A Nameless Hiker And The Case The Internet Can’t Crack

Women seemed to find him attractive. Avid hikers respected his endurance and hard-core commitment. He didn’t carry a cell phone with him, ever. Most importantly of all, he didn’t have a name. Known by many as “Mostly Harmless”, his body was discovered in a yellow tent in Big Cypress National Preserve, about a year after people first met him in a state park just north of New York City. Mostly Harmless met many people on his trek south, yet in the end, he remains a John Doe with no one to claim him. His story still has authorities struggling to find his identity and the internet buzzing with people trying to help solve the case. (1)

Nameless Hiker’s Aliases

According to those who encountered him in their travels, many dubbed the nameless hiker as “Denim”. However, others knew him by the name he gave himself, “Mostly Harmless”. When he had to sign his name, he used Ben Bilemy. I suppose somewhere between the nicknames and his alias lies the truth. (1)

Nameless Hiker’s Encounters

Those who met him remember his massive backpack, perhaps too big for his journey. He also had distinct black-and-copper trekking poles, one of the items people confirmed to be those of Mostly Harmless. He encountered many on his journey: (1)

“Obsidian” in Virginia: He traveled 100 miles with 66-year-old Obsidian, a woman who says she taught him how to build a fire. She remembers he wanted to see a bear. (1)
Matt Mason in northern Georgia: In December 2017 Mostly Harmless paid Matt Mason $5 cash for a map of a trail Matt recommended he take to the Florida Keys. His lack of technology impressed Matt who thought, “Oh, this guy’s awesome.” (1)

Matt’s Friend in Alabama: Two weeks after meeting Mostly Harmless Matt heard from a friend who spotted him hiking in a snowstorm in Alabama. “He was out there with a smile on his face, walking south,” says Matt. (1)
Kelly Fairbanks, Highway 90, Florida: Known as a “trail angel” who keeps a watch out for hikers in need, Kelly Fairbanks pulled over when she spotted Mostly Harmless on the highway. Thinking she knew him, she wanted to help. They chatted for a time and she remembers him as much younger than she first thought. “He had very kind eyes. I saw the huge beard first and thought, ‘It’s an older guy.’ But his eyes were so young, and he didn’t have crow’s feet. I realized he was a lot younger. I remembered him because I was worried.” (1)
Two More Hikers in Big Cypress National Preserve: On July 23, 2018, about 600 miles from where Mostly Harmless met Kelly, two hikers found his yellow tent and sadly, his lifeless body. (1)

Nameless Hiker Online Search

To this day searches for missing persons reports, DNA, fingerprints, military records, law enforcement databases, the Department of Justice, CODIS, the FBI’s national DNA database, facial recognition databases, or something recognizable like distinguishing tattoos all failed to lead to his identity. (1)

As a result of their fruitless search, investigators posted his image to share with the public in hand with pictures of his gear. Kelly Fairbanks recognized his face immediately. “I started freaking out,” she says. Unfortunately, she could not help. (1)

More people recognized him and provided images and videos of Mostly Harmless. Many had vague recollections like he may have had a sister, or they believed he was from Sarasota. Or maybe it was Saratoga. (1)

Crowdfunded DNA Search

Despite obsessive searches online by many wanting to help, we still don’t know who Mostly Harmless was. As a last-ditch effort, organizers of the Facebook group searching for Mostly Harmless’ identity reached out to Othram, a company known for solving cold cases. Crowdfunding is covering the cost of their search and the highly specific testing has so far uncovered important details about Mostly Harmless’s DNA. Now a long wait for a search on a service called GEDMatch, another DNA database, is underway. (1)

There is still a chance the GEDMatch search might finally identify the nameless hiker. However, as a mother, I can’t shake the sadness and feeling of loss. This young man must be missed by someone who thinks he disappeared off the face of the earth — yet no one is here to mourn him. (1)