https://www.whsv.com/content/news/Po...569481331.html
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Montgomery Ward closed in 2001. Not saying the remains are that old but they may have been out there a while. Police seem to be keeping a lid on details.
That's the Miraculous Medal so in all probability, the person is Catholic. And the jacket looks like it's circa early 80s.
High top sneakers. Probably not a hiker?
They can probably date the sneakers to within a year or two of manufacture/sale as details change almost every year. Puma will have info. It's rare for people to wear sneakers for very many years past their manufacture date as they wear out. Not conclusive, but a good start on a date range for old missing persons reports.
my guess will be that whoever that missing person's family is, assuming they are still alive, will recognize that jacket and shirt description.
Many clothes have codes on the tags that tell the manufacturer when and where they were made.
No mention of a pack or any gear either. But they may not be releasing all the details. Could just be natural causes death. Then again, there were several trail murders in PA and VA many years ago. And HF is where Paul David Crews was apprehended back in 1990. Likely just a coincidence, but it makes one wonder. As to sneakers and hiking, well lots of us hiked in jeans and cotton shirts years ago. But the preferred foot wear was leather waffle stomper boots. Then again Grandma Gatewood wore Keds.Quote:
Originally Posted by WMR
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It would be nice to know how close is "not far from the AT". In the Harpers Ferry area, the remains might also been found "not far from a road". Although a tree cutting service could have been clearing a power line right of way.
Another of these great mysteries we'll never know the answer to. That jacket looked pretty ragged, it had been there a long time.
Its not unknown up in the whites for folks who want to end their life to pick a trail and walk into the woods then step off the trail at a spot of the choosing. No one knows they are missing or where they went and it can be years for someone to stumble on the remains.
And I have a rain jacket that I still use from time to time that I purchased over 20 years ago.Quote:
Originally Posted by BlackCloud
To me this is no hiker. From the information available it sounds near a road crossing with easy access. My amateur non scientific impression is this is a young adult male, and based on the type of attire and jewelry found could indicate of Hispanic descent. I don’t think the age of the clothing suggests they are original issue and more likely second or third hand passed on. The condition of the jacket does not look like a jacket that has been in the elements for 20 years, either. Likely more recent but scavenged. I do wish they’d say where this was found
I too have clothes and some gear that is 20+ years old. But they're not from Montgomery Ward....
It's not a hiker from the description of the clothing.
If ever. Took 3 years before some timber surveyors stumbled upon the Learjet wreckage that crashed into Smarts Mountain in 1996. Thick woods, difficult terrain, leaf and snow cover in winter, undergrowth in spring, etc. There are bodies in the woods everywhere that will never be found other than by people pretty much stepping on them. Some people have been known to take their own lives by walking into the woods in winter, sitting or lying at the base of a tree, and letting hypothermia run its course. There are worse ways to go. I've worked around machinery all my life. Trees sound like better final companions.Quote:
Originally Posted by peakbagger
Quote:
Some people have been known to take their own lives by walking into the woods in winter, sitting or lying at the base of a tree, and letting hypothermia run its course
like Guy Waterman......
I can't think of her name, but a young lady did that in the GSNP. She was all but an expert at bushwacking and was an avid member of a group that did off-trail hiking in the Smokies. She was a gifted writer, degree in philosophy, and also suffered from depression. She hiked deep in the woods and waited for death to come, which it did. If anyone can recall her name, please let me know.Quote:
Originally Posted by peakbagger
Edited to say that I answered my own question. Jenny Bennett.
https://www.blueridgeoutdoors.com/go...jenny-bennett/