Status: Untraced - E5: Real Human

24:18This same day, Justin also messages Robert, inquiring about his request for cash. Please respond. There is no response. Five days tick by, and on July 5th, Justin reaches out once more. There's still no card. You think FedEx actually lost it?

24:45July 8th. Justin buys a new Royal Enfield motorcycle in New Delhi. July 9th. This marks the final date photos and videos are saved to Justin's iCloud. The closing snapshots are of his motorcycle. July 16th. Justin journals about traveling with an Israeli woman he met in late June. We changed her name to Emma. Today we went to Dharam Salah on the motorbike. Every little thing seemed to go wrong. Constantly misplacing things and feeling like a fool. I'm not very sharp these days. Emma says it's the hash, and I keep getting so aggravated at everything. I'm angry all the time, and I don't know why.

25:30July 21st, around noon, Justin writes in his day one journal, Walinkulu, and titles it, So What Does a Man Truly Need? I'm going on a solo trek into upper Parvati Valley in the Indian Himalaya. Some caves are inhabited by sadhus. They meditate in caves for months and renounce the world in search of enlightenment. I plan on doing my own version of that, and it's something I've been called to do for years now.

26:01Later that night, at 11.29 p.m., he makes another entry.

26:09Feeling pretty negative about myself. Money for my proof seems to be slowly closing tap. I'm smuggling and selling drugs to get by. I'm having all kinds of relationship problems, wanting for amazing and beautiful women to love me, to be their hero, yet not prevent me from traveling alone and loving other women. And I feel slightly jealous and immature when these women find other men. It's childish. At my worst, I am very childish. I wonder if all I'm doing on this adventure is just a selfish child who doesn't want anyone to tell him what to do, yet wants to feel special and unique somehow. It's a harsh take on an otherwise heroic endeavor.

26:58The hero's journey itself.

27:04July 22nd, he announces on social media that he's headed to Kyrgyzhanga. Nearing 1am, he reflects upon his upcoming trip. I think India is about healing for me. I need to take care of my health. My back is fucked. My immune system isn't great. my mind? I don't know. July 24th at 8.07am I've begun my adventure. It's been a long time since I set out into the wilderness alone. But this time is special. I have no place to be. No end date. Nothing to do. Just be present for what feels like a very important time in my life. The next morning, one month before the Baba Trek, I'm considering a solo trek to Montalai Lake.

27:56I've been warned about doing the trek solo. I might find nomadic shepherds high up there. If so, I can trade hash for curd. On Friday, July 29th, Justin journals about his financial situation. This morning, I'm down to my last 200 rupees. A young Indian from Kerala asked where he could find hash. I sold him a Tola for 1 ,500 rupees. August 1st, mere weeks before the trek to Montalai Lake, Justin returns to Kasol. That night, at 10.33 p.m., he fantasizes in his journal. I dream of meeting a beautiful Indian village girl. She wants a family and a simple life. I learn Hindi and we raise our children bilingual.

28:46I travel from time to time. I provide for our family so she can live the life she wants. I will have a home. I will have my freedom when needed. August 4th and 5th, Justin exchanges messages with someone he met in Kalga about a potential job in Israel come October. He inquires if it's difficult to obtain a work visa there, but the contact is unsure. August 7th, Justin hikes back to Kirganga and concludes his journal entry that day musing on his smoking habits. I'm in terrible shape. The hike today was hard, and my pack was light. My heart is in no condition at all. Smoking one to three grams of hash a day, over five to eight joints, isn't helping at all.

29:41August 10th at 2.48 a.m. I've sat two days with Baba, and he has invited me to go on a holy pilgrimage to Montalai Lake at the end of the month. If I do this, I won't be able to ride to Leh. This was my intention for coming to India. But my real intention for living is to experience the strange things in life. I'd be a fool to pass up this invitation. So I will go to the mountain with him, to Mantelai.

30:15August 12th. Justin posts an Instagram photo of a small cave he's been living in. Lit by three candles, his personal items are scattered around the rock floor. Three days later, Justin makes another post. It's the black and white image of Baba Rawat. Justin captions it. I've heard stories about the magical powers of these Babas. They can see into your soul and know your past and future. They can bless or curse. They're holy men, but wild, and are even above the law in India. Police won't arrest him, even for murder, which happens, I'm told. He says most Babas are fake, but he assures me that he is the real thing.

31:02He even cut his penis off. August 18th. Justin posts a video to Instagram, captioning that he plans to trek a pilgrimage with the Baba, and ends it with the infamous message. I should return mid-September or so. If I'm not back by then, don't look for me. At 1141 a.m., he receives his last known incoming WhatsApp message. It's from Robert Gutierrez, and it's sent after they appear to have a phone call. Nice talking to you. Same. Be safe. Friday, August 19th. Justin writes in his day one journal in anticipation of the Baba Trek. I might take acid. Maybe half a dose? I'm nervous that he might be able to do black magic stuff.

31:55But this feels like the perfect situation for some... Something spiritual, maybe? The thing about sharing what I'm doing on social media is that there's some kind of expectation for me to come down from the mountain with some kind of wisdom. No pressure. Two days later, on August 20th, Justin makes his final post to Instagram. I leave tomorrow and should be back to the internet world by mid to late September.

32:30On this same day, Justin FaceTimes Linda Barini and makes what will be his final call to his mother Susie Reeb and his father Terry Shetler. He leaves his motorcycle and a backpack at a guest house. and sends his last known WhatsApp text to an unknown Indian number. From their exchange, it's evident this is the person Justin bought his motorcycle from. He calls her auntie and asks her about a starter she mailed for him. The package never arrived in America. Is there a tracking number? August 21st, four days before the trek, Justin writes a journal entry and includes a photo of everything he's packed.

33:18I'm excited about this trip. I'm going to step into my hero's shoes and give it my all. I won't complain when I'm suffering from cold or hunger. I will devote myself to yoga and meditation or whatever the Baba asks of me. I'm going to drop some acid at some point if I'm not freezing to death. I want to do these ancient practices under an influence that may allow me to see the magic, if it exists at all. Oh,

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36:24Continuing to piece together key moments, we know that on August 22nd, three days before the trek, Justin met a Ukrainian traveler named Andrei Gapon, who gave him the red butane lighter. We also know that during his descent from Montalai Lake, Justin passed a group of hikers. Among them is Nirmal Patel, the man in the last photo with Justin. Fortunately, I was able to get a hold of Nirmal. I never knew, like, Justin was, like, so famous on internet and stuff like that when I met him. He was quite humble. We never went through any argument or stuff like that. We were good friends. Nirmal Patel recalls meeting Justin five days before he left.

37:11So the thing was, I was also going to do the same track, what Justin was, but I was going to cross it and go to Spiti on the other side. So when I started the track, I already knew that Justin might be in Mantella or maybe might be coming back. And there were like four or five people with me also. It's written on the GoFundMe that Nirmal and his group crossed paths with Justin on September 3rd. So I ask if he can confirm that date. I don't know, man. I can't tell you exact days because it went like ages. He does, however, remember where they crossed. We met on the second last spot called Chhota Mandalay.

37:49And then we had a conversation. I also offered him to travel with me and go to that side and come back. But he denied. Before they departed, Nirmal shared food with Justin, smoked, and took the picture together. When Justin and you guys separated, what happened? Nothing out of the ordinary, just a thank you for the food and goodbye kind of thing? Nirmal and his group then continued up the mountain and descended on the opposite side to Spiti. Other than the Baba and Porter, they are the last known people to have seen Justin. And when you saw him, he wasn't with the Baba at that point in time? No, the Baba was before and then Justin was coming from behind.

38:42Did Justin mention the Baba at all? No, man. He just told me that he had some small fight with Baba, but it's okay. Nothing else he told about Baba. No details on that fight at all? No, no, no, no. In spite of the lack of detail about this fight, it's the first indication we've heard that there was tension between Justin and the Baba. Was the porter with the Baba when he passed you? I don't know about the porter and stuff like that. Did you pass any other characters at all when you were on your way up? They were like developers and stuff. There were a few people. Nobody nefarious, like sketchy, dangerous kind of seeming?

39:25No, no, no, no, no, no. And as far as Justin's mood goes, would you say that that changed at all? Of course, man. He was a bit happy that he got good footages and stuff like that. So a bit of excited but tired and planning to go back and relax.

39:44This is everything we know. It's a lot to digest. But we can now confirm, Justin was putting himself in potentially dangerous situations, like drug deals and smuggling. He was struggling in more ways than one. Frail health, getting lost in hash and LSD, and suicidal thoughts. The Baba? Justin didn't trust him. He sensed he practiced black magic, and supposedly, they had a fight on the mountain. The details are murky. But here's what hits me the most. the cost Justin paid for his lifestyle, it was heavier than I thought. The loneliness. The feeling out of place. The fact that he was reckoning with these thoughts, for some reason, it's a hard pill to swallow.

40:51Hey, how goes it? How's it? It goes, man. For days, and for nights on end, I think about what Justin was going through, and call Alex to keep steady. I don't know, man. I'm like, I'm looking at all of this, and I see he would be on these highs of, I love life. This is the hero's journey. This is what I've lived for. And then it would flip to, I think about suicide, or like, I have all these dark things in my past. It was just, it was, it was a roller coaster, man. We think the grass is greener. We envy the lives that aren't our own. But every life, no matter how adventurous, has its own struggles and complexities.

41:37I think we need to take into consideration his multiple nods to, you know, coming home. It's funny now, you know, we're able to open all this new information, review clues and insights of other things, but... It feels like we know more, but we know less, because somehow there's evidence for every single one of the scenarios that were there before. Yeah. It's almost maddening.

42:12The most frustrating part? We've got solid leads to pursue. Investigating Barbara Watt's untimely death and locating the elusive porter, Anil Kumar. But here's the thing. It's 2021, and we're prohibited to enter India as tourists due to COVID-19. So Alex and I attempt Hail Marys. We try to snag journalism visas, even though I have no background to show for it. We pull every favor within our network to try to connect with someone inside the Indian government. Hell, Alex even gets us on a guest list for an Indian wedding, hoping it'll get us around the travel ban. All our endeavors fail. And we're stuck feeling defeated.

42:59Until, out of the blue, an announcement drops on October 8th. India has reopened its borders to foreign tourists and has ended a 20-month clampdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.

43:13All right, I'm recording it now. I got some information. I was almost in disbelief, but our visas have been approved.

43:27Next time on Status Untraced.

43:33Did you talk to somebody here? No, we emailed them, but they never responded. He gave me a call only on that time, and after that he never gave me any call. The only people we're missing right now is the family of the missing persons case right now. We believe from our research and things that he could be the culprit. The people going missing. You think he's like robbing them and then taking the stuff? He's basically murdering them.

44:07If you have tips or information on the individuals in this podcast that you'd like to share, please email us at statusuntraced at gmail.com or leave us a message at 507-407-2833. Status Untraced is a production of Tenderfoot TV in association with Odyssey. I'm your host, Liam Luxon. Executive producers are Alex Vespested, Donald Albright, and Payne Lindsay Producers are Meredith Stedman and myself Supervising producer is Tracy Kaplan Consulting producer, Jonathan Skeels Associate editors are David Bash and Charles Rosen of GetUp Productions With additional editing by Sydney Evans Artwork by Trevor Eiler Original music by Makeup and Vanity Set Our theme song is Colder Heavens by Blanco White Mix by Cooper Skinner Voice acting provided by Johnny Lavallee Joshua Luxon and Drew Schroer Thank you to Oren Rosenbaum and the team at UTA Beck Media and Marketing and the Nord Group For more podcasts like Status Untraced search Tenderfoot TV on your favorite podcast app or visit us at tenderfoot.tv Once more, I want to bring awareness that we touched on the topic of suicide in this episode Remember to check in on those you love.

45:30And if you're experiencing similar thoughts, please reach out to a friend or family member or dial the suicide hotline at 988. People do care.

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