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- [00:02]
Maggie Freeling
You're listening to a Tenderfoot TV podcast. Just got a new puppy or kitten. Congrats. But also yikes. Between crates, beds, toys, treats and those first few vet visits, you've probably already dropped a small fortune. Which is where Lemonade Pet Insurance comes in. It helps cover vet costs so you can focus on what's best for your new pet. The coverage is customizable, sign up is quick and easy, and your claims are handled in as little as three seconds. Lemonade offers a package specifically for puppies and kittens. Get a'llemonade.com pet your future self will thank you. Your pet won't. They don't know what insurance is.
- [00:42]
Liam Luxon
My name is Ed. Everyone say hello Ed. I'm from a very rural background myself. My dad is a farmer and my mum is a cousin. So like, it's not like what do.
- [00:52]
Narrator/Host
You get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? I know it sounds like the start of a bad joke, but that really was my reality nine years ago.
- [01:01]
Liam Luxon
I just normally do straight stand up, but this is a bit different.
- [01:05]
Narrator/Host
On stage stood a comedian with a story that no one expected to hear.
- [01:10]
Liam Luxon
On 22 July 2015, a 23 year old man had killed his family and then he came to my house.
- [01:23]
Narrator/Host
So what do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? A new podcast called Wisecrack, where stand up comedy and murder take center stage. Available now. Listen to Wisecrack on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [01:43]
John
Up and Vanish Weekly is released every Wednesday and brought to you absolutely free, but for one week early access and ad free listening. Subscribe to Tenderfoot plus at tenderfootplus.com or on Apple Podcasts. If you're already a subscriber, thank you for your.
- [02:01]
Narrator/Host
This podcast discusses mature and sensitive content, including descriptions of violence that may be triggering for some audiences. Listener discretion is advised. Hey y'. All. Welcome back to another episode of up and Vanish Weekly. I'm Maggie Freeling. Today we are traveling outside of the US to explore the strange disappearance of a nomadic world traveler. Justin Alexander was a seasoned explorer and travel expert. Friends and family remember him as a kind person who lit a fire in people, but Justin had a restless spirit, so it was no surprise when he quit conventional life at 32 to travel the world indefinitely. But what is surprising is when he left a cryptic message on social media, followed an alleged holy man on a spiritual quest into the Himalayas and never returned. In 2020, another outdoor enthusiast came across Justin's story and found himself quickly heading to the Himalayas to start a three year investigation. After we lay the groundwork about what happened to Justin, I'll speak with that podcaster Liam Luxon about his journey making status untraced exploring Justin Alexander's strange disappearance. But first, here's Rob with the details.
- [03:51]
Narrator
It's August 18, 2016. Nestled deep in the remote and unforgiving terrain of the Himalayas, 36 year old adventurer Justin Alexander Shetler powers up his laptop drafting the latest entry of his travel block.
- [04:08]
Justin Alexander (via travel blog excerpts)
After some solitude in the caves at 10,000ft in the Indian Himalaya, I made my way down to the sacred hot springs of Kirganga where I could warm my bones and watch the sunrise. One morning I was walking by the smoky stone hut of a Naga Baba type of Hindu holy man. He had been watching me come down the mountain and he waved me inside. Over the next two weeks we became friends. I think he invited me along on his pilgrimage. Three days hardtrek to a lake at 13,000ft and then 10 days meditating in a place without vegetation or wood to burn. Then three days back to a small village. I've been cold, feeling a bit malnourished. I think that this is going to be a challenge on every level and I'm nervous.
- [05:04]
Narrator
Justin isn't a casual backpacking tourist. He's a wilderness survival expert trained to endure harsh terrain and anything the region may bring. But despite his trepidation about the hike, it seems the bigger challenge may be Justin's travel companion.
- [05:22]
Justin Alexander (via travel blog excerpts)
He speaks no English besides good and yoga, and I'm not totally sure why I was invited. He follows a strict spiritual routine that I know nothing about, but really don't know what to expect.
- [05:38]
Narrator
At face value, the post earmarks the latest chapter in Justin's wayfaring lifestyle. But when he vanished somewhere in the rugged landscape of the Himalayas, many began to speculate about the blog's peculiar sign off.
- [05:53]
Justin Alexander (via travel blog excerpts)
I should return mid September or so. If I'm not back by then, don't look for me.
- [06:02]
Narrator
It's been nearly 10 years since Justin shared this ominous message, and the events that followed still remain a mystery. Was his disappearance an unfortunate coincidence or a cloaked revelation that he never intended to return? From Tenderfoot TV in Atlanta, this is up and Vanish Weekly with Payne, Lindsay and Maggie Freeling.
- [06:53]
Narrator/Host
Justin's family and friends were shocked when they received news he was missing. Certainly the spirited adventurer with the mantra be kind, do epic shit would not voluntarily disappear. He had too much life to live and explore. Justin had been building his own brand with the Adventures of Justin Instagram, where he documented his journeys like a travel influencer. And he had a good following. By all appearances, Justin was living his authentic life and loving it. In 2009, he started a successful tech company. But he was conflicted about it. Justin felt like he wasn't doing anything worthwhile. And around this time, Justin also became a monk. So a few Years later, in 2013, he sold everything he owned and quit conventional life. The only things he kept was his Royal Enfield motorcycle, his computer, his phone, his passport, change of clothes, some toiletries and a credit card. Whatever could fit in a backpack. He later wrote, I'm running from a life that isn't authentic. I'm running away from monotony and towards novelty, towards wonder, awe, and the things that make me feel vibrantly alive. And this jump started Justin's journey of living abroad as a nomad while searching for deeper meaning in life. Justin had been in wilderness adventure school since 15. He knew how to survive anywhere. He had lived on a sailboat and explored unchartered islands. He spearfished and tracked wolves. He learned to build winter resistance shelters from foliage. Justin was fully trained and equipped to survive nearly anything. Which only makes his disappearance all the more concerning, especially with the cryptic message, if I'm not back by September, don't look for me. Justin's family thought, certainly his disappearance is not some kind of accident. So what exactly happened to Justin in the wilderness of India? Here's what we know about the timeline of events.
- [09:14]
Narrator
Days after his post, Justin made what would inevitably be his final calls to his mother, father and friend Linda Bourini, informing them of his plans. Sometime around August 24, Justin and Baba began their trek into the mountains of North India, joined by Anil Kumar, a porter who helped carry supplies for the journey. Because the area is remote and communication with the outside world is the limited, not much is known about their expedition into the mountains. For days, Justin's loved ones carried on as normal, anticipating a check in when he returned to the village. But after weeks with no news, Linda grew concerned and contacted her and Justin's mutual friend Chris, who was also in the Parvati Valley.
- [10:06]
Chris
She was like, yeah, I feel something's wrong. Have you seen Justin? I was like, no, but he's up there and he's planning to stay for a while, you know, so I wouldn't get worried. Justin, he's a big boy.
- [10:17]
Narrator
By mid September, Justin had yet to resurface. So Chris hiked 8km into the mountains to a Campground called Kirganga, where Justin was supposed to have returned.
- [10:30]
Chris
And when I did go, the Bubba was back. He was in his hut, but there was no Justin. So I went over and interrogated him gently, you know, And I think at that time he had told me that they were walking back together and that Justin had decided to turn around and go back towards the lake with another group of trekkers. And I found that a little bizarre. I told Linda what I had heard, but that's kind of like when we started to feel that, yeah, there might be something a little weird going on.
- [11:04]
Narrator
By September 30, Linda informed Justin's mother, Susie Reeb, about her concerns. And word of Justin's disappearance quickly began to spread. Soon after, a family friend gave his loved ones a much needed tip. A photo of Justin was discovered on Facebook posted on September 3. It was uploaded by an Indian hiker who supposedly passed Justin on the trail. In the photo, the man is grinning and holding Justin's walking staff. Justin stands next to him wearing a gray headband and a dark brown shawl. His mouth is clenched and his face appears worn and tired. While the pictures gave a spark of hope that Justin may be alive and well, loved ones couldn't help but wonder why he still hadn't made contact.
- [12:00]
Narrator/Host
Chris waited a few weeks to report Justin missing to local police. But by early October 2016, Justin hadn't returned. So it was time. Though he says the police were slow to take action.
- [12:14]
Chris
It was just like, oh, yeah, okay, another white boy lost in the mountain. It's not like, common common, but it's happened quite often.
- [12:23]
Narrator/Host
At the same time, Justin's mom, Susie Reeb, set up a GoFundMe to raise money to do their own search efforts, and it was gaining traction. More people were learning about Justin's disappearance, including a friend Justin met on his travels. Jonathan Skeels. Jonathan Skeels races to meet Justin's mom, Susie at Heathrow Airport. Together, they embark on the long flight to New Delhi, where they meet with embassy officials, plead for help, and then continue north to the mountains.
- [12:56]
Jonathan Skeeles
It's like an 8am arrival, 10am we were sitting in the offices of the superintendent of police and had the baba brought in for questioning right in front of us. I got video of us hearing him explain his side of the story. I'm sure that wouldn't happen in Mumbai or in Delhi, but it's in these hodunk little backstations, you know, there was a lot of attention being brought to it, so they were trying to appease me. In any way.
- [13:24]
Narrator/Host
What Baba Rawat says is translated by officers and locals who were in the room.
- [13:31]
Jonathan Skeeles
The first story was that Justin went back up into the mountains after they had a disagreement. The next version was Justin was ahead of him and it was pretty cool. Clear that his story was changing. There was just too many versions.
- [13:46]
Narrator/Host
The porter is also questioned, but let go. In the following days, Jonathan Skeeles started his own investigation and he found out shocking information about the Baba.
- [13:59]
Jonathan Skeeles
He was very much a fake holy man. He known for stealing from all the different camps and, you know, he had a Serious drug habit.
- [14:09]
Narrator/Host
October 13, 2016. About two weeks after the police are informed of Justin's disappearance, Justin's mom Susie files an official missing persons report. As the circumstances surrounding Justin's disappearance became more dire, Susie pays for a helicopter to scour the vast mountain terrain.
- [14:33]
Jonathan Skeeles
We just went flying around, just getting a survey of the area, just hoping that someone crawled out behind rock with a broken leg, you know, waving a flag.
- [14:43]
Narrator/Host
But that didn't happen.
- [14:51]
Narrator
As the search for Justin intensified, concern for his well being increased. The region where Justin was hiking is known for its unforgiving topography and penchant for crimes towards outsiders. Justin's mom Susie would later share these concerns with the Portland Tribune.
- [15:10]
Narrator/Host
There have been 15 people who have gone missing in that valley since 1998. And they were all like Justin, experienced and trained in survival. None of them have been found except the ones who are found dead. That valley is beautiful and enchanting, but it's very dangerous. Nefarious things happen there.
- [15:34]
Narrator
As police continued their investigation, they quickly focused on his travel companion, Baba Ruwat, whose story always seemed to be changing. On October 15, Bhabha was taken into custody on a 15 day hold. The next day, the state government authorized Jonathan Skeeles to conduct another helicopter search accompanied by an Indian mountaineer. Eventually, the team dropped at the suspected location where the last photo was taken. Adjacent to the powerful and immense Parvati River.
- [16:07]
Jonathan Skeeles
It's well accepted that the river, it tears up bodies and stuff that's never found. They talk about this one instant where a bus went off the side of a cliff and the river never gave the bus back or the 50 people that were in it.
- [16:23]
Narrator
As the team descended the mountain, they began canvassing on and off the trail. Before long, the search turned up promising clues.
- [16:31]
Jonathan Skeeles
We found a bunch of items. There was like a headband he was wearing and lighter and a couple other bits. It was the only point on the trail that's like knife edge and all it would take is someone behind you to come up and just give you that tiny little nudge. Anyone could have pushed him there.
- [16:49]
Narrator
A few days after the discovery of Justin's belongings, authorities were dealt a major blow in their search for answers. On the evening of October 21, Baba Ruat was found hanging by his cloth dodie in his cell at the Manikaram police station. Attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful. Because his death came on the heels of newly recovered evidence, Justin's close circle was left to wonder what it really meant.
- [17:18]
Jonathan Skeeles
There's two ways that story ends. He committed suicide because he was ashamed of what he did. Or, you know, maybe the local police were liking all the extra attention that was being bought because of the missing American and maybe they just, you know, kindly strung him up.
- [17:35]
Narrator
In another strange twist, the porter, Anil Kumar, who had been accompanying a police search team up in the valley, was placed under arrest on suspicion of foul play. Desperate for answers, Jonathan Skeeles and Susie Reeb sat down with Anil hoping to learn what this all could mean about Justin's disappearance.
- [17:57]
Liam Luxon
Your interrogation of the porter, what was that like?
- [18:00]
Jonathan Skeeles
That was more of please tell us, like clear your conscience kind of thing. We didn't really suspect him, you know, he was probably just in the wrong place at the wrong time is my conclusion.
- [18:17]
Narrator/Host
Again, Susie and Jonathan were allowed to question a prime suspect in a murder investigation. But they didn't get anything from the porter and he's eventually released. So Susie and Jonathan continue to prepare for their final helicopter trip to search for Justin. This time they were in full force. A police team and a tracker helped. Below the helicopter, a crew hiked to the location where Justin's belongings were found but return empty handed.
- [18:49]
Jonathan Skeeles
We went back with an Indian forensic team. That was kind of a bit of a joke, you know, all the flows off the side of the mountain was starting to freeze over and it was getting cold. At that point they're like, well, prime suspect dead. The family is accepted that their son is not coming back. So their interest in solving the mystery waned pretty quickly.
- [19:13]
Narrator/Host
Eventually, Jonathan's mom Susie heads home to Oregon without ever knowing what happened to her son. Some people believe Justin voluntarily went back up the mountain seeking solitude and a spiritual experience. And he may still be living in solace somewhere. Others think as a foreigner, Justin seemed to be an easy target and was the victim of foul play. And some think it was just a tragic accident. Perhaps he fell or was attacked by wildlife. A couple of years ago, the tenderfoot team looked into Justin's disappearance and they Documented everything in the podcast Status untraced.
- [19:53]
Maggie Freeling
Host Liam Luxon and his producer Alex.
- [19:56]
Narrator/Host
Vespested actually went to the remote Parvati Valley in search of answers. I sat down with Liam to talk about his boots on the ground investigation, Justin theories and what he thinks may have happened. When we come back from the break, we'll bring you our conversation.
- [20:18]
Jonathan Skeeles
In 1988, a small new Jersey town is shaken by horror. A devoted mother murdered, satanic symbols scattered throughout her home and her teenage son vanish without a trace. Was this a demonic ritual or a calculated act of evil? Horror master Eli Roth unravels a terrifying truth in Let the Devil In. Now streaming new episodes Sundays exclusively on mgm.
- [20:45]
Liam Luxon
Packages by Expedia. You were made to occasionally take the hard route to the top of the Eiffel Tower. We were made to easily bundle your trip Expedia made to travel flight inclusive packages are atoll protected.
- [21:02]
Narrator/Host
And we're back.
- [21:05]
Maggie Freeling
Liam, thank you for joining me today on up and Vanish Weekly and sitting down with me to talk about Justin's case.
- [21:11]
Liam Luxon
Yeah, thank you, Maggie, for having me on.
- [21:14]
Maggie Freeling
So your introduction into the world of podcasting was a bit different and how you found Justin's case.
- [21:22]
Narrator/Host
So can you actually explain that to listeners?
- [21:25]
Liam Luxon
Yeah. Yeah. So I was, I was just at a house party and I met Alex Vespa stead. He had made the show with Neil Strauss called To Live and Die in la. That show just hooked me so fast. And I listened to the entire show in under 24 hours, as my Spotify wrapped told me later. But we got to talking about what we really wanted to do, really with life and stuff. And I was kind of in this weird little point where I had no idea what I was doing. I had bought a camera because I wanted to go travel and I had always had these aspirations of being a little bit nomadic. And I was really feeling it at the time. So he was like, you should check out this story, because I think it'd be fascinating. And he pulled up a couple articles for me and I immediately got hooked. I started reading all of Justin's Instagram and was just like, this is the craziest story I've ever. I've ever seen.
- [22:14]
Maggie Freeling
So what did you find interesting about his case? Like, what was it that hooked you?
- [22:20]
Liam Luxon
I mean, I think any case that that ends with I should be back mid September. If I'm not back by then, don't come looking for me. And then he never comes back is always fascinating. Adding on top of that that he was a survival expert. Like, he's trained Like Navy seals, he spoke to bird language. He's lived with indigenous tribes. Like, this dude is not the guy that just accidentally goes missing. I was just fascinated, but I was more fascinated by him specifically. And then the case just made it way more fascinating to me.
- [22:54]
Maggie Freeling
So how did you go from having an interest in this disappearance, which many people do, to actually being like, I'm going to India and I'm going to find out what happened to this guy?
- [23:03]
Liam Luxon
I definitely didn't want to do just a quick reporting on it. I wanted to investigate it. We were kind of fighting travel restrictions for about a year and a half before India reopened. Because at that point in time, India was closed down for all travelers.
- [23:17]
Maggie Freeling
For Covid?
- [23:18]
Liam Luxon
Yes, for Covid. And so a bunch of people were dying. So it was literally, I think they had. There was like a year and a half lockdown that nobody was able to get in. So we weren't able to get visas. We had had everything planned and ready to go. We just were waiting for us to be able to get into the country. Our first step was see what had happened and what had been investigated before. Our next step was learn everything we possibly could about Justin and follow a digital trail, like create a digital trail, see whatever digital trail there was. And then third was, once we were finally in India, talk to every single person that we could that was connected to him. So Nirmal, the last person to see him, the cops that were there, the people at the jail, anybody that talked to Baba, really any connection along there.
- [23:59]
Maggie Freeling
What wasn't clear cut about it to you? Why did you think it needed a deeper look?
- [24:05]
Liam Luxon
The thing that really stuck out to me was how certain the mom and the friend that led the investigation, Jonathan Skeeles, were about the fact that he was killed or that there was foul play. If your kid goes missing in another country and then you end up not hearing from him, then you hear some. Some weird things that make you sketched out. You start to assign certain things that these people may be saying as being nefarious or whatever. And that's not necessarily fair. Understanding the culture from their perspective, not a Western perspective, like understanding what was weird and what wasn't. I think that's. That's something that becomes lost in an international case like this.
- [24:50]
Maggie Freeling
I'm imagining you made some conclusions in your investigation, but then you were open to all possibilities. He could have run off. You thought that was possible too.
- [25:00]
Liam Luxon
Pretty much every day while we were there, when it really started getting moving, I started changing what I thought happened in my mind. Almost every day. Um, it was within the span of six hours. I'd be like, oh, I think this is what's happening. Oh, no, it was foul play. Oh, no, he's still alive, and he's there. It was kind of crazy, because this thing called India syndrome, it's when Westerners go to India, get fascinated by the lifestyle and, like, just disappear. They give up everything. And so I was kind of, like, walking through these towns that, you know, he could still technically be at any person that maybe could look like him. You know, long, blonde, straggly hair. I'd be like, I was just trying to catch his face because I wasn't sure if it could be him.
- [25:38]
Maggie Freeling
I would love if you could describe this area. You know, you were there. I don't often get to talk to people who went to India to investigate a disappearance. So what does it look like? And what are some things that, as someone who hasn't been there that I. I wouldn't know, that I should know?
- [25:54]
Liam Luxon
It feels like you step back in time, first and foremost, like, flying into this place. We're on this, like, twin turbine plane, and this is the only plane that can fly up to. To this airport because it's so small. And so you're coming in, and you're breaking through all of the smog of New Delhi and everything else, and then you're suddenly, like, realizing that all these mountaintops that are peeking through the clouds are the Himalayas. It's by far the coolest flight I've ever been on in my life. It feels like you stepped into Colorado and. Which I grew up in a little bit. So it's funny, it just felt very similar in that there's a lot of active lifestyle, very nature kind of going on in everywhere. The actual valley where Justin went missing, which is called the Parvati Valley, as soon as you land, you drive about 10 minutes, and all across the river is just this. It reminds me of the Syria, like, Sierra Nevadas, if you've ever been to the Sierra Nevadas, just because the elevation change is staggering. It really is. It looks like there's, like, 6,000ft of elevation difference from the bottom to the top. And it's just this kind of, like, perfect V that you're just driving into. The road is so serpentine, and it looks like maybe it'll fit one, like, one and a half cars, but two people are moving down it just like normal. Off to the. Like, the left of you is 600ft, just down to this cascading rapids. And so you drive on this for about an hour before you get to this town called Cosold. It's like the hippie fun, rave parties. Everybody from all over India comes up here to smoke weed and hang out. It's like Yosemite, but spring break Yosemite, really. And so there's tour buses that are also coming on these same roads, which is absurd because these roads are tiny. So from this, this town that's down there, you have to, you drive about another hour and a half to the beginning of this trail, which is about a four hour hike to this campground. It looks like a medieval military campground with just these giant tents for, I don't know, half a mile. And this is where Justin found a cave, slept in the cave, and met the Baba who was in like one of these tents just smoking.
- [28:07]
Maggie Freeling
Yeah. So I want to talk about the Baba. So he's kind of really the central character in all of this. He was the primary and to me the best person of interest. So tell me about the Baba. Who is this guy?
- [28:22]
Liam Luxon
Yeah. So I guess first we should define what a Baba is. It's a holy man. Try to emulate most Shiva, who is like the creator destroyer. And they do a lot of yoga. It's really mastering their own. It's mastering their own body. So sometimes some of them will stand on one leg for years. Some of them will never have sex again, but they're almost always smoking weed. The one that I met was sitting next to the hot springs and he said his purpose was to make sure the hot springs stay hot. Like there was no greater purpose than that. But he would sit there and then you could sit down there and smoke with him, talk to him for a little bit. He'd ask you for a little bit of. A little bit of money. They're essentially beggars.
- [29:00]
Maggie Freeling
So when he starts hanging out with Baba Rawat, his friends didn't really like this. They didn't get a good vibe from Baba Rawat. What was that about? What did people tell you?
- [29:10]
Liam Luxon
He had this reputation of being kind of a con man. He was known as this Baba that had like these big like almost cancerous balls, like all like skin disease all over him. And so he was kind of old and decrepit, but Justin was fascinated by him pretty, pretty quickly and started smoking with him a lot. And he could say a few things in English, but for the most part he spoke Hindi and Justin didn't speak Hindi. So he actually had his friend Sapna, she would translate for them. And so Baba Rawat said, hey, you know I'm going to Mantalai Lake, which is this glacier fed lake that Shiva meditated at. And you know, you should come with me. Swapna believed that Baba Rawat thought that Justin was looking for a guru and wanted to be that guru for him. And so he invited him along to this, this trek to go, to go with him. Swapna also thought it was weird how much Baba Rawat was asking for money or more smoke from him. So much so that she actually scolded Baba Rawat for doing, for asking for it. There was definitely some weird things that were going on with the Baba.
- [30:12]
Maggie Freeling
I mean, how do you see him in this story now?
- [30:17]
Liam Luxon
Yeah, the suicide story doesn't really make any sense to me if I'm being honest. The circumstances of him hanging himself three days before he's about to be released.
- [30:24]
Maggie Freeling
Culturally, would that make sense either? Like some rel. You know, it's a sin. Like would that be something?
- [30:29]
Liam Luxon
No, it would be against what they believe. So Baba's believe in no self harm. There's certain sects that are different again, but no harm and that includes self harm. So for me, I don't personally believe that he committed suicide. I think that this case had become the biggest case that the valley has ever seen. You know, it had prime ministers and you know, giving out helicopters and stuff. And so I think they just wanted it to end and be done with. And so I see the Baba as being a victim now rather than the perpetrator. I think he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was said that he had all these different stories that he was saying originally. I think those were misunderstood. I did talk to Sapna who was the person interrogating him originally and conveying it to another westerner. And the Westerner is the one that thought it was weird afterwards. She didn't really think it was weird. She didn't think he had anything to do with. Sounds like he probably wasn't the most authentic Baba in the world. It sounds like he was honestly just kind of trying to smoke a lot of weed and hang out. But nothing about what he did actually sounds sketchy. The more that you talk to locals. For me it's just really hard to think that oh, he would kill somebody for a phone that he wouldn't use and then stay in the area for months afterwards. You know, even when he knows the cops are coming in and people are being like, hey, this is a, this is bad for you. I don't entirely write out foul play. Like I think there could have been somebody that did. We just don't know who it is. I just don't think that it was the baba.
- [32:08]
Maggie Freeling
We'll be right back after a quick.
- [32:09]
Narrator/Host
Break.
- [32:14]
Maggie Freeling
At New Balance. We believe if you run, you're a runner, however you choose to do it.
- [32:26]
Narrator/Host
Because when you're not worried about doing.
- [32:28]
Maggie Freeling
Things the right way.
- [32:31]
Narrator/Host
You'Re free to discover your way.
- [32:34]
Maggie Freeling
And that's what running is all about. Run your way@newbalance.com running she's made up.
- [32:43]
Jonathan Skeeles
Her mind to live pretty smart, learn to budget responsibly right from the start.
- [32:50]
Liam Luxon
She spends a little less in, puts more into savings, keeps her blood pressure low and credit score raises. She's cutting debt right out of her life.
- [33:02]
Jonathan Skeeles
She tracks her cash flow on a spreadsheet at night.
- [33:05]
Liam Luxon
Boring money moves make kind of lame songs but they sound pretty sweet to your wallet.
- [33:09]
Narrator
BNC bank brilliantly boring since 1865.
- [33:15]
Narrator/Host
And now here's John with this week's critical missing case.
- [33:20]
John
Today's case comes to us from namus. Now, according to the outlet, authorities are seeking help locating a man who recently went missing from the Greensburg, Pennsylvania area. According to the site, 36 year old Reuben Carranza has not been seen since July 29, 2025. The report states that Reuben's phone pinged off a cell Tower at 7:49am in the area of Mount Pleasant Township on Tuesday, July 29, but no one has had contact with him since July 28. Now it's believed that Rubin may be in a white 2002 Toyota Avalon with Pennsylvania tag Hotel Sierra Golf 7080. Rubin is described as being a Hispanic and Caucasian male between 5 foot 7 inches and 5 foot 8 inches tall with a weight between 130 and 140 pounds. He has brown hair and brown eyes. Listeners, we need your help spreading the word about Ruben. You can check out the up and Vanish weekly Instagram page a weekly to see a picture of Ruben and to share our post for more visibility. And lastly, if you've seen Reuben or if you know any information about where he might be, please contact the city of Greensburg Police Department at 724-834-3800.
- [34:37]
Narrator/Host
All right, we're back.
- [34:39]
Maggie Freeling
Is there any evidence that Justin was selling drugs or hash or anything like that that could have been a motive for his disappearance?
- [34:49]
Liam Luxon
Not only was he just selling it, he was like letting people know that he had it too, that he had all this hash that he wanted to, that he wanted to sell. He didn't have a lot of hash on him on the trek and most of it, like, there was a full kilo that was found later in this stashed bag that he had by his friends. Yes, yes. There definitely could have been a motive there if there was, like, a bad drug deal or something that happened. So this area that he went missing in is, like, known as a Bermuda Triangle for backpackers, because people go missing here all the time. Soon after getting into the actual valley, we had met with, he was a search and rescue guy that worked with the cops all the time. He told us that somebody had just gotten robbed on the same trail that Justin had gone missing on about a week or so earlier. I came up with this plan to essentially try to bait whoever might be robbing somebody along there by, like, hiking most of this first part of the trek. That's the most populated part, like, alone, just to try to bait them to get somebody to come out and, you know, try to rob me so we could, you know, talk to them. There's so many cases that have gone missing here that we were always wondering if it was related. Like, there was a guy that went missing a month before we got there, and he turned up dead. His head was separated from the rest of his body, too, which is crazy.
- [36:05]
Maggie Freeling
Yeah, that sounds crazy. So were you guys ever thinking maybe Justin's disappearance there was a serial killer or something like that?
- [36:13]
Liam Luxon
In the early 2000s, there was a lot of gang activity. The best hash in the world comes from this valley as well. And so there's a lot of drug trade that moves through here. There's also just this group of people that, for a while, were killing tourists and stealing their stuff. In the early 2000s, it was speculated that it was all, like, the same group of people that were doing this.
- [36:33]
Maggie Freeling
I mean, in terms of a voluntary disappearance, where did you guys come out on that? Does he seem like the kind of person that would voluntarily disappear? Was there perhaps some mental illness or India syndrome or anything like that? In terms of that theory, where do you guys come out?
- [36:52]
Liam Luxon
I think he definitely is somebody that could disappear, not only just from a. Like, physically he could, but I think that, like, mentally, he's kind of. He was kind of there.
- [37:02]
Maggie Freeling
You think he was kind of there, like, he was ready to maybe check out?
- [37:06]
Liam Luxon
Yeah, I think. I think that definitely could have happened.
- [37:10]
Maggie Freeling
What did you guys make of his belongings being found? I guess, in relation to this theory.
- [37:15]
Liam Luxon
That'S the part that kind of catches me and. And makes me think that it wasn't an intentional disappearance. He had, like, almost, like 700 in cash that he had stashed in another bag. He had his motorcycle still left. Back at the beginning of the trailhead, he had like a kilo of hash still there that he was selling. So like, it's hard for me to think if he was just gonna completely go off the grid that he would leave those things unless he wanted it to be intentional, that I want people to think that I'm dead. Like he would have to stage it. Like his flute, which is like kind of his walking stick, was standing straight up in the ground. Like it had been placed there. There's so many weird things about it that to me it's, it's hard to buy it, but I do think he was in the right like mental state.
- [37:57]
Maggie Freeling
Were you guys able to speak to anyone who could say, like, yeah, he was acting strange, you know, his posts might have seemed strange and off to some people.
- [38:07]
Narrator/Host
Was there anyone you spoke to that saw him and said like his behavior was off?
- [38:11]
Liam Luxon
We talked to about three people that were all that all saw him within days of him leaving. One woman that we spoke to had really said not only had she seen him acting off, but he had changed since the month before when he got there, you know, like, in that he was acting more like Yogi ish and just a little bit more reserved.
- [38:32]
Maggie Freeling
Where do these Facebook photos come in? I guess some photos were found, perhaps the last photos of Justin.
- [38:39]
Liam Luxon
Yeah, he had met one of these guys that was gonna do this trek beforehand and then he saw them while they were passing and they ended up taking a photo together. Nirmal's the guy, the name of the guy that was in the photo with him.
- [38:51]
Maggie Freeling
And what did he say about Justin and these last moments?
- [38:56]
Liam Luxon
Well, he said he was really sick looking. He was really, really thin, like he hadn't eaten. He said he was hungry. He said he had run out of food and Nirmal invited him to come with them and to eat and you know, and he was like, no, it's okay, you guys go, I'm gonna head down. But they, they smoked together and then they went their separate ways.
- [39:13]
Maggie Freeling
After your investigation and traveling to India, where does all of the evidence that you found, your interviews, where does everything lead you?
- [39:24]
Liam Luxon
Well, it feels slightly anti climatic, but I think that he slipped and fell and died.
- [39:30]
Narrator/Host
Wow.
- [39:31]
Liam Luxon
My theory is he went down to this spot next to the river, which is off the path. Like you have to walk down it a ways. He stabbed his flute into the ground, sat down, smoked a little bit of hash, which he know we know he was doing all along the trail the whole way. I just kind of assume if I put myself in his scenario that he smoked and then he looked at something and went, oh, I could take a cool photo if I did it this way. And either tried to climb up some side of the rock, prop up his camera somewhere and I think something there along that he slipped and fell into the water. And that's why we don't see his backpack. That's just my, my guess because he did a lot of self filming and vlogging. Anything dangerous made it look cooler, which is something that he's known for doing anyways. So to me that all seemed to check out and I think that was just an accident. The problem with having conclusive evidence for anything here is that it's in the middle of the mountains on a trail. There's plenty of things that can go wrong. We hiked all the way to that point. This part of the trail is literally like 75 degrees down, hundreds of feet into this river that absolutely rips bodies apart. There's this story of this school bus that had gone off the road and this river had it ripped apart. Everything. And they didn't get any, like, they didn't get anything. No bodies, no scrap metal, like nothing. It was just all ripped apart. So the current on this thing is crazy. It's glacier fed. If you ended up there, like evidence could be gone really, really quickly. There's also bears, there's also snow leopards. There's also like, there's a lot of. There's. There's so many different variables that could happen here. Part of this story, I think became very India has all these people that are just trying to kill you kind of feel to it. And it's not, it's not like that at all. Like, it's really not. This place seems the people are beautiful. The people are like so, so nice, so hospitable. You know, there's obviously shitty people everywhere. Like that always happens. But like most of these people are just so, so nice. And there was some danger that I put myself in, but I didn't feel a lot of danger outside of that. But I mean, it is a place where people go missing. But I think the number gets overstated now just because it's been nicknamed the Valley of Death. And a lot of backpackers go here. Thrill seekers go here. I mean, thrill seekers are more likely to do something stupid and die than not.
- [42:03]
Maggie Freeling
I remember listening in your podcast, some of his friends were mad at him because he's a thrill seeker and they kind of thought that perhaps, you know, your theory is correct.
- [42:13]
Liam Luxon
Yeah. And I guess I kind of come back to this point with Justin. I think he would have been less happy if he was not going on these adventures himself. Like, I think there was an internal thing that he was struggling with himself, obviously for inner peace. But the adventure part was what he lived for. He did get happiness from that. Like, we know that there's that, but I think there's just a lot of inner turmoil that he didn't solve that I think he was almost chasing and running from.
- [42:46]
Narrator/Host
We'll be back after the break.
- [42:50]
Liam Luxon
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Maggie Freeling
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- [43:45]
Maggie Freeling
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- [43:51]
John
Hey listeners, if you have a tip or theories about a case you want to share or a case of interest you'd like to recommend to us, then we want to hear from you. Email us casesenderfoot TV DM us on Instagram avweekly or give us a call at 770-545-6411. You can also join the conversation on our discord at Discord GG upandvanished. Now back to the show.
- [44:25]
Maggie Freeling
I listened to so many of these stories, right? And this one, it just felt really sad to me, like more so than a lot of them in the sense that this was a guy that was just like really seeking whatever it was, right? Whether it was religion or peace or nature, he was just seeking. And it's just really sad to me that he didn't find that and he wound up, you know, missing during whatever he was searching for. Feels so bleak to me.
- [44:54]
Liam Luxon
I liked it. So I like to think you asked what I thought. That's what I thought happened. But I like to think that he did find that, like, whatever it was, he sat there on that side of the river, and it all just kind of clicked for him. And he's like, I don't need validation from people online. I don't need all of these things. What I need is just to set myself free from all of that. And so he left it intentionally, trying to stage his look, and then went off. And he's still living, you know, somewhere in India now. That's what I like to think. And that he grew. It's not what I think happened, but I. I'd like to think that's what happened.
- [45:24]
Maggie Freeling
Did you find anything maybe pointing to that?
- [45:27]
Liam Luxon
No, but again, it's hard for me to believe that he would do that without his motorcycle. Like, he had just bought the motorcycle. He didn't have any of the money unless he truly was enlightened and he found that he didn't need anything else. And he was like, you know what? I'm just going to live off the woods. Which, I mean, he could do. He knew how to forage. So technically, you know, that's a. That's a possibility. I think the thing with Justin, he did inspire a lot of people. I've talked to so many people that like his life. Just going and following your passion, whatever that is, which for him was traveling, was exploring. Now, I think he was probably running away from things, but. But that was his passion, and that inspired so many other people that were inspired to go follow what they wanted, to do what they hope to achieve in life. He very much inspired them to go do their own thing. So as sad as the story is, it's almost beautiful in the way that he lived more lives than. Pretty much, he has more stories than I'll ever have in my life. Like, it's insane. And I think probably his biggest goal was to. To make people appreciate their lives and chase what they wanted and follow passion. I think he did that. Still. There is a beautiful, you know, piece of the story. It's just also sad because I don't think he himself found peace.
- [46:40]
Maggie Freeling
Well, Liam, it's been great speaking with you. Where can the people find you and the show if they want to listen?
- [46:46]
Liam Luxon
Yeah. So Status Untraced is the show. It's on every platform. You can follow the show. Status Untraced on Instagram. And you can follow me.
- [46:57]
Maggie Freeling
Iamluxen Very much appreciate you talking with me about this.
- [47:02]
Liam Luxon
Yeah thank you Maggie.
- [47:09]
Narrator/Host
Whatever you think happened to Justin, there is no denying he was a born adventurer.
- [47:16]
Liam Luxon
Since I was a teenager I used.
- [47:17]
Narrator
To just dress in black and try.
- [47:18]
Liam Luxon
And see if I could sneak through.
- [47:19]
Narrator
Rooftops, climbing on the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridge.
- [47:22]
Liam Luxon
Decided I wanted to go live on a sailboat and explore some uninhabited islands. I actually became the monk. On January 1st of 2007.
- [47:30]
Narrator
I did get stabbed in Thailand.
- [47:34]
Narrator/Host
Justin's drive to question, explore and figure out was and is an inspiration to many, myself included. Here are some of the comments left on Justin's Facebook page after he went missing.
- [47:49]
Liam Luxon
It is hard to see such a bright young light pass from this world.
- [47:53]
Narrator/Host
He will continue to inspire.
- [47:54]
Narrator
He was completely fearless.
- [47:56]
Liam Luxon
This is a big loss. I lit a candle for Justin with a prayer that he finds his way back home soon.
- [48:00]
Narrator/Host
I still hope and pray for you Justin Alexander There are so many questions about what happened to Justin and we may never know if he died from foul play, an accident or if he's alive and well somewhere. Whatever the case may be, he left a mark on on this world. You can check out Justin's blog and Instagram venturesofjustin Y', all. Thank you so much for listening to this week's episode of up and Vanish Weekly. Be sure to tune in next week as we dig into another new case. Until next time.
- [48:54]
Payne Lindsay
Up and Vanish Weekly is a production of Tenderfoot TV in association with Odyssey. Your hosts are Maggie Freeling and myself, Payne Lindsay. The show is written by Maggie Freeling, myself and John Street. Executive producers are Donald Albright and myself. Lead producer is John Street. Additional production by Meredith Steadman and Mike Rooney Research for the series by Jamie Albright, Celicia Stanton and Carolyn Tallmadge Edit and mix by Dylan Harrington and Sean Nurney. Supervising producer is Tracy Kaplan. Artwork by Byron McCoy. Original music by Makeup and vanity set. Special thanks to Oren Rosenbaum and the team at uta, Beck Media and Marketing and the Nord Group. For more podcasts like up and Advantage Weekly, search Tenderfoot TV on your favorite podcast app or visit us@Tenderfoot TV. Thanks for listening.
- [50:00]
Narrator/Host
Your kids could get free or low cost health coverage from Medicaid or chip. Even if you've applied before, they may be eligible now. Kids up to age 19 are covered for checkups, vaccines, dentist visits, hospital care and more. And if they already have Medicaid or CHIP, remember to renew every year. Visit insurekidsnow.gov or call 877KIDS now paid for by the U.S. department of Health and Human Services.