CA CA - Jeff Joseph, 45, Hoopa, 21 June 2014

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Just like in so many missing persons cases all you can do is speculate about what might have happened to Jeff Joseph and his green Toyota Rav4. The fact that the vehicle is missing as well as the person makes you wonder if this is an accident or foul play. After 5 years it is anyone's guess.

Jeff Joseph disappeared in or near a place famously known as Murder Mountain. So the idea that his case might be linked to foul play is probably higher than most, but I still think you should always consider all possibilities. Below is a link to a description of this place in Humbolt County, CA.

 
Well, yes, Alderpoint is only a three hour drive from the Hoopa reservation where Jeff disappeared. Although personally, I don't consider two places over 150 miles apart as near one another.
 
Well, yes, Alderpoint is only a three hour drive from the Hoopa reservation where Jeff disappeared. Although personally, I don't consider two places over 150 miles apart as near one another.

Murder Mountain (aka Alderpoint) is over 150 miles from Jeff's pot farm, as can be seen on the map: Google Maps

Thank you burblestein. You are correct that Jeff’s disappearance has no physical proximity to “Murder Mountain.” If Jeff’s disappearance was not an accident but was foul play as his sister believes, it has everything to do with pot growing. That’s the only kind of proximity to Murder Mountain. It’s an ugly business. When Jeff disappeared it wasn’t even legal for recreational use, so he (and Garret Rodriguez of Murder Mountain) were seeking their fortunes in dangerous ways and places among dangerous people. Pot growing on that scale is no longer about peace and love, if it ever was, except maybe in the late 1960’s-early 1970’s. It’s been violent for decades. Anyone getting involved knows it’s dangerous and takes that risk. Some pay with their lives, like (possibly) Jeff, Garret and others. Sad but true. End rant.
JMO
 
I thought that "Murder Mountain" was just a general description for the area of lawlessness associated with pot-growing in Humboldt County, California, which is what Jeff Joseph's case is filed under here. I have not seen the documentary about it.

The fact that his area of disappearance is actually much farther away from the actual area associated with Murder Mountain should give the family hope that maybe, unlike all these other disappearances on "Murder Mountain", his case is not associated with foul play. With all the parallels to Murder Mountain I can understand why his disappearance is thought to be foul play.

After nearly 5 years no one has seen or heard from Jeff Joseph(or his green Toyota Rav4), and this missing persons case remains unsolved.
 
I thought that "Murder Mountain" was just a general description for the area of lawlessness associated with pot-growing in Humboldt County, California, which is what Jeff Joseph's case is filed under here. I have not seen the documentary about it.

The fact that his area of disappearance is actually much farther away from the actual area associated with Murder Mountain should give the family hope that maybe, unlike all these other disappearances on "Murder Mountain", his case is not associated with foul play. With all the parallels to Murder Mountain I can understand why his disappearance is thought to be foul play.

After nearly 5 years no one has seen or heard from Jeff Joseph(or his green Toyota Rav4), and this missing persons case remains unsolved.

Some publications have used Murder Mountain to describe the pot-growing violence in the whole county, so it’s understandable why you thought that, but they’re inaccurate. Here’s an article that explains that the name started with a couple who were serial killers who were living at the Rancho Sequoia subdivision near Alderpoint. After they left, murders have continued over the years, hence “Murder Mountain.” It’s a huge pot-growing area.
Humboldt County: Murder, Mayhem and Marijuana | HuffPost

Here’s the thread about the Netflix series.
Netflix: Murder Mountain

Personally, I believe Jeff was murdered. The area where he was growing is also lawless and dangerous. The car could have been rolled into a ravine and buried in blackberry bushes very quickly. Sadly.
 
When a missing persons case is 5 years old and the person, in this case Jeff Joseph, has not been seen or heard from in 5 years, what happens with the case and the case file?
 
When a missing persons case is 5 years old and the person, in this case Jeff Joseph, has not been seen or heard from in 5 years, what happens with the case and the case file?

If LE decides it’s a cold case the file probably gets stored. Sometimes someone will take it out years later and dust it off and take a fresh look...or not. I’m not sure of the status of JJ’s case.
 
I have never actually heard of a police department or any law enforcement agency admitting that they had a cold case.

I suppose after 5 years Jeff Joseph's remains would be nothing much but bones anyway. But there is still his green Toyota Rav4, which is still missing too.

I think his case is representative of a lot of missing persons cases. I guess there comes a point where there is nothing left to do because all the tips and leads have been exhausted. I think missing persons cases are some of the toughest to solve because you really have nowhere to start since you do not even know what happened to the person.

I guess that is why so many missing persons cases feel like they disappear with time.
 
I have never actually heard of a police department or any law enforcement agency admitting that they had a cold case.

I suppose after 5 years Jeff Joseph's remains would be nothing much but bones anyway. But there is still his green Toyota Rav4, which is still missing too.

I think his case is representative of a lot of missing persons cases. I guess there comes a point where there is nothing left to do because all the tips and leads have been exhausted. I think missing persons cases are some of the toughest to solve because you really have nowhere to start since you do not even know what happened to the person.

I guess that is why so many missing persons cases feel like they disappear with time.

Yes, missing persons cases are the toughest. Even if a person is presumed dead and there is a suspect, it’s hard (but not impossible) to prosecute without finding remains. I hate for Jeff’s family, or any family, to be left with no answers. It happens too often.
 
Yes, missing persons cases are the toughest. Even if a person is presumed dead and there is a suspect, it’s hard (but not impossible) to prosecute without finding remains. I hate for Jeff’s family, or any family, to be left with no answers. It happens too often.
I have never actually heard of a police department or any law enforcement agency admitting that they had a cold case.

I suppose after 5 years Jeff Joseph's remains would be nothing much but bones anyway. But there is still his green Toyota Rav4, which is still missing too.

I think his case is representative of a lot of missing persons cases. I guess there comes a point where there is nothing left to do because all the tips and leads have been exhausted. I think missing persons cases are some of the toughest to solve because you really have nowhere to start since you do not even know what happened to the person.

I guess that is why so many missing persons cases feel like they disappear with time.

Seems obvious (to me anyway) that the first step in solving what happened to Joseph is to find the Toyota Rav4. Maybe he just had a traffic accident? He would not be the first person to have driven off a road locally and not been found immediately. If there was a murder, the location of the Toyota would be a bread crumb on the path of solution.

The local mountains are steep, heavily vegetated, and riddled with roads. There are remote residences and private parcels scattered within or adjacent to vast area of public lands.

Also a vehicle will endure much longer and more obvious than a body.
 
Seems obvious (to me anyway) that the first step in solving what happened to Joseph is to find the Toyota Rav4. Maybe he just had a traffic accident? He would not be the first person to have driven off a road locally and not been found immediately. If there was a murder, the location of the Toyota would be a bread crumb on the path of solution.

The local mountains are steep, heavily vegetated, and riddled with roads. There are remote residences and private parcels scattered within or adjacent to vast area of public lands.

Also a vehicle will endure much longer and more obvious than a body.

Yes, the car is the key and it’s certainly possible Jeff had a traffic accident. I recall that his route on 299 was searched by friends right away, and I know LE searched the rivers by helicopter in the autumn after the leaves fell. But secondary and private roads would be very difficult to search and should been flown over that year. LE didn’t find anything suspicious when they finally were able to access Jeff’s property. But I do know, from having owned acreage in Humboldt County, that it would be easy to push a vehicle over the back edge of our property into a ravine where it would not likely be found. Blackberries cover everything. It will be a fluke if the car ever turns up.
 
Yes, the car is the key and it’s certainly possible Jeff had a traffic accident. I recall that his route on 299 was searched by friends right away, and I know LE searched the rivers by helicopter in the autumn after the leaves fell. But secondary and private roads would be very difficult to search and should been flown over that year. LE didn’t find anything suspicious when they finally were able to access Jeff’s property. But I do know, from having owned acreage in Humboldt County, that it would be easy to push a vehicle over the back edge of our property into a ravine where it would not likely be found. Blackberries cover everything. It will be a fluke if the car ever turns up.
Refresh for me exactly where the Joseph property is located. For some reason I have been thinking that it was down river from Weitchpec of State Route 169. In that case Joseph would have driven into the river canyon off 96 not 299. 299 goes from 101 to Willow Creek (and then on to Redding). But 299 does not follow the Trinity or Klamath river canyon until east of Willow Creek on 299. At the T with 299 that is the start (or end) of 96, the highway follows the Trinity River to the Hoopa Valley then goes into even deeper and steeper river canyon, "Hoopa Bluffs" to Weitchpec where the Trinity enters the Klamath. Route 169 follows the Klamath but no as dramatic of canyons as between Hoopa and Weitchpec. Most of the forest is conifer but there are mixed hardwood stands as well. However, the primary species of hardwood are tanoak and madrone, neither are deciduous and retain leaves year round (evergreen). There are black oaks, alder, white oak, and other deciduous trees but a majority of the hardwoods here are evergreen with canyon live oak and pepper wood (California bay laurel) also common and not dropping their leaves. The forest does get more open in nature in the Winter and near the rivers but the vast landscape is primarily evergreen, conifer and hardwood. The non-native Himalaya berries (black berries) are extremely aggressive but more near the rivers than on the slopes. For example the Himalaya berries are seldom seen in timber cut areas even near the rivers.

Joseph probably did meet foul play and his Toyota is either far from the area or stashed somewhere over a bank or in the brush. There is a vast network of former logging roads on private, Tribal, and National Forest lands.

Please do clarify for me where Joseph owned property as have thought down 169. Route 169 is 20 plus miles from 299 and deep into Indian country. That downriver area has a long reputation for being lawless and for the locals not being very welcoming to outsiders. That said the road is in by far the best condition of my life and there is now regular LE patrols from Yurok LE (Humboldt Sheriffs have always been shy about downriver) and there is even phone and power lines now. I am near Orleans which is my home town and graduated Hoopa High (but also have a BS and MBA from Cal and have lived elsewhere, always keeping a place here and my parent lived their entire lives near Orleans. I am a geezer. Several weeks ago made the trip with a woman friend all the way down 169 to Johnsons and Pecwan. We checked out a house she owned and hadn't been there in several years, someone had moved in and put in a new stove and lock on the door. We also went to her brother's home (RIP 2016) and his home had been lived in and then trashed and looted (appliances removed). They are both Yurok and the homes are near Ka'pel. Downriver is that type of place.
 
Refresh for me exactly where the Joseph property is located. For some reason I have been thinking that it was down river from Weitchpec of State Route 169. In that case Joseph would have driven into the river canyon off 96 not 299. 299 goes from 101 to Willow Creek (and then on to Redding). But 299 does not follow the Trinity or Klamath river canyon until east of Willow Creek on 299. At the T with 299 that is the start (or end) of 96, the highway follows the Trinity River to the Hoopa Valley then goes into even deeper and steeper river canyon, "Hoopa Bluffs" to Weitchpec where the Trinity enters the Klamath. Route 169 follows the Klamath but no as dramatic of canyons as between Hoopa and Weitchpec. Most of the forest is conifer but there are mixed hardwood stands as well. However, the primary species of hardwood are tanoak and madrone, neither are deciduous and retain leaves year round (evergreen). There are black oaks, alder, white oak, and other deciduous trees but a majority of the hardwoods here are evergreen with canyon live oak and pepper wood (California bay laurel) also common and not dropping their leaves. The forest does get more open in nature in the Winter and near the rivers but the vast landscape is primarily evergreen, conifer and hardwood. The non-native Himalaya berries (black berries) are extremely aggressive but more near the rivers than on the slopes. For example the Himalaya berries are seldom seen in timber cut areas even near the rivers.

Joseph probably did meet foul play and his Toyota is either far from the area or stashed somewhere over a bank or in the brush. There is a vast network of former logging roads on private, Tribal, and National Forest lands.

Please do clarify for me where Joseph owned property as have thought down 169. Route 169 is 20 plus miles from 299 and deep into Indian country. That downriver area has a long reputation for being lawless and for the locals not being very welcoming to outsiders. That said the road is in by far the best condition of my life and there is now regular LE patrols from Yurok LE (Humboldt Sheriffs have always been shy about downriver) and there is even phone and power lines now. I am near Orleans which is my home town and graduated Hoopa High (but also have a BS and MBA from Cal and have lived elsewhere, always keeping a place here and my parent lived their entire lives near Orleans. I am a geezer. Several weeks ago made the trip with a woman friend all the way down 169 to Johnsons and Pecwan. We checked out a house she owned and hadn't been there in several years, someone had moved in and put in a new stove and lock on the door. We also went to her brother's home (RIP 2016) and his home had been lived in and then trashed and looted (appliances removed). They are both Yurok and the homes are near Ka'pel. Downriver is that type of place.

Thanks so much for your local input, especially about vegetation. It’s been a long time since I’ve been near Orleans. Our home was in So Humboldt and I was thinking of big leaf maples along the Eel River. We had tanoak and madrone growing with redwood on our property. I really miss those Himalaya blackberries!

Yes, Jeff’s place was just off 169 very close to but outside the Yurok Reservation. So he exited 299 to 96, coming from Redding. I’ve found some posts on this thread with maps, parcel numbers, cell towers, etc that can get you oriented. Take a look at 149, 160,168, 169. I didn’t take the time tonight to get a handle (again) on how far along 169 the property was, but you’ll probably know right away.

We appreciate your local insights.
 
Five years ago today, on June 21, 2014, Jeff Joseph’s phone pinged for the last time in Humboldt County. Joseph, a former marijuana collective owner, is believed to have come here to do a marijuana deal and check on property he had leased in the northeastern part of the county. Friends and family have had no word from him since nor has his green 1998 Toyota Rav4 been found.

His case received a lot of media attention at the time he went missing but leads have not lead to solid answers.

Five Years Without Answers: Jeff Joseph Disappeared on a Trip to Humboldt County and His Family Still Doesn’t Know What Happened to Him
 
Thanks so much for your local input, especially about vegetation. It’s been a long time since I’ve been near Orleans. Our home was in So Humboldt and I was thinking of big leaf maples along the Eel River. We had tanoak and madrone growing with redwood on our property. I really miss those Himalaya blackberries!

Yes, Jeff’s place was just off 169 very close to but outside the Yurok Reservation. So he exited 299 to 96, coming from Redding. I’ve found some posts on this thread with maps, parcel numbers, cell towers, etc that can get you oriented. Take a look at 149, 160,168, 169. I didn’t take the time tonight to get a handle (again) on how far along 169 the property was, but you’ll probably know right away.

We appreciate your local insights.
Good info in the posts with maps and air photos. The parcel is located on upper Cappell Road. Note the abandoned homes are near, directly off 169, the general area is referred to as Ka’ pel. I will ask folks from Ka’ peel what they may know about Joseph.

Also see Joseph was on 299 from Redding. Most of the route is near the Trinity River and sparse of vegetation, even more so now because of the recent severe fires. But the stretch by the Burnt Ranch Gorge/ New River has near vertical drops of over 500 feet. But maybe Joseph carrying cash was accosted prior to arriving at 169?
 
Good info in the posts with maps and air photos. The parcel is located on upper Cappell Road. Note the abandoned homes are near, directly off 169, the general area is referred to as Ka’ pel. I will ask folks from Ka’ peel what they may know about Joseph.

Also see Joseph was on 299 from Redding. Most of the route is near the Trinity River and sparse of vegetation, even more so now because of the recent severe fires. But the stretch by the Burnt Ranch Gorge/ New River has near vertical drops of over 500 feet. But maybe Joseph carrying cash was accosted prior to arriving at 169?

Thanks for checking with locals! We’ve never had “boots on the ground” on this thread.

There is a possibility that Jeff met with someone before arriving at his property. I searched the name on this thread and found almost two pages of posts referencing this person. He has a terrible reputation.
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/search/7276005/?page=2&q=Hunter&t=post&o=date&c[thread]=249046
 
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I was just checking in to see if there was any new information in this case.

I think in the case of Jeff Joseph you could make the argument that he was the victim of foul play. Or you could argue this was an accidental death case. Sadly, you even have to consider the possibility, that maybe he walked away from his own life.

Whether it is a murder case or a missing persons case families wait for a resolution.

I think sometimes families just want an answer, even if the answer is that there probably isn't going to be one.
 
As this case nears its 5 year anniversary, Jeff Joseph is still missing.

FYI, Jeff Joseph's last phone call was thought to have been made from Redding, CA, and he was on his way to Arcata, CA. It is thought that somewhere in the Hoopa, CA area he disappeared while on his trip. This drive from Redding to Arcata, CA runs mostly along CA 299 for about 2 hours, 45 minutes and covers nearly 140 miles. The last cell phone ping is thought to have been from the area of Bald Hills Road(also known as Bloody Camp road) area. This last ping was at about 11:20 am on June 21, 2014. He was driving a green 1998 Toyota Rav4.

If you want to hear and see Jeff Joseph there is a youtube video if you type "Jeff Joseph Organica". If I did not know that he was involved in the "drug" trade, I would never have thought it. He comes off more as a businessman who was looking to try to get the medical marijuana industry regulated in order to help others who needed medicine.

The cell tower is located on the first peak of Bald Hills Road, across the Trinity River is Highway 96 which runs North for 11 miles until reaching the Highway 169 Junction in Weitchpec, California.

From experience, the cell phone signal from this tower will only hold until two turns (nearly one mile) prior to Weitchpec.

Based on the location of his property route 169 would be the safest and quickest drive.

Highway 169 has a reputation for swallowing cars and you can't leave one parked for any amount of time. Either someone takes possession of it or it is publicly vandalized.

The fact that Joseph's vehicle, in 5 years, has not turned up makes me wonder if the vehicle is over an embankment somewhere.

It's my humble opinion that the family of Mr. Joseph should team up with the family of Tiffany Clark to pressure local law enforcement to do a boat run from the Martin's Ferry Bridge to Sregon Dock area to get a visual on the hillside and river while the water is low.
 

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