MT MT - Paul Batson, 45, Stillwater Co, 29 Apr 2018

[fridaybaker]

I truly believe he's still alive

I've read over your posts again, and you suggest that perhaps Paul has contacted his family. I think this is possible as well, but I see that the Charley Project still lists him as missing, which I assume means that LE considers him still missing.

I wonder at the family hearing from Paul but not letting LE know. I would think that if the family/Paul didn't want any public attention, they might just let LE know he's alive/found and ask them not to publicize the information? Why let people go on searching for him?

I can't help but have a very bad feeling about his case. The above is possible, but just doesn't seem likely to me. Another possibility is that he has voluntarily disappeared, started his life over, etc. but that he hasn't contacted his family. I just can't shake the idea as to how difficult that would be in this day and age -completely disappearing for years at a time. Again, not impossible, but I've read on these forums from people in LE just how difficult it is to stay completely off the radar for many years.

Sadly, I'm inclined to think he went the way of Steven Koecher, and succumbed to foul play.

 

[dalsglen]

I was thinking about Paul earlier but sadly couldn't recall his surname.

sad to see there's still no answers

 

[fridaybaker]

This case is certainly different than the Alan White case in Dallas; however, there is a similarity in that Alan's significant other called the police within minutes of his not returning home from the gym. Many here thought it was strange, indeed. However, Alan was found murdered and it appears his SO had absolutely nothing to do with it.

Alan and he did live together, so that's different as well: One is at home, while the other goes to the gym and was expected to be on a work call shortly after returning home. Still, though, who calls the POLICE when their partner is a few minutes late? Well, Alan did. I'm sure I've read other cases here at WS where people did this as well. So, it could be significant that Paul's girlfriend called the police very quickly, but perhaps it's just different people operating differently? Too bad she hasn't addressed this publicly, though, as it might give a very different understanding of the case.

Maybe he was depressed, and she was fearful of self harm? There are a number of possibilities here, but we are just so in the dark.

Okay, enough rambling for today.

 

[One more thing]

In 2002 He also had a history of a prior "gone missing " he went "awol" from work for over a week and no one knew where he was. After a week in Vegas he was admitted for a psychological evaluation for 48 hrs and checked out. I believe Paul has suffered with mental health issues for most of his life.

 

[One more thing]

I've read over your posts again, and you suggest that perhaps Paul has contacted his family. I think this is possible as well, but I see that the Charley Project still lists him as missing, which I assume means that LE considers him still missing.

I wonder at the family hearing from Paul but not letting LE know. I would think that if the family/Paul didn't want any public attention, they might just let LE know he's alive/found and ask them not to publicize the information? Why let people go on searching for him?

I can't help but have a very bad feeling about his case. The above is possible, but just doesn't seem likely to me. Another possibility is that he has voluntarily disappeared, started his life over, etc. but that he hasn't contacted his family. I just can't shake the idea as to how difficult that would be in this day and age -completely disappearing for years at a time. Again, not impossible, but I've read on these forums from people in LE just how difficult it is to stay completely off the radar for many years.

Sadly, I'm inclined to think he went the way of Steven Koecher, and succumbed to foul play.

 

[One more thing]

All great questions! Giving more thought to it you could be right and his family has no idea. Sadly It is legal to voluntarily go missing. Maybe he doesn't want to be found and has a new identity like several here have speculated . Or the other case that has been addressed by another poster he had an unintentional mishap. I don't have any answers as to where or what. My own belief is that he's still alive

 

[fridaybaker]

Well, just upthread someone -I think you actually- mentioned that the outward face of happiness, congeniality, etc. can mask a darker interior. I think at some point we’ve all come across this in our lives or have at least read about it.

People are so complex and most of us have our own demons to some degree at least. I truly believe that we often don’t know the people in our lives the way we think we do. (Actually, I’ve often been surprised and even dismayed at how little some people in my own life, with whom I thought I was very close, know me. They take all the surface things and assume it’s the whole enchilada!)

Considering the possibility of a voluntary disappearance, however, I’m surprised that he didn’t just tell his girlfriend that he was going to scope out a job possibility. He actually did have an interview set up. Perhaps he is just a very thorough planner and was covering his bases.

Or, perhaps he decided then and there to start life anew. It wouldn’t be the first time someone was taken in with the feeling of freedom and anonymity and many other aspects of “the mountains”, “the west”, etc.

 

[One more thing]

I'm surprised that it was never mentioned that he was living with a friend instead of the home they shared. I'm sure it was to increase the intensity of the search.
I don't know if she has ever publicly spoken out. Obviously the call he made to her that Sunday was concerning enough for her to call the police in the area before 24 hrs had commenced

 

[One more thing]

Well, just upthread someone -I think you actually- mentioned that the outward face of happiness, congeniality, etc. can mask a darker interior. I think at some point we’ve all come across this in our lives or have at least read about it.

People are so complex and most of us have our own demons to some degree at least. I truly believe that we often don’t know the people in our lives the way we think we do. (Actually, I’ve often been surprised and even dismayed at how little some people in my own life, with whom I thought I was very close, know me. They take all the surface things and assume it’s the whole enchilada!)

Considering the possibility of a voluntary disappearance, however, I’m surprised that he didn’t just tell his girlfriend that he was going to scope out a job possibility. He actually did have an interview set up. Perhaps he is just a very thorough planner and was covering his bases.

Or, perhaps he decided then and there to start life anew. It wouldn’t be the first time someone was taken in with the feeling of freedom and anonymity and many other aspects of “the mountains”, “the west”, etc.

 

[One more thing]

I think you have a wise insight

 

[deadfoot13]

All great questions! Giving more thought to it you could be right and his family has no idea. Sadly It is legal to voluntarily go missing. Maybe he doesn't want to be found and has a new identity like several here have speculated . Or the other case that has been addressed by another poster he had an unintentional mishap. I don't have any answers as to where or what. My own belief is that he's still alive

Was he the type of person who would abandon his pension? I only ask because I also work at a job with a pension at retirement, and many times that has been the carrot on a stick that's kept me from leaving that employment, and the incentive has only grown the older I get. USPS has a pretty good pension plan and I'm curious as to whether he was the type of person to whom that would matter, or if financial planning just wasn't his thing. That leads me to, if it wasn't his thing, was it disinterest or a feeling of futility about his future?

I don't know, it was just something that popped into my head. I can't see me abandoning something I've worked so hard for unless I were going to take my own life or if it were ended for me in some other manner. It made me wonder if he were like-minded or if he really didn't care about it.

 

[One more thing]

Was he the type of person who would abandon his pension? I only ask because I also work at a job with a pension at retirement, and many times that has been the carrot on a stick that's kept me from leaving that employment, and the incentive has only grown the older I get. USPS has a pretty good pension plan and I'm curious as to whether he was the type of person to whom that would matter, or if financial planning just wasn't his thing. That leads me to, if it wasn't his thing, was it disinterest or a feeling of futility about his future?

I don't know, it was just something that popped into my head. I can't see me abandoning something I've worked so hard for unless I were going to take my own life or if it were ended for me in some other manner. It made me wonder if he were like-minded or if he really didn't care about it.

Was he the type of person who would abandon his pension? I only ask because I also work at a job with a pension at retirement, and many times that has been the carrot on a stick that's kept me from leaving that employment, and the incentive has only grown the older I get. USPS has a pretty good pension plan and I'm curious as to whether he was the type of person to whom that would matter, or if financial planning just wasn't his thing. That leads me to, if it wasn't his thing, was it disinterest or a feeling of futility about his future?

I don't know, it was just something that popped into my head. I can't see me abandoning something I've worked so hard for unless I were going to take my own life or if it were ended for me in some other manner. It made me wonder if he were like-minded or if he really didn't care about it.

Knowing him, he definitely was enchanting and funny enough that you'd definitely buy him his drinks to keep you laughing in a bar! He knew how to go out for a quarter and keep it in his pocket.
In our heart to heart conversations he made some poor financial choices.
I always thought he made bad choices in women as well and my sympathies were in his corner. I have to say though as time went on, I started to understand that maybe it wasn't the women who fell short. When we had these conversations he seemed deeply troubled. As much as a great guy that he is to talk to about your own sorrows. He had past ghosts and deep scars and I could watch him turn angry and cold.
I'm pretty sure if he finally thought maybe he was actually the problem he would definitely leave everything and try to start again

 

[annemc2]

Sometimes I think about Paul and wonder where he is. Just came over to check his thread.

 

[MissMYB]

Sometimes I think about Paul and wonder where he is. Just came over to check his thread.

Me too. In this case I cannot help but feel its was a personal decision for Paul to disappear.

 

[meanmaryjean]

Me too. In this case I cannot help but feel its was a personal decision for Paul to disappear.

I agree. I think this was voluntary.

 

[meanmaryjean]

I want to 100% make it clear that I am not suggesting that Paul is a criminal- this is just a random thought I had about voluntary disappearances in general- which this may or may not even be. I know his family is in agony over his disappearance, and I in no means wish to contribute to it.

This is just a random thought!

IF you were going to be successful at a voluntary disappearance- I think we would all agree that it is more difficult to do these days due to our electronic footprints, right? You would need to really take your time about constructing a 'new you' before leaving. Banking, ID, social media perhaps, SSN, and many, many more things. Now some of this you can do online (but you risk leaving a footprint there as well). But for maximum effect- you would slowly steal/ construct your identity over time. Who better to slowly acquire the documents needed for this that a USPS employee? Esp. one that has a regular route.

For example, I have such a mailman. He's delivered my mail 5 days/ week for years and years. He knows my routine. If so inclined, I suppose he could 'not deliver' certain sensitive things to me and begin developing a parallel MeanMaryJean in that manner. He could intercept my mail, send things to/ from my address without my knowledge.

Anyway, Paul working for the USPS got my mind turning. I'm still completely on the fence about what happened to him and continue to hope for answers for his family and a resolution to this puzzling case.

Bringing this forward - my thoughts on voluntary missing

 

[annemc2]

Bringing this forward - my thoughts on voluntary missing

That's super interesting. Thanks for reposting it. I've thought about how much the mail delivery people know about the people to whom they deliver mail. I even asked a guy about it a long time ago - he laughed and was like ohhh yeah! You can learn a lot about professions, hobbies, financial status, etc by looking through someone's mail. Not that I've done it lol, just pondered it with my sleuth-y (nosy) curiosity! And I'm sure that most of the postal employees are just trying to get things picked up and delivered with no regards to mail content, as they are eager to finish their route and get home.

 

[meanmaryjean]

Agree. Was not trying to cast aspersions mail carriers. Just a theory. MOO and all

 

[MissMYB]

When I said that I think he disappeared of his own volition, I basically meant that he was planning on being long for this earthly plane and not that he was planning to start a new life somewhere else. Unfortunately it just seems like the most logical conclusion.

 

[One more thing]

When I said that I think he disappeared of his own volition, I basically meant that he was planning on being long for this earthly plane and not that he was planning to start a new life somewhere else. Unfortunately it just seems like the most logical conclusion.

I agree with both of you in most statements. I still believe he is alive, I hope he is reunited with his sons and family. I hope he knows it's safe to come back and that nothing is ever too far gone