be an open verdict too, when there is little information. It doesn't have to be a crime for a case to go to the Coroner. Remains of a missing person found after 6 years, yes a Coroner would have to investigate those and report. There may not be a lot to go on. Tell it! At least, everyone would know where we stand. Wallet, car keys.

Am I right that this point of decision is missing in your judicial system?

Either missing or the cause of death is known, but not what is was originally assumed to be, so it has not been publicized. I agree with you as far as TELL IT!

I am trying to be polite and not point fingers, but sometimes wonder if there is not an issue of pride or stubborn insistence to believe only one possible scenario in this situation.

There are not many possibilities as far as what happened to David, and this may be over simplification. 1) Suicide, 2) Accidental death, 3) Medical event, 4) Murder.

No one every mentioned David being depressed or suicidal, nor did any of his actions support this, so in my opinion, it is off the table.

Could it have been some sort of accident? Certainly, but not all that likely. The autopsy results would help in supporting or disproving this.

Medical event? In a man over the age of 60, who was starting to experience other issues related to aging- yes. On a hot and humid summer day- yes. After possibly walking a couple miles- yes.

Murder? Always a possibility, and the autopsy results again could prove or disprove it, so why not make them public, especially using the media to do so? His friends started a Facebook page about him and being missing, so why not update it with the autopsy results, unless those results do not support the narrative you have promoted.

I try to be careful what I say and how I phrase things here as you don’t know who is reading, and my intention would never be to hurt his loved ones.

ETA- Many deaths here go to a coroner to establish cause and manner of death, but not all. Coroners in the U.S. are not all necessarily medical doctors either. In some areas it is an elected position as opposed to an appointed position, and a medical degree is not always a requirement. For many years, especially in rural areas, coroners were either undertakers or funeral home directors, as they had the facilities and equipment to work on bodies.

 

[cutter99]

This came up on my Facebook newsfeed this morning. Just shaking my head!

Who murdered the Hobbit house builder in Wilson County? It's still a mystery 9 years later

 

[ZaZara]

This came up on my Facebook newsfeed this morning. Just shaking my head!

Who murdered the Hobbit house builder in Wilson County? It's still a mystery 9 years later

His truck was discovered at the Dollar General in Watertown. It was locked. There were no keys. His wallet was there and all the money was gone. And most disturbing of all. The page with his sketches for the new project was missing. Someone tore it out.


BBM

Wallet, car keys...... did I mention them before? (I know I did)

And there is more:

And then four years ago, someone discovered a skull on a hill. It was David, but what was he doing here and what does that suggest?

To good friend Brenda Aiken it suggests the killer is from around here.

“If someone is randomly going to kill someone for their money or something, and they are not from around here, it would seem like they would just get rid of the body,” Aiken said, “They wouldn’t go to the pains of knowing how to get to the land and throwing the body over the fence in some trees and leaves knowing that people don’t go there.”

And think about it, while this sight is in plain sight of Highway 70, there are also some paths that cut through property that could get you here in complete secrecy.

Weeds were 5-feet-high here when Riemens disappeared, it feels like it was someone who knew about this path, knew this remote area so well, they picked the perfect place to dump his body.


BBM


There is perhaps some reverse reasoning going on here, in the sense that since the area was so remote, someone must have known about it. But still. Not what I expected at all! Robbed and murdered for a few hundred dollars?

 

[cutter99]

His truck was discovered at the Dollar General in Watertown. It was locked. There were no keys. His wallet was there and all the money was gone. And most disturbing of all. The page with his sketches for the new project was missing. Someone tore it out.


BBM

Wallet, car keys...... did I mention them before? (I know I did)

And there is more:

And then four years ago, someone discovered a skull on a hill. It was David, but what was he doing here and what does that suggest?

To good friend Brenda Aiken it suggests the killer is from around here.

“If someone is randomly going to kill someone for their money or something, and they are not from around here, it would seem like they would just get rid of the body,” Aiken said, “They wouldn’t go to the pains of knowing how to get to the land and throwing the body over the fence in some trees and leaves knowing that people don’t go there.”

And think about it, while this sight is in plain sight of Highway 70, there are also some paths that cut through property that could get you here in complete secrecy.

Weeds were 5-feet-high here when Riemens disappeared, it feels like it was someone who knew about this path, knew this remote area so well, they picked the perfect place to dump his body.


BBM


There is perhaps some reverse reasoning going on here, in the sense that since the area was so remote, someone must have known about it. But still. Not what I expected at all! Robbed and murdered for a few hundred dollars?

Oh @ZaZara, I agree. Let me add that the reporter who did this piece has a reputation for not being 100% honest or factual.

I still keep going back to David attempting to walk home in the August heat and humidity, and experiencing a fatal medical event. He took the cash and the car keys with him, and started walking. Who is to say what sketches he had in his sketch book that morning!

With the body being exposed for years, the cash have easily rotted away. The keys could have been made off with by an animal or be buried in undergrowth at this point- especially if the weeds were 5’ tall at the time of David’s death.

People were so busy chasing zebras when they heard hoof beats that they let the horse run right by them!

Now they are sadly throwing law enforcement under the bus. Maybe law enforcement never came up with anything because there was no crime!

 

[ZaZara]

It has been posted to the David Riemens is missing FB page too

Log into Facebook

I have been googling a bit and there are a few earlier notices that David's disappearance and death were due to murder. However, when I follow the links in the reports to more MSM sources, I hit geographical barriers. May be going in circles there, but there is no way for me to know. So frustrating!

For what it is worth:

Has David Riemens Been Found? Is He Dead or Alive?

According to Donny [Nuessle], it was the new owner who called in regarding finding a skull on their property. The police believed that David was a victim of a homicide but have not made the cause of death public. However, they have stated that the case remains open and hope for any new information that might help them find David’s killer.



BBM

 

[ZaZara]

The Mystery of the Disappeared ‘Hobbit House’ Man


The Mystery of the Disappeared ‘Hobbit House’ Man
COLD CASE
He lived in a treehouse with no cellphone, no running water, and no credit cards. Then his skull was found.

To most people, living in a treehouse with no running water or electricity on a Tennessee farm might seem eccentric. But for David Riemens, a Michigan native who grew up with five siblings, living off-grid in the Volunteer State became his paradise.

......


The report dates from December 10 / 11, 2021 and is subscribers only.
(There ends my joy at finding something that isn't blocked by geographical barriers. I guess you cannot win them all.)

Does anyone have acces to this article and can tell us what it is about?

 

[cutter99]

I tried to access it too, but got through the first paragraph and hit a paywall. I swear I have read that article before though.

The problem I have is that no one has provided any actual evidence that he was murdered. The rumors got incredibly bad at one point about a friend of David’s, that was accused of killing him, had to run people off his property. The rumors revolved around David and the man’s wife, but again, no proof whatsoever.

There has been no information, at least that I have come across, stating what was found with his remains. If you told me that his wallet and keys were found with him, that tells me something different than if they were not.

I still stand by that he was walking home on a very hot and humid day, experienced a medical event and succumbed to it. He was so close to his home. So very close!

 

[PezCandy]

It has been posted to the David Riemens is missing FB page too

Log into Facebook

I have been googling a bit and there are a few earlier notices that David's disappearance and death were due to murder. However, when I follow the links in the reports to more MSM sources, I hit geographical barriers. May be going in circles there, but there is no way for me to know. So frustrating!

For what it is worth:

Has David Riemens Been Found? Is He Dead or Alive?

According to Donny [Nuessle], it was the new owner who called in regarding finding a skull on their property. The police believed that David was a victim of a homicide but have not made the cause of death public. However, they have stated that the case remains open and hope for any new information that might help them find David’s killer.



BBM

was the skull ever ID’d

 

[PezCandy]

I tried to access it too, but got through the first paragraph and hit a paywall. I swear I have read that article before though.

The problem I have is that no one has provided any actual evidence that he was murdered. The rumors got incredibly bad at one point about a friend of David’s, that was accused of killing him, had to run people off his property. The rumors revolved around David and the man’s wife, but again, no proof whatsoever.

There has been no information, at least that I have come across, stating what was found with his remains. If you told me that his wallet and keys were found with him, that tells me something different than if they were not.

I still stand by that he was walking home on a very hot and humid day, experienced a medical event and succumbed to it. He was so close to his home. So very close!

this is a sad case, very talented man and kind soul just vanished. Hoping for answers!

 

[cutter99]

was the skull ever ID’d

The remains were identified positively as David’s.

 

[tarnishedhalo]

The remains were identified positively as David’s.

This case bothers me, too. the tracker dog indicated he got into another car near his own one, so he didn't walk anywhere, he was in good shape, just natural aches and pains from years of toiling with heavy rocks, I don't personally believe he had a medical event. Why has no-one connected with his last meeting come forward? His friends have said he was a little concerned about the builders at the site he was hoping to get a job at when he returned from Michigan, said they were 'evasive and shady'. No word of the elderly man he got the bricks from. This stinks.

 

[missstery]

I've just recently heard about David after watching the Disappeared show. It's truly heartbreaking, especially that no one has any concrete answers.
His story especially hit me hard because I liked the kind of lifestyle he was living. It sounds idyllic.
And I feel sorry for the poor dog left behind, always wondering why his owner didn't come home

I'm surprised, after it was reported that his remains were found on a property, that those property owners didn't notice. In the UK where I live, we have hardly any outdoor space, most houses don't even have any so maybe it's just that I can't see how someone can miss a body in their garden.
Could an injured predatory animal for instance a mountain lion or bear or something (if they exist in TN) have attacked him and he couldn't fight back?

When someone saw him I think it was the night before he disappeared in a cafe or wherever it was, maybe they wrongly put 2 and 2 together that he was with his client. Maybe it was just a friend from out of town or someone. The last people (in the job) to see him that day are making me feel quite suspicious towards them as they never came forward to tell the police. I don't look at the news so have no idea of missing person cases unless I see them mentioned on here or the Disappeared series but I guess they would have come in to town at some point and seen the missing person posters that had been put up in various locations.

My heart goes out to poor David Riemens. May he rest in peace. And may his loved ones and family members and everyone else who is interested in what happened to him, finally find out what happened to him, whether it was foul play or accidental.

 

[cutter99]

I've just recently heard about David after watching the Disappeared show. It's truly heartbreaking, especially that no one has any concrete answers.
His story especially hit me hard because I liked the kind of lifestyle he was living. It sounds idyllic.
And I feel sorry for the poor dog left behind, always wondering why his owner didn't come home

I'm surprised, after it was reported that his remains were found on a property, that those property owners didn't notice. In the UK where I live, we have hardly any outdoor space, most houses don't even have any so maybe it's just that I can't see how someone can miss a body in their garden.
Could an injured predatory animal for instance a mountain lion or bear or something (if they exist in TN) have attacked him and he couldn't fight back?

When someone saw him I think it was the night before he disappeared in a cafe or wherever it was, maybe they wrongly put 2 and 2 together that he was with his client. Maybe it was just a friend from out of town or someone. The last people (in the job) to see him that day are making me feel quite suspicious towards them as they never came forward to tell the police. I don't look at the news so have no idea of missing person cases unless I see them mentioned on here or the Disappeared series but I guess they would have come in to town at some point and seen the missing person posters that had been put up in various locations.

My heart goes out to poor David Riemens. May he rest in peace. And may his loved ones and family members and everyone else who is interested in what happened to him, finally find out what happened to him, whether it was foul play or accidental.

I live about 25 minutes away from where David went missing. The parcel of land he was found on is rather large- close to 100 acres if I recall correctly. It is also a parcel that did not have a home on it, so it is not like there were people on it daily. Many large parcels like that are farmed, and depending on what crop is planted, might not be harvested regularly or until fall.

While this area is rural, and we have coyote, bob cats, armadillos, deer, and foxes, there is nothing large here like bear or mountain lions that would go after a human. Maybe the occasional rogue bull, but that is not all that common either.

 

[ZaZara]

It's been 10 years now since David disappeared. The Wilson Post has what looks to me as a 2 part series about him. Unfortunately, it is area restricted so I cannot see if that is so, and if there are new develeopments.

How did death claim David Riemens?

Anyone ready to give it a try and tell me what is is all about? TY!

 

[G.Keelie]

It's been 10 years now since David disappeared. The Wilson Post has what looks to me as a 2 part series about him. Unfortunately, it is area restricted so I cannot see if that is so, and if there are new develeopments.

How did death claim David Riemens?

Anyone ready to give it a try and tell me what is is all about? TY!

It is a very informative article; however, they still don’t know what really happened. The detective still carries one of the bricks found in his truck and looks for a match. His friends feel it was foul play because he wouldn’t have walked away from his truck at Dollar Tree, that he would have called someone to pick him up. They feel that went in a car with a stranger, possibly the person he was supposed to meet about a job, and things went sideways.

It really is a great article. It tells the complete story from beginning to his body being fiund. Lots os details, but nothing new.

He was a well loved man and his friends still talk about him, and miss him very much. He seemed to be a gentle soul and was very talented.

Hope this helps.

 

[ZaZara]

It is a very informative article; however, they still don’t know what really happened. The detective still carries one of the bricks found in his truck and looks for a match. His friends feel it was foul play because he wouldn’t have walked away from his truck at Dollar Tree, that he would have called someone to pick him up. They feel that went in a car with a stranger, possibly the person he was supposed to meet about a job, and things went sideways.

It really is a great article. It tells the complete story from beginning to his body being fiund. Lots os details, but nothing new.

He was a well loved man and his friends still talk about him, and miss him very much. He seemed to be a gentle soul and was very talented.

Hope this helps.

Thank you so much! Is anything being said about the car keys and the wallet plus money, my pet items?

I'm with the friends on David's walking away from his truck. I'm also with @cutter99 who has explained convincingly that people might do this AND walk in a straight line through the fields instead of along the road. But I never saw a good reason why he would do that in the first place, since help was at hand at the dollar store.

IMO the detective should enlist the help of science, I wrote about that earlier here Found Deceased - TN - David Riemens, 60, Watertown, 8 Aug 2012

Rest in Peace, David Riemens. You would never leave your dog behind the way it happened.

 

[Sonny Crockett]

Recently saw the Disappeared episode about DR, and then read that his remains were found 6 years after he vanished (in 2018).

Very tragic case. I've read some of the more recent posts here, and here are some thoughts:

1) My initial thought (when watching the episode) was that he definitely met with foul play, due to his car being found in the Dollar General parking lot & DR himself missing. I suspected that he may have willingly driven off with someone & that there was a dispute involving money - and/or the person he drove off with robbed & killed him, etc. In the episode, there was a lot of talk about a mysterious, potential "customer" that DR wanted to do work for, but it was unclear who this was, etc. And, it doesn't sound like the authorities ever tracked this person/persons down.

2) However, after doing more research on the case & reading some of these latest posts, I speculate that it's equally possible (and maybe even more possible) that DR was having some kind of medical crisis @ the Dollar General, and/or an issue with his car. If either happened, he may have wandered off & then succumbed close to where his remains were found. He vanished around midday in August, when it was obviously extremely hot outside. I know what it's like to be outside for even a short period of time in heat like this. It can be very dangerous - even if you're relatively healthy.

 

[ex-stat]

Hi,
I've recently watched this episode and it's really sad.

I agree that one of the more likely options is that something happened with David's car, he tried to walk home (he did not have a mobile phone) and had a medical event. His friends had commented about recent issues that he was having.

If you look on Google maps there is a creek that runs from the back of the DG Market. It is not on a lot of maps, I don't know why. This creek runs directly from DG Market to Taylor Road. It appears to be a near direct route from DG Market to David's property. It's called Beech Log Creek. It runs parallel to Sparta Pike. For a lot of the route it appears to be shaded. It then leads into some woods that are by Taylor Road. It actually looks like a nice walk. Or maybe he went directly across the fields. That would also be a nice, but hot walk.

Of course, I would never rule out foul play given all of the statements made by his dear friends. We simply don't know what happened. We don't know about the elderly gentleman etc. Maybe David made a comment about the money he had withdrawn days prior and he had run into someone evil. We just don't know. I find it odd there was no scent trail but I know dogs aren't infallible. I wonder what they gave the dogs to familiarise with the scent and how it was handled?

 

[ex-stat]

I just had another thought. Maybe he did go with the elderly man to his property. Maybe he drove his truck there and back. There's nothing to rule that out. Then maybe it wouldn't start after that and he started walking. I am wondering if, because he stood talking to his friend (the woman in the video) for 10-15 minutes, the dogs picked up that as it was by far the strongest scent, or they picked up him going from his truck to talk with the elderly man (his friends said he wouldn't get in a car with anyone else) then back to his truck as that would be quite strong too. Maybe those points overwhelmed the one leaving the DG, I don't know. I am really sorry that this happened. I'm not saying there wasn't foul play as we simply don't know and his friends seem convinced of that. I'm just wondering about the possibility of there being several scent trails and some were stronger than others.