Identified! FL - Big Cypress Natl Preserve, Male Hiker, Denim & “Mostly Harmless” Jul'18 - Vance Rodriguez #5

[GatorFL]

Was his exact cause of death ever determined? He was incredibly emaciated...due to illness? starvation (intentional or unwillingly?)

I am maybe mis-remembering, but I thought he mentioned to someone having a serious illness?

No it was not.

He never said exactly that but he did say he wanted to hike while he still could. Many have construed (misconstrued?) that to mean he had some kind of an illness.

 

[Laughing]

Was his exact cause of death ever determined? He was incredibly emaciated...due to illness? starvation (intentional or unwillingly?)

I am maybe mis-remembering, but I thought he mentioned to someone having a serious illness?

VR may have considered the depression an ongoing serious illness, and accepted that he was likely to succumb to that one day?

Depression is certainly an ongoing serious illness.

If he had successfully out-walked all his demons & left the trail healthy & ready to return to life as we know it -- we would never have heard of Mostly Harmless.

jmho ymmv lrr

 

[JupiterAmmon]

Thank you.

I did not mean to suggest depression was not serious (I have dealt with it for 15+ years - its VERY serious and impacts my daily life)

I was referring to physical illness that would cause wasting (knowing depression could cause this too - I have lost a lot of weight because of it in the past).

 

[hymphs]

I am not sure we will ever have the answer, some people have speculated he may have starved for some days due to depression, as people close to him often stated when he would go into a depressive state, he would not eat and just lay there for days. If this happened, when it ended he could have eaten too much and caused refeeding syndrome. Just one possibility. In general about this case though, I hope some of the people fascinated by MH will become interested in identifying Does in general. This case is a good gateway.

 

[newyooper]

Well, I sure tried to have my father institutionalized after his first suicide attempt. He may be still alive. Didn't happen and shortly after he succeeded...

I also had to have my mother "institutionilzed" (what a loaded word) when she tried to commit suicide the first time. Never an easy decision, maybe don't be so quick to judge what family members go through when dealing with severe mental illness (not referring to you, Baciagulupo, but the person who critized his family).

 

[pucibobo]

I feel weird about this. Especially about the fact, that it was unexpectedly simple and he actually was telling the truth.
I feel like the "while he still could" was about his mental illness, and that he was aware it would eventually win. I'm mentally ill too, and while I do not condone his behavior torwards the ex girlfriends, I know what the illness can do to you. How awful can you become. I'm glad he found his solace and some kind of peace in hiking. Rest easy Vance, niech Ci ziemia lekką będzie.
And I hope everyone hurt by him are recovering.

 

[Sunrisenow]

Even after identification, mystery cloaks deceased hiker known as 'Mostly Harmless'

 

[Kudzu]

Even after identification, mystery cloaks deceased hiker known as 'Mostly Harmless'

I couldn’t access it because it requires a subscription. Was there any new information in the article?

 

[PatLaurel]

I couldn’t access it because it requires a subscription. Was there any new information in the article?

I'm not a subscriber and i was able to read it. PMed you the PDF.

 

[Savemecastiel]

I can’t read the article

 

[cvaldez1975]

I'm not a subscriber and i was able to read it. PMed you the PDF.

can u pm it to me? i also cant access it.

 

[janewall]

can u pm it to me? i also cant access it.

Likewise. Is there a geographic limitation on who has access to this newspaper? (I'm in PA.)

Perhaps, if the article is available in a file format other than PDF, either Sunrisenow or PatLaurel could copy/paste and then snip away less important content so as to comply with WS rules about posting copyrighted material? I believe the guidelines are that 10% of an article can be posted here. Sorry to request work from someone, but it's frustrating and limits discussion when some of us can't view sources others can read!

 

[PatLaurel]

Likewise. Is there a geographic limitation on who has access to this newspaper? (I'm in PA.)

Perhaps, if the article is available in a file format other than PDF, either Sunrisenow or PatLaurel could copy/paste and then snip away less important content so as to comply with WS rules about posting copyrighted material? I believe the guidelines are that 10% of an article can be posted here. Sorry to request work from someone, but it's frustrating and limits discussion when some of us can't view sources others can read!

I'm in Europe. It's usually us who have restrictions.

I uploaded the article, but the link expires in 5 days.

Please, report my message if this is not allowed.

MOO JMO

https://filebin.net/pcyiwlkghzbqdu2..._man_found_dead_in_Big_Cypress.pdf?t=o1uqs2ct

 

[Sunrisenow]

Likewise. Is there a geographic limitation on who has access to this newspaper? (I'm in PA.)

Perhaps, if the article is available in a file format other than PDF, either Sunrisenow or PatLaurel could copy/paste and then snip away less important content so as to comply with WS rules about posting copyrighted material? I believe the guidelines are that 10% of an article can be posted here. Sorry to request work from someone, but it's frustrating and limits discussion when some of us can't view sources others can read!

I'm in Europe. It's usually us who have restrictions.

I uploaded the article, but the link expires in 5 days.

Please, report my message if this is not allowed.

MOO JMO

Filebin

I'm also in Europe, and PatLaurel is right, often we are restricted in media, or sometimes even on Sheriff's websites when I try to look up official missing person updates...

Since the article is long and with a narrative (just like Narkj's article about Mostly Harmless) it's difficult to take out 10%. Because of the rules of WS I was hesitant to post it here.

 

[Curious_in_NC]

Thank you @PatLaurel. FWIW I don't think the article offers much new information to folks who have read the threads here and recent MSM articles, apart from a few more details on how he was identified by CCSO from a former co-worker and his family.

Regarding the cause of death, Detective Hurm of CCSO said:
"So much of the backstory in the case can only be explained by one person — Rodriguez.
We are still guessing. We don’t know if he did it intentionally or if it was a tragic mistake that he died. It could have been circumstances adding up to the point where Vance was overwhelmed. Nobody is ever going to know the absolute truth.”

 

[branmuffin]

Even after identification, mystery cloaks deceased hiker known as 'Mostly Harmless'

It's interesting that the article states Vance's body remained at the Medical Examiner's office until he was identified. People have stated that his body was skeletonized months after his discovery and after DNA was extracted.

 

[LauranUK]

After reading his story I'm reminded of some of the lyrics to the song Johnny The Horse by UK band Madness.

Would you believe he came out well
He had a bright enquiring mind.
His family knew he'd go far if he applied his time.
But he started standing at corners talking out loud.
Too loud.
You see he couldn't believe in himself, or the world, or anything he heard.
It seems a million years ago he left his life behind.
The moment came for him to go.
He said goodbye to his wife and child.
He started walking.
He didn't look back, there was too much pain.
Between Glasgow and London, one hot summer he forgot his name.
Can you remember his name?

 

[othram]

For those of you who can catch it, there with a CBS Sunday Morning feature on this case. More information here: This week on "Sunday Morning" (February 21) - CBS News.

We will post a clip to the episode for those that miss it!

If you are impatient, here are some good links:
DNASOLVES: Mostly Harmless is Identified!
FORENSIC MAGAZINE: Public, Social Media, Genealogy Crucial in Identification of Deceased Hiker
WIRED: A Nameless Hiker and the Case the Internet Can’t Crack

 

[othram]

Here is the story: Solving the mystery of the Appalachian hiker "Mostly Harmless" - CBS News.

 

[hotsytotsy]

For those of you who can catch it, there with a CBS Sunday Morning feature on this case. More information here: This week on "Sunday Morning" (February 21) - CBS News.

We will post a clip to the episode for those that miss it!

If you are impatient, here are some good links:
DNASOLVES: Mostly Harmless is Identified!
FORENSIC MAGAZINE: Public, Social Media, Genealogy Crucial in Identification of Deceased Hiker
WIRED: A Nameless Hiker and the Case the Internet Can’t Crack

Watching now