re: "Ben Bilemy" Deceased Hiker Might Have Ties to New York and Louisiana

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What else other than a stroke incapacitating him could cause him to just lie there and starve to death? Would a stroke show up in an autopsy quite a while past death?

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I don’t think it necessarily has to be a stroke. I’m sure we’ve all been sick to the point where we didn’t have the strength to get out of bed. Generally though, we have someone there bringing us food and meds and watching out for us, and in the event our condition worsens, they take us to the doctor. If the guy caught a nasty bug out of the trail that put him down, then it’s possible that with no one else there caring for him his condition worsened from lack of nourishment and dehydration. It would only take a day or two of that to render him incapable of seeking help. So it’s not the result of one big thing like a stroke but more a culmination of events.

I could buy all that. If he laid there for a while after he died maybe the autopsy wouldn't show what happened.

Strange that no one found him. That must not be a very well traveled trail.

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Strange that no one found him. That must not be a very well traveled trail.

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I believe plenty of people saw his tent, but nobody thought to go in it/check on whether their were occupants, until the discoverers of his body did exactly that. What is more odd to me is that nobody smelled something

I just listened to one dated July 2020. He REALLY did not want to be identified.

I read last night that he told another hiker that his father was abusive and because of the abuse he severed all ties with his parents. He also said that he didn't want to be buried with his parents. I don't know if that is to be interpreted that his parents were already deceased when he began hiking.

I have to agree with another poster on here. He may have lied about EVERYTHING.

The following pictures were altered by a user on reddit. This is what he might have looked like without facial hair. Keep in mind that his eyes are blue. They appear very dark in some photos.

That was a good one. I cannot believe the sheriff’s office has a podcast . So Mostly Harmless was actually in the tent for only a day or two before discovery

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I have to agree with another poster on here. He may have lied about EVERYTHING.

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Exactly. I don’t think you can take anything he told anyone along to the trail as fact. He could have been bullshitting about his parents being abusive, having a sister or where she might have lived or really anything else. It’s pretty clear he did not want to use his real identity on the trail. Several witnesses even said he seemed to try to resist having to sign in under his name. So with all that in mind, why would he then turn around and reveal personal info about himself to other hikers?

I think more than likely this guy did live a pretty comfortable life at some point but bought way too much into the idea going completely off the grid. He cashed out, ditched electronics and forms of ID and then just wandered off into the mountains and hiking trails.

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we have successfully extracted DNA and we successfully completed QC, which included a little bit of sequencing. We still need to fully sequence the DNA but from a lab perspective, we are fairly confident we will build a good genealogical profile (and ahead of our projected schedule). Next step is to do just that. Once we get the match results, it will be easier to estimate what will be required in terms of genealogy. We appreciate everyone's support and interest and will try to keep updating as learn more.

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Update from Othram

How far are these tents off the trail? Are there camping spots with a grill type cooker and a picnic table with a space for a small tent?

Possibly he was so emaciated that there was just not that much flesh to decay?

Strange case. I hope they discover what happened.

David Mittelman with Othram has just completed a very brief live broadcast on the FB group for this hiker. They have learned from the hiker's DNA that he does have CAJUN ancestry. They believe he does have relatives in Louisiana. If any of you are willing to take an ancestry test, or have already done so, you can go to Gedmatch.com or DNAsolves, upload the results and select 'Opt-in'.

Also, there was a post in the group from a guy who claims he recognized him in one of the photos as a customer who was looking to purchase a VW Jetta. He drove from NJ to CT to take a look at one, but didn't purchase because he wanted diesel. But the guy claims the hikers name was Chris. And supposedly he remembered his middle initial being an H and his last name beginning with a P. The guy has contacted the Collier Sheriffs Dept and has provided them with this info.

Yeah no thanks, not handing over my dna to anyone

eta

Unless she asks for it