CO CO - Garfield Co, WhtMale 35-65, 789UMCO, skeletal in tent, Sep'04

[Traymar]

It could be his military ID #. They didn't begin using the soc until after Vietnam.

True! My mom can still recite my dad's military ID# despite his having died over 30 years ago and having served over 50 years ago.

 

[papijoe2002]

If I had no ID on me and I was writing out what would essentially be my last will and testament, to be found after my death and possibly used to identify me -- and assuming I decided to repeat something at the bottom of each page (a footer, as it were), what information would I include? My thoughts:

• Full name, initials, and/or signature
• DOB
• Date of writing
• Current home address (I don't think it would occur to me to put my place birth)
• Place (city, state) of writing
• Social Security number (for US)
• Page number with total number of pages (e.g., 1 of 3) once complete
• A statement that I'm of sound mind?
• My next of kin or "in case of emergency" name and contact info?

Also, @JSolt1210, I like the Angora Canyon possibility. I have been thinking it almost looks like the word "angry" but that doesn't seem to fit with it being repeated at the bottom of each page.

By the way, my son thinks he sees the word "you" towards the end of the last line - I can see that too.

Just brainstorming ...

I believe there's more pages than these three and the police didnt include them because they concluded that they're totally illegible. Those could be the pages with his name, address etc...

 

[papijoe2002]

There's a chance that I have solved this case.......I dont wanna say a name until I'm a little more sure. I'm contacting a police department to try and find a little more info. All of the info I have matches perfectly but there's just not much info available. Sorry for the suspense but I'll have more info soon....

 

[GJKJR]

All the suggestions here seem really interesting to me! I tried to write what I believed was the contents of the note, but didn't find much more than what was suggested here since I'm not good at interpreting weathered text.

I think what brought me to this case was the note. It seems like a really good lead, but it's so damaged that it's hard to find out what a lot of it means. And I have to commend the people posting here for all of the good theories! You guys are much better at figuring out the contents of the note than me.

 

[papijoe2002]

I slapped this together. Let me know your thoughts. I'm waiting to find out if Mark Husk was a smoker...

 

[JSolt1210]

If I had no ID on me and I was writing out what would essentially be my last will and testament, to be found after my death and possibly used to identify me -- and assuming I decided to repeat something at the bottom of each page (a footer, as it were), what information would I include? My thoughts:

• Full name, initials, and/or signature
• DOB
• Date of writing
• Current home address (I don't think it would occur to me to put my place birth)
• Place (city, state) of writing
• Social Security number (for US)
• Page number with total number of pages (e.g., 1 of 3) once complete
• A statement that I'm of sound mind?
• My next of kin or "in case of emergency" name and contact info?

Also, @JSolt1210, I like the Angora Canyon possibility. I have been thinking it almost looks like the word "angry" but that doesn't seem to fit with it being repeated at the bottom of each page.

By the way, my son thinks he sees the word "you" towards the end of the last line - I can see that too.

Just brainstorming ...

Oooh, going with the "full name", what about: "ANGEL[O] CARSON"?

I still think it looks more like "ANGORA CANYON", but at the same time, I can't imagine I would choose to write a location instead of my name on the bottom of every page, if I felt like this were my last will and no one might know who I am.

 

[JSolt1210]

I slapped this together. Let me know your thoughts. I'm waiting to find out if Mark Husk was a smoker...

WOW! I think this looks VERY promising! The picture looks very much like the reconstruction. And many of the details match what was found. Amazing!

 

[papijoe2002]

So if that theory is correct, Mr Husk would have fallen or had an accident on the trail and hurt his back. We know this because the skeleton had significant back injury but there's no report of Mr Husk having an injured back. He would have been unable to continue his hike and was forced to stay in his tent. This would have likely been in November of 2003 in the mountains of Colorado. I imagine he succumbed to Hypothermia, Dehydration and or something related to his injury such as blood loss.

 

[GJKJR]

Mark Husk seems like a really good potential match to me, that jaw seems VERY similar. Maybe Husk did have an injured back, but it isn't mentioned in the NamUs file (unless you found another source stating he didn't have one perhaps)? The theory you proposed makes sense too, and would be a good explanation if he didn't have one; if he was incapacitated by the injury in such a remote area, there would be little to nothing he could do unless people came looking for him or if someone found him by chance.

 

[papijoe2002]

Trying to look through the notebook pages to see if any of the words could be related to Vermont or Ferrisburgh or Mark Husk etc.... There's a glider club about an hour away from Ferrisburgh VT.

 

[JSolt1210]

Trying to look through the notebook pages to see if any of the words could be related to Vermont or Ferrisburgh or Mark Husk etc.... There's a glider club about an hour away from Ferrisburgh VT.

I've been trying to do the same thing!

I found this map of Ferrisburgh Road Names, on the assumption that what he wrote on the bottom is an address of some sort (since the beginning doesn't look like his name to me). I found "DANYOW" Drive (near the middle top part of the map). I know the Charley Project says he lived on "Old Chicago Road" (near the middle of the map), but maybe "Lib" lives/lived near Danyow Drive?

I'm also trying to research weather patterns near Sleepy Cat Peak. If this is Mark, then this means he was missing for 10 months before his body was found. Is that enough time for his remains to have become "skeletal"? I imagine the Colorado mountains are cold and dry for most of the year, and he disappeared in late fall. Would those conditions decompose a body to that extent?

 

[Traymar]

I've been trying to do the same thing!

I found this map of Ferrisburgh Road Names, on the assumption that what he wrote on the bottom is an address of some sort (since the beginning doesn't look like his name to me). I found "DANYOW" Drive (near the middle top part of the map). I know the Charley Project says he lived on "Old Chicago Road" (near the middle of the map), but maybe "Lib" lives/lived near Danyow Drive?

RSBM
I agree - could it be Lib's address and/or full name (possibly Lib and husband) or a c/o address?

 

[Traymar]

I slapped this together. Let me know your thoughts. I'm waiting to find out if Mark Husk was a smoker...

Great possibility! Please keep us posted!

 

[Traymar]

Oooh, going with the "full name", what about: "ANGEL[O] CARSON"?

I still think it looks more like "ANGORA CANYON", but at the same time, I can't imagine I would choose to write a location instead of my name on the bottom of every page, if I felt like this were my last will and no one might know who I am.

Agree completely - I would more likely lead off with my name or the date than an address. I like Angelo Carson - off to explore this some more!

 

[papijoe2002]

Also I found that he was a renter in that house on Old Chicago Rd , so he likely doesnt own a home that he could leave anyone is his will

 

[JSolt1210]

I’m uploading these images of his letter after editing them on my phone with an app in an attempt to clear up the writing (adjusting contrast, shadow, sharpening, etc.). I’m not sure how they’ll appear on a desktop.

In the first image, I think I see the word "CHOICE" on the second line from the bottom (I added it in). Since he mentions a "third choice" later on, it makes sense to me for a first or a second choice to appear beforehand. So now it looks like "CHOICE DO"... The word before that, though.. does it look like "FEWER" to anyone?

Also the "STINgy FOOL"... I feel like I see a "T" at the end so that instead of "FOOL" maybe it's "FAULT"? Could it say "TINy FAULT"? I suspect there's some ink bleed-through from the page(s) underneath. For example, the part that was once thought to read "FAVOR" or "FLAVOR", but which now looks more like "SAVED", also appears in the same spot on the second page, on the third line above "$25,000." Maybe ink bleed-through is responsible for what looks to be two separate letters—"gy"—so that "STINgy" is really "TINy." Maybe he's trying to be humorous and say he got himself into this "tiny" mess?

I still can't make heads or tails of the bottom, though, and that was the whole point of editing the images. I feel like I see: "ANG [??] CAJYOW $25 RD" or "$25,000" as in the second page. What do you all think?

 

[carbuff]

Stingy fool might work if he was regretting having been cheap with someone.

 

[Traymar]

I’m uploading these images of his letter after editing them on my phone with an app in an attempt to clear up the writing (adjusting contrast, shadow, sharpening, etc.). I’m not sure how they’ll appear on a desktop.

In the first image, I think I see the word "CHOICE" on the second line from the bottom (I added it in). Since he mentions a "third choice" later on, it makes sense to me for a first or a second choice to appear beforehand. So now it looks like "CHOICE DO"... The word before that, though.. does it look like "FEWER" to anyone?

Also the "STINgy FOOL"... I feel like I see a "T" at the end so that instead of "FOOL" maybe it's "FAULT"? Could it say "TINy FAULT"? I suspect there's some ink bleed-through from the page(s) underneath. For example, the part that was once thought to read "FAVOR" or "FLAVOR", but which now looks more like "SAVED", also appears in the same spot on the second page, on the third line above "$25,000." Maybe ink bleed-through is responsible for what looks to be two separate letters—"gy"—so that "STINgy" is really "TINy." Maybe he's trying to be humorous and say he got himself into this "tiny" mess?

I still can't make heads or tails of the bottom, though, and that was the whole point of editing the images. I feel like I see: "ANG [??] CAJYOW $25 RD" or "$25,000" as in the second page. What do you all think?

I agree with "choice." That makes sense and I can see it.

Also, on the page where you have the 3 snippets, on the middle one, I think I can see "this endeavor," which I feel like goes with the tone of the letter. It's mid-right in that middle pic. What do you think?

By the way, on the "cover," which seems to actually be just one of the pages of the notebook stuck to the cover, I feel like I can see letters, writing, on the bottom left hand side of the heart. Do you see that? Like a stylized cursive "K," and or the name Kolby or J Coley or Kelly. I don't know... I have a big project due at work tomorrow, so I must pry myself away from here tonight. Will be checking in though, and will look some more tomorrow.

Great work, by the way - I think this case is solvable. All MOO.

 

[StarrChance]

I slapped this together. Let me know your thoughts. I'm waiting to find out if Mark Husk was a smoker...

Great work with the deciphering! One thing that doesn’t seem to fit is the currency he had on him was from 1999, so authorities assumed he had been deceased 5 years. Also just thinking, is it a bit unusual for a regular hiker to be a heavy smoker?

 

[carbuff]

It would have been less unusual in an older man in 1999 than it would be now. And more people in the West still smoke.