They Called Him "Mostly Harmless"
By celticeagle
@celticeagle (179611)
Boise, Idaho
September 11, 2025 2:53pm CST
I found a rather odd 2024 documentary on HBO MAX called They Called Him "Mostly Harmless". Here is what it was about:
On July 23, 2018, the Collier County Police in Florida were called out to a campsite along a hiking trail. An emaciated body was found dead inside a tent. No ID or paperwork of any kind was found. Just a few papers with odd numbers on them. He looked like he had been there a long time. No food or water was found in or around the tent. A hiker was interviewed and said he had spoken to the man on the trail about 2 and 1/2 months prior and told him about this campsite.
A group of trail 'angels' took interest in the man and found he had been hiking on the Appalachian Trail for about 10 months. His trail name was "Denim" at that time, but letter was known as "Mostly Harmless".. At one point he had to sign with his real name at a hostel he stayed at, and the name was researched but was found to be a false one. They searched on and on for about 2 years.
A writer for The Atlantic picked up the story and wrote a piece on him. This got a DNA company interested. They needed $5,000 to do a profile on him. The online trail enthusiasts that had been researching raised the money.
His true identity turned out to be John Vance "Vaejor" Rodriguez and he was from Lafayette, Louisianna. When he was a teen, he had psychological episodes that he called "checking out" where he would just check out of everything for a period of time. His parents tried to get him help but he would have none of it. He finally emancipated himself at age 17.
At least three women came forward saying they had been abused by him. He had been a computer programmer and played a game called Sceeps or something like that. This explained the list of numbers found in his things. Very little else was known about him.
Had this been another of his 'checking out' episodes? Was it suicide? And why the trail name of "Mostly Harmless"? We will probably never know.
4 people like this
3 responses
@LindaOHio (200592)
• United States
12 Sep
And the scary part of this whole story is that there are others out there with mental challenges.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (179611)
• Boise, Idaho
13 Sep
And I've heard so many stories. Like this one sweet fellow in a doc I watched. He had mental issues. He would get help, get into a place, get back on his meds, etc. and about six months later he'd be back on the streets. So sad. They need people to help them stay on the meds and keep up with their lives. By themselves they can't do it.
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@celticeagle (179611)
• Boise, Idaho
13 Sep
It really is. That is what made this doc so sad to me. He was found in that tent with no food or water. Had been there several months all alone. His choice but still........!
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