Vance John Rodriguez, also known as “Mostly Harmless”, led a mysterious and transient existence. Originally from Louisiana, he eventually made his way to Brooklyn, New York. Despite the aliases he used like “Denim” and “Ben Bilemy”, his true identity was finally revealed in December 2020 after being found deceased in Florida in 2018.
His story sheds light on the complexities and unknown aspects of his personal life. At 15, he tried to end his life by shooting himself in the stomach. He changed his mind and signaled for help as a truck passed by. He was rescued and survived with a scar from the surgery on his abdomen.
Vance John Rodriguez In ‘Mostly Harmless’
Rodriguez, a quite ordinary man from a small town left a trail of mystery and intrigue in his wake. ‘Mostly Harmless’ is a new true-crime documentary released on MAX that delves into the case of Vance John Rodriguez.
In 2018, a very skinny man was found dead in the Florida wilderness. No one knew who he was, so it became a big mystery that lasted almost three years.
Vance John Rodriguez, who is referred to as “Mostly Harmless” by the hiking community, is the subject of an investigation in the new Max documentary titled “They Called Him Mostly Harmless,” which was directed by Patricia Gillespie, who has won an Emmy Award. In an interview with Fox Gillespie told,
“This mystery holds a bigger story,” Gillespie told Fox News Digital. It’s about how we live our lives online and the mythmaking that happens in the digital space. It wasn’t just about Mostly Harmless, it was also about the community, the hiking community, that came together to find him. And I think a lot of that generosity gets overlooked online — people who are willing to donate their time to try and help bring answers to somebody’s family.”
Eight months before to Rodriguez’s passing, hiker Brandon Dowell meet Rodriguez who was also known as “Denim” for his habit of wearing jeans. They met in Georgia.
“I thought I was going to be camping by myself that night,” Dowell told Fox News Digital. “I looked up, and I saw this fellow, this scraggly guy, come marching out of the woods. My first impression was, ‘Man, this guy looks like he’s been out for a long time.’ You can see the wear and tear on his backpack. He looked tired and worn out.”
The duo instantly bonded over difficult childhoods, fathers, girlfriends, and social stigma. Rodriguez, 42, didn’t remain in touch after they parted ways the next day. Dowell said,
“I remember asking him, ‘Are you sure you don’t want to exchange emails or something? He just shook his head no. He looked really sad about it. We shook hands and that was it. It was tough. You want to hang onto that connection, but that’s just how it is on the trail. Maybe you’ll see him again later, maybe not. It’s cool. You’ll meet new people that same day and it’ll be fine. But it was weird. I wanted to keep in touch.”
Dowell was concerned when a corpse was uncovered in a yellow tent. No wallet, phone, or ID were located on the body. No tattoos, only an abdominal scar.
Investigators found $3,500 cash, computer code notebooks, and lots of food. The 83-pound man’s DNA and fingerprints didn’t match any databases. No family members searched a lost relative.
His appearance was basically harmless. Detectives were puzzled. One Facebook group of amateur investigators tried to identify the died hiker.
Rodriguez’s last hours are unknown. The documentary suggests that he may have starved himself to death. There was no suspicion of fraud. Dowell then wrote a song on his experience as a Bombadier. The experience made it easier for him to deal with the information he and the hiking community learned.
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