The truth is that some people don't have loved ones, or have cut all ties and don't think anyone from their past deserves to know what became of them. Or IF they feel they have fallen into trouble, they feel that cutting ties and turning their back on their identity is the best way to keep their loved ones safe. Both scenarios fly in the face of the conventions of society, and probate, and in a small way history. They're also probably outside the scope of this website, especially when a death is not the result of a crime, and the deceased is not known to be a victim. But if the question is whose wishes do we respect – the deceased individual's desire for anonymity and self-erasure, or society's desire to account for him and record his existence and passing for posterity, and possibly to return him to people who might be grieving for him or might not – I don't know that there's one satisfactory answer.
I do know that we're fascinated by mysteries, whether the innocent (?) principal party in a given mystery wants anyone to be fascinated or not. We can't know what MH would have wanted, because he left no clues that we've been able to uncover. We don't know if he was purposefully covering his tracks, or if trail anonymity simply suited his journey, and he never intended it to become permanent. Looking for answers thus becomes a conscience call for each person who is following his case.
In other words, IMO it's clear as mud.
