Deceased hiker, known as 'Mostly Harmless,' identified after more than two years
Jake Allen
A hiker found dead in a tent in Big Cypress National Preserve has been identified after more than two years and much interest from the public.
The man, who went by trail names "Denim" and "Mostly Harmless,” was an IT worker in New York with roots in Louisiana. His name was Vance Rodriguez.
His body, weighing 83 pounds, was found at Nobles Campground by two hikers on July 23, 2018. The Collier County Sheriff’s Office announced he was identified on Tuesday.
Timeline:Deceased hiker 'Mostly Harmless' has been identified after two years. Here's a timeline of the case
Rodriguez was born in 1976 and from Lafayette Parish in Louisiana.
He interacted with others along the Appalachian and Florida trails and detectives even had clear photos of him along the way, but Rodriguez did not have a cellphone, credit cards or any form of identification.
Detectives found hiking gear, two notebooks and about $3,640 in his tent, about 5 miles north of Interstate 75 in Collier County.
Rodriguez appears to have died of natural causes, according to investigators. He began his hike on the Appalachian Trail in 2017, using paper maps to navigate south toward Florida.
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Rodriguez reached Southwest Florida by April 2018, the last time a witness reported seeing him on the trail, according to the sheriff’s office.
Investigators thought Rodriguez had ties to New York state and Louisiana and might have worked in the technology industry. His death drew attention from the hiking community, folks in the tech industry and true crime fans.
Mostly Harmless’ story was covered by news outlets across the country and Facebook groups with thousands of members popped up with the purpose of combing through clues to try and identify him.
A former coworker of Rodriguez saw his photo online and reached out to the sheriff’s office, solving the case. The coworker provided the agency with Rodriguez’s name and photos.
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The Collier County Sheriff’s Office then enlisted the help of the Lafayette Parish County Sheriff’s Office in contacting Rodriguez’s family in Louisiana.
The family agreed to provide a DNA sample for comparison and a positive identification was made, according to the sheriff’s office.
“We are glad to have solved this case,” said Collier Detective David Hurm. “We want to thank the community for their interest and for circulating the information that eventually reached the right person.”