Found Deceased TN - David Riemens, 60, Watertown, 8 Aug 2012

[cutter99]

Hi Cutter, thanks for the pictures.
I am staring at google maps, and on the map it does not make sense to walk home via the section where he was found.
My original impression was that he had been found in an area between the Dollar General and Taylor Road, but this seems to be beyond Taylor Road.

The map is flat and the area is hilly, so there may be more than meets the eye, can you explain a bit?

If you look at the map, including roads, I can see where he would have taken this route as a short cut, potentially to get of the paved roads, which would have been hot due to it being August. If he were to cut across through fields and woods, it would have been much cooler due to shade from the trees.

I think he would have walked northwest on Route 70 (Sparta Pike) and turned left onto Beechlog Rd. He could have crossed the creek that runs parrallel to Beechlog Rd, and been very close to the place where he was found. He could have walked through one 25 acre lot and been on the land where he was found, in the wooded area at the bottom of the plot map I had previously posted.

Beechlog Rd is not very wide and extremely curvy, as well as being heavily shaded, and runs very close to the creek. David could have even walked the railroad tracks and entered on to Beechlog from them.

 

[MagicMan]

In my mind, the most obvious scenario that fits is that David, for whatever reason, decided to walk home and had a catastrophic medical event, or was hurt and no longer mobile, and not found in time to save him.

This is my thought as well and, you made several points that I was going to post.

If he were murdered, why would someone dump his body there? While it is rural, it is VERY close to where he lived. There are much more rural places locally, where someone would never be found.

The Watertown area has numerous places that one could have chosen, caves, sinkholes, everywhere. Additionally, it would have been no small feat to carry a body to where he was found.

Could he have filled the gas tank in his truck before his trip to Dollar General and had it vapor lock in the August heat? Could he have had a fuel pump issue, where the fuel pump will overheat and not work, but when it cools down it will work?

This is a VERY real possibility. My Son has a Ford Ranger that has this problem very often in Summer.. It is a widely known issue with these trucks.

If his keys and wallet were found with his remains, I think that would point you in the direction of medical event/ accidental death. If they are not with the remains, it could lead you elsewhere.

I can't speak for the keys but, I was following the search for remains closely through facebook posts the day they found him. The Sheriff , within just a couple of hours, held a news conference and pretty much confirmed the identity. This leads me to believe that his wallet or ID was found as well. LE does not normally go out on a limb like that unless there is something very compelling present, to make such a statement to the public.

If you look at the map, including roads, I can see where he would have taken this route as a short cut, potentially to get of the paved roads, which would have been hot due to it being August. If he were to cut across through fields and woods, it would have been much cooler due to shade from the trees.

I think he would have walked northwest on Route 70 (Sparta Pike) and turned left onto Beechlog Rd. He could have crossed the creek that runs parrallel to Beechlog Rd, and been very close to the place where he was found. He could have walked through one 25 acre lot and been on the land where he was found, in the wooded area at the bottom of the plot map I had previously posted.

Beechlog Rd is not very wide and extremely curvy, as well as being heavily shaded, and runs very close to the creek. Davidcould have even walked the railroad tracks and entered on to Beechlog from them.

I agree, The best walking route between DG and his home was that direction.

 

[cutter99]

Another thing to keep mind about David was that he worked outdoors mostly, and lived a life that was very close to nature. He lived in a tree house. He was outside for work and exposed to all kinds of weather in that respect. He might have enjoyed walking home rather than seeing it as a bad experience due to the fact he loved nature so much. I even recall LN saying at one point that David slept in the tree house during even the ugliest winter weather (it was enclosed but not heated if I recall). He had the option of living in the main house with LN and DN, but chose not to.

 

[MagicMan]

His treehouse had a small wood stove. He had actually trained his dog to go down and fetch a stick of firewood, return, and close the door.

 

[MagicMan]

Hopefully, this will make things a bit more clear ? I don't know the exact location he was found but it was around that "Round" hillside. Roughly 1500 yards from his home.

 

[ZaZara]

Hopefully, this will make things a bit more clear ? I don't know the exact location he was found but it was around that "Round" hillside. Roughly 1500 yards from his home.

This is very confusing. He would not have taken Beech Log Road at all if he ended up at that point. IMHO Cutter99 is pointing at a different area.

August 22, 2012 was a hot day with temperatures of 86 F around noon and only lightly clouded. Isn't it more likely that someone would prefer a road with trees so he might walk in the shade?

 

[MagicMan]

I feel he might have simply walked a straight line .

 

[cutter99]

Beechlog Road runs to the east of the property with smaller lots separating it from the property where David was. Would be very easy to get on Route 70/ Sparta Pike and onto Beechlog to get to the property where David was found. The property he was found on is just to the left of where Beechlog ties into Route 70/ Sparta Pike. The train tracks are the grey line running near Route 70/ Sparta Pike and Beechlog crosses the train tracks.

 

[MagicMan]

I think there is also a cultural difference here that some may not understand. The thought process of most "hillbillies" is to take the straightest distance between two points, unless you know the property owner is hostile. As well as David was known around the area and, as comfortable as he likely was with the neighbors, he would probably not think twice about simply traveling in a straight line toward home and forego the road. As familiar as he was with the area, I feel confident he would have traveled in a mostly straight line home. I know I would have.

 

[MagicMan]

No, it's the exact same area. I played around there 40 years ago.

 

[nannymo]

I think there is also a cultural difference here that some may not understand. The thought process of most "hillbillies" is to take the straightest distance between two points, unless you know the property owner is hostile. As well as David was known around the area and, as comfortable as he likely was with the neighbors, he would probably not think twice about simply traveling in a straight line toward home and forego the road. As familiar as he was with the area, I feel confident he would have traveled in a mostly straight line home. I know I would have.

Another thought about this would be he must have been on private property or the railroad track because surely someone would have seen him walking home if he had walked down the main roads. It looks like it would take quite awhile to walk that route, so why not go the back way through your neighbors property? I would not hesitate to do that. No one has reported seeing him walking either which leads me to believe he was off the road if he truly walked home. Am I making sense?

 

[Gardener1850]

[h=1]Riemens' cause of death under investigation[/h]

The shocking discovery of David Riemens’ remains hasn’t been an end to the case. Instead, it brings up a slew of new questions. Those in Wilson County who knew him and who have followed the nearly six-year search still want to know: What happened to David? Was he murdered? If so, who would do this?

Those questions remain unanswered.

Here is what we do know:

• Information about the remains was received by the WCSO late Sunday, Jan. 21. In an interview on Thursday, Jan. 25, Sheriff Bryan said they came to the location, in a wooded area off Taylor Road in Watertown, on Sunday and located a skull; however, “the weather kept us from going any farther with it till today.”
• The remains were on the ground surface – not buried.
• WCSO, MTSU Pathology Department, state medical examiner’s office and several other agencies are working the case to determine a cause of death.
• In previous reporting by The Wilson Post, WCSO Det. B.J. Stafford said they had a DNA profile on Riemens and dental records. Moore said Monday that dental records and “other items” helped identify the remains as those of Riemens.

“Nothing has been said yet as far as a cause of death,” Moore added.

https://www.wilsonpost.com/news/rie...cle_61f4eb36-060b-11e8-9a57-938fab757d02.html

 

[TexasT]

Hopefully, this will make things a bit more clear ? I don't know the exact location he was found but it was around that "Round" hillside. Roughly 1500 yards from his home.

THAT is helpful and makes sense now . If there was a medical issue they aren’t likely to know now . Just rule out something such as a gun shot depending on what’s recovered . Cause may end up being undetermined . How tragic that close to home . Even worse that he carried no phone to call for help if he needed it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ZaZara]

Been going over all the maps and I think I may have switched the properties where David lived and where he was found. Don't know how that could happen, but it makes sense now. He was indeed found on a property between the DG and his home, and not beyond.

I am still amazed that someone would walk in a straight line through the open fields instead of taking the road with trees on such a hot day ~ I know I would, and I would take a bottle of water too. Plus, where I live, someone who walked through the fields would stand out a mile like a beacon on fire, while a walker on the road would be hardly noticed at all.

What I am less convinced of is WHY he would be walking home. If his car had a problem like Cutter mentions, due to the heat, wouldn't he have noticed that for what it was? Why would that make him walk home instead of seeking help or waiting a while? After all he was going to meet with someone about a job that he dearly wanted.

Then there is that dog. The dog traced David from his car to the parking space next to that car. The dog found no trail that left the parking lot in the direction of his home.

IMHO it is possible that David did have his meeting with the other person on the parking lot, the other one drove off and David went back into his car, only to find that something was wrong. So the dog was right, but he failed to notice what came afterwards.

But despite all the uproar, the other person never came forward and his person remains a mystery. Weren't they confused or curious when David did not turn up for the job two weeks later?

Someone wrote on twitter:

it looks like this case will sadly slip into Brainscratch territory.

I hope LE will find the origin of the bricks one day.


:thinking:

 

[cutter99]

Route 70/ Sparta Pike is not shaded by trees. It is pretty wide open and the traffic flies along there.

The railroad track might offer a little more shade, but not much, but definitely does not have the amount of traffic of Route 70/ Sparta Pike. Beechlog Rd is very shaded with trees close to the road.

LN has stated he was found in a wooded area surrounded with boulders. I think he went cross country as opposed staying on the hardtop road with little to no shade, as well as traffic whizzing by at 55 mph minimum.

 

[cutter99]

https://www.wilsonpost.com/news/mis...cle_bd911b30-06a2-11e8-8bab-4747c17a0e33.html

 

[ZaZara]

https://www.wilsonpost.com/news/mis...cle_bd911b30-06a2-11e8-8bab-4747c17a0e33.html

The missing man had numerous friends in the Watertown area. Many spent long hours since 2012 searching for his whereabouts, and others placed missing posters in their yards and businesses.

The posters are coming down now as friends come to grips with the truth of his demise and continue to ponder what happened.

At Nona Lisa Pizzeria on East Main Street the poster came down on Sunday night.

"All three of us pulled it off at the same time. It was pretty difficult. We actually wanted to put it back up but instead of 'missing,' we wanted to put 'MISSED.' It's tough," said Laura Nuessle of the emotional chore performed by herself, husband Dr. Donny Nuessle and Katie Smith, who owns the pizza parlor.


BBM

:tears: :tears:

 

[Tony1902]

Yes, ZaZara, the dog. That has me stumped as well.

 

[ZaZara]

Yes, ZaZara, the dog. That has me stumped as well.

We used to trick our first German Shepherd that way. He'd lag behind, and we would walk quickly ahead and retrace 20 or 30 steps, backwards. Then we jumped over a small ditch and hid behind the bushes. After a few minutes the dog came running, he followed our trail, he ran and when he became aware that the trail had suddenly stopped, he came back and walked up and down the path, passing us without noticing until we made a noise.

That dog wasn't the brightest of the pack, but still he had a good nose even if he did not get the trick that we played.

It is a pity that we do not know more about the search for David with the dog(s?). Did the dog pick up his scent from when he walked to speak with his friend for instance? Was the dog trained to pick up the most recent trail? Or did he sniff the strongest trail - and that could have been made when David walked from his truck to the next AND back to his truck again, maybe even twice because he had to get his sketches.

Not saying that this is what happened, but from what I read I felt there might be room for more than one interpretation. If David did indeed meet with someone and returned to his truck, the big question remains why that person has not come forward.



:thinking: "Brainscratch territory"

 

[ZaZara]

https://www.wilsonpost.com/news/rie...cle_48a652d8-0b9b-11e8-8f42-072860e57307.html

The remains of David Riemens, the 60-year-old stone mason and artist who disappeared five-and-a-half years ago, have been returned to his adopted Wilson County hometown.

“David’s remains are now in Watertown with Hunter Funeral Home. They [the medical examiner’s office] released them from Nashville,” said his brother, Jim Riemens, referring to the skull and skeleton that were discovered Jan. 21 and Jan. 24, respectively, by the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office on a wooded hillside off Taylor Road, approximately two miles west of Watertown.

“What I’ve been told is they don’t have a cause of death yet. They said the whole process will take weeks to be completed. The funeral home has to put in something on the death certificate as cause of death. At this point the cause of death won’t be on it,” he said.


BBM



Painting David made of his treehouse:
https://www.facebook.com/3861300214...210869878352/1635210823211690/?type=3&theater