Laurence Kosden, 69, missing in Chiricahua Mountains

[jonathanpatt]

Last seen September 14 and reported missing September 17. His vehicle was found at Rustler Park with a parking pass good for September 14 and 15. The last person to see him was a woman also camping there who reported seeing him hiking with his cat on nearby trails. There have been no updates since September 25.

http://tucson.com/news/blogs/police-bea ... cf03d.html
http://www.kvoa.com/story/30082179/coch ... ear-portal
http://www.willcoxrangenews.com/news/ar ... ee3e5.html

[azbackpackr]

Odd there have been no updates.

[outdoor_lover]

2nd Person missing from that Area that has not been Found....

viewtopic.php?p=112547#p112547

[Cheerycow]

Both cases are still unsolved, right? Very sad. I hope that both are found. It must be terribly tough on the families.

[jonathanpatt]

Correct, both remain unsolved. Last I read about Ms. Castrejon, the Sheriff's Department was treating it as if she had been taken from the area by vehicle rather than simply being lost. They did extensive searching in the Rustler Park area and found nothing, and she disappeared within a several minute time window while on the main Rustler Park road near the restrooms by the pay station.

To have one individual disappear from there in such a mysterious manner was quite odd, but two in the same summer is quite bizarre (though probably coincidental). The Chiricahuas are also, of course, where Chiricahua National Monument Park Ranger Paul Fugate disappeared while on patrol in 1980 and was never seen again. http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/20 ... aul-fugate

[rwstorm]

Very strange indeed.

[JasonCleghorn]

I can't recall the source but someone wrote a book about all the Missing Persons in National Parks, etc. It's something that has been un-emphasized by the feds for obvious reasons, but in the past 50 years, perhaps thousands of people have gone missing from them.

I hate to say this, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least of some/many of these disappearances are related to serial killers, etc.

[chumley]

I hate to say this, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least of some/many of these disappearances are related to serial killers, etc.

As long as we're pulling theories out of thin air with absolutely no evidence to support them, shouldn't we also consider the chupacabra?

[Tough_Boots]

shouldn't we also consider the chupacabra?

I'd personally like to see a resurgence of the mogollon monster.

[outdoor_lover]

IF there was Foul Play involved and IF the two Cases are Related, I would be more inclined to think that in that Area, it would be the Work of Drug Smugglers. Two Years ago, a National Park Service Ranger was severely beaten and left for Dead in a Restroom in the Monument Area..... http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/08 ... -corridor/


But without any Clues or other Information, it could all certainly be just a Coincidence and not related at all....

[JasonCleghorn]

I hate to say this, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least of some/many of these disappearances are related to serial killers, etc.

As long as we're pulling theories out of thin air with absolutely no evidence to support them, shouldn't we also consider the chupacabra?

Great comparison. :roll:

[Cheerycow]

Remember the good old days when we only worried about bears, mosquitoes and poison ivy in the Chiricahuas? Now its drug runners, serial killers, and mythical beasts. Sheesh. The last time I was there the 6 or 7 border patrol guys I encountered seemed MUCH more nervous than me.

Of course, the idiots firing semi-automatic guns right on the 4x4 road up to Long Park had me concerned a few years ago. But all of this will not stop me from going to my favorite place. (Of course, the 15 years in New York City means I have a high tolerance for random violence.)

[rwstorm]

I share Cherrycow's sentiments of the Chiricahuas. I didn't have any sense of possible trouble the two times I camped at Rustler Park this summer, or the time I camped along West Turkey Creek.

[jonathanpatt]

I've hiked nearly weekly in the Chiricahuas for the past 3+ years and have only had two to three encounters with drug smugglers, each of which involved them rapidly getting out of our way and disappearing off the trail. They generally pose no threat to hikers, in my experience, and they generally see or hear you coming before you see them and get off trail before you even know they're there.

After the killing of the rancher Robert Krentz in 2010, the smugglers have seemed to really back off and become a lot less bold, with rumors that the cartels told them to back off from any sort of behavior against the public which might negatively impact their business. Prior to his murder they were regularly breaking into houses along the east side of the Chiricahuas, at almost a daily interval, and that stopped almost completely after (with a few exceptions). It makes sense that they don't want investigations bringing a lot of scrutiny on them and their preferred smuggling routes. Personally, I think a lot of things get blamed on them that they may have nothing to do with. (Not to suggest that they are or what they do is good in any way.) As Krentz's murder is still unsolved, it's unclear whether he even was killed by a drug smuggler.

[Cheerycow]

Has there been any new information on either disappearance?

Recently, a new friend urged me to read David Paulides' three books ("Missing 411") on missing people in National Parks (JasonCleghorn referred to the author a few posts above). I have not purchased them yet but think I might try the first one.