Vance John "Vaejor" Rodriguez, previously known as "Mostly Harmless", Denim, and Ben Bilemy was an American hiker whose body was found on July 23, 2018 in

Big Cypress National Preserve Big Cypress National Preserve is a United States National Preserve located in South Florida, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) west of Miami on the Atlantic coastal plain. The Big Cypress, along with Big Thicket National Preserve in Texas, becam ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, then remained unidentified for two years. He was identified when a previous coworker recognized photos of him in December 2020, and his identity was released in January 2021.

Background

The hiker started his journey on the

Appalachian Trail The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian Tr ...

in April 2017, from Harriman State Park near

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. On the way, he met several people who took pictures of him. Witnesses reported that he preferred

ketchup Ketchup or catsup is a table condiment with a sweet and tangy flavor. The unmodified term ("ketchup") now typically refers to tomato ketchup, although early recipes used egg whites, mushrooms, oysters, grapes, mussels, or walnuts, among other ...

and

sticky bun Sticky buns are a type of dessert or breakfast sweet roll that generally consist of rolled pieces of leavened dough — sometimes containing brown sugar or cinnamon — compressed together to form a kind of flat loaf corresponding to ...

s, and that he had said he came from

Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-sma ...

, was hiking to

Key West Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it cons ...

, and had a sister living in

Sarasota Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sout ...

or Saratoga. By January 2018, the hiker had reached northern

Discovery of body and investigation

He was last observed alive after his arrival in the southwestern region of Florida in April 2018. On July 23, 2018, the hiker was found dead in his tent by two hikers in

. He had no form of identification with him. The location was near

Interstate 75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from S ...

. The autopsy could not determine the specific cause of death, although he was described as being "emaciated." There were no signs of foul play. His DNA, dental information, and fingerprints did not match known missing person reports in any database. He wore a gray Columbia baseball hat and appeared to be between 35 and 50 years of age, with slightly graying brown hair and a beard. His backpack contained $3,500 in cash and a notebook filled with handwritten notes about ''Screeps'', an online programming game. Using information from witnesses' interviews, investigators developed a timeline of his activities. The

Collier County Collier County is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 375,752; an increase of 16.9% since the 2010 United States Census. Its county seat is East Naples, where the county offices were moved from E ...

Sheriff's Office also sought the aid of Othram Inc., a Texas-based company utilizing

genetic genealogy Genetic genealogy is the use of genealogical DNA tests, i.e., DNA profiling and DNA testing, in combination with traditional genealogical methods, to infer genetic relationships between individuals. This application of genetics came to be used b ...

to assist investigative agencies with resolving cases.

Identification

Rodriguez was identified in December 2020, over two years after his discovery. After viewing photographs of the then-unidentified man, a previous coworker contacted authorities, who obtained DNA samples from living relatives in

Lafayette Parish, Louisiana Lafayette Parish (french: Paroisse de Lafayette) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. According to the 2020 U.S. census, the parish had a population of 241,753, up from 221,578 at the 2010 United States census. The parish seat is ...

. An official announcement from the Collier County Sheriff's Office was released on January 12, 2021. Othram had confirmed the match between Rodriguez and his family by performing the required testing. He was last known to reside in New York and worked in the field of information technology. Rodriguez was arrested in Lafayette Parish for

shoplifting Shoplifting is the theft of goods from an open retail establishment, typically by concealing a store item on one's person, in pockets, under clothes or in a bag, and leaving the store without paying. With clothing, shoplifters may put on items ...

in August 1994. It is not immediately clear if he had been fingerprinted after that arrest and, if so, why he was unable to be matched with those fingerprints during the two years that he remained unidentified. Rodriguez's identification aired as a segment on ''

CBS News Sunday Morning ''CBS News Sunday Morning'' (normally shortened to ''Sunday Morning'' on the program itself since 2009) is an American news magazine A news magazine is a typed, printed, and published magazine, radio or television program, usually published ...

'' on February 21, 2021.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Vance 1976 births 2010s missing person cases 2018 deaths 2018 in Florida Accidental deaths in Florida Big Cypress National Preserve Collier County, Florida Deaths by person in Florida Deaths by starvation Formerly missing people Missing person cases in New York (state) Hikers

Background

Discovery of body and investigation

Identification

See also

References

External links