Lost Opportunities and What Paul's Family and Friends Think Happened
Paul knew he had to be back quickly from the hike. They don’t think Paul would have hiked up mountain washes where sheep typically come down.
The only witness to Paul being on the trail said there was one other vehicle, a van, in the parking lot. As the witness was returning from his hike, he saw 4 people emerge from the van and head for the trail. They were in their twenties, were laughing and appeared to be friends. The witness didn’t notice their license plate. Since there is no CCTV at the 49 Palms Oasis trailhead, there was no footage of this vehicle or its license plate. These people have never come forward so we don't know if they saw Paul.
The trail Paul was on isn’t too far from the main entrance to Joshua Park, but it is the only trail you don’t have to have a park permit to enter. It's in its own little separate area. All the more traveled areas of the park have cameras. The park now realizes that they need a camera there. This is the trail from which the park service has to rescue the most people, but there still isn’t a trailhead camera there today.
There are other businesses along the highway that have CCTV cameras that capture footage of cars going into the road that leads to the trail. Those cameras might have shown the license plate of the van that parked at the trailhead after Paul left to hike the trail. The family sees these cameras as a missed opportunity since no investigator checked them.
The family initially thought maybe Paul had fallen and injured himself and was waiting for rescue. One of Paul's friends who was in the park in May 2019 initially thought it was most likely that Paul could have fallen from a rock formation and hadn’t been found yet. But now that the area has been searched so well, he doesn't think there are many places Paul could be in the park and not have been found. Along with many of Paul's friends and Stephanie, the friend is leaning toward wondering if some criminal activity could have happened.
Paul's sister, Dawn, thinks a medical issue is unlikely. There is shade at the Oasis. Paul was heading back from the Oasis, according to the witness, and it’s downhill from there. If he had collapsed due to heat or another medical issue, Dawn thinks Paul would have collapsed on the trail. Dawn thinks it is unlikely Paul would have gone much off the trail due to his time constraint. She acknowledged Paul may have gone a short distance off the trail for a photograph and got lost.
If someone had tried to attack Paul on the trail, Dawn said he would have fought. Paul was not tall, but was one of the tougher players on his hockey and lacrosse teams. Park rangers could not find any blood or scuffle marks. However, when Dawn tried to mark the ground, she found she couldn’t scuffle the dry, hard ground. Dawn knew Paul was dressed appropriately and had the supplies he needed for a short hike. When she has come to JTNP since her brother's disappearance, she has noticed people entering that trail wearing flip-flops and only taking a small bottle of water, but most got in and out safely.
If Paul’s in a dry crevice, he’ll dry out, almost mummify. If his body is in the open, scavengers would scatter the bones, but searchers should be able to find his backpack, leather boots and camera. Dawn said they are putting a lot of hope in drones that are seeking permission to search the area. Dawn has found there are definitely gaps in what has been searched, particularly some steep drop-off areas. Searchers have looked above and below most rock formations, but some of the steepest areas can only be seen with a drone.
Since Paul’s family lives over 2000 miles away, the family is so grateful to those who keep searching the trail. The family receives emails and some photos from people that are doing this.
At the time he disappeared, Paul was 5’5 and 160 pounds. You can follow Paul’s story on “Find Paul Miller” on Facebook. Dawn Robinson, Paul’s sister, and her husband plan to keep going back until something is found. The family is desperate for closure.
The podcast ended with David Smith, JTNP superintendent, giving the phone number if anyone has any tips or finds any evidence. Please call 760-367-5500 and ask for the Chief Ranger’s office. There are still posters up inside the park and at the 49 Palms Oasis trailhead.