Police believe this man is the same person found dead on July 23 in Florida's Big Cypress National Preserve. Investigators confirmed the man left the name 'Ben Bilemy' in hostel guestbooks along the East Coast, but searches for that name have not turned up any matches. (Collier County Sheriff's Office)
He goes by the alias of “Ben Bilemy” -- but who is he really?
Florida police trying to figure out the identity of a hiker who was found dead inside his tent at a campsite near the Everglades on July 23 say weeks later, they still don’t know his real name.
The mystery hiker used the “Ben Bilemy” alias to “register at several hostels along his trek from New York to Florida on the AT and FT,” the Collier County Sheriff’s Office said Monday in their latest update on the case, referring to the Appalachian and Florida Trails.
But they added “searches conducted on the name Ben Bilemy have [been] yielding negative results for any matches.”
The hiker, estimated to be between 35 and 50 years of age, was found alone in a yellow, 2-person tent at Noble’s Campground in the Big Cypress National Preserve. Police described his teeth as being in “excellent condition” and say he appeared to be living in the park. He was likely to have died a few days before he was found, they added.
“There were no obvious injuries and the death does not appear suspicious from a criminal perspective,” the Collier County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a prior Facebook post.
“We have info that the deceased may have ties to New York State and Louisiana and that he may have worked in the tech industry,” it also said.
Investigators say the mystery hiker was identified on the trail by the aliases “Denim” and “Mostly Harmless” and shared photos of a person they believe is the same as the man who was found dead.
“What we need most from the public is info on the name of the hiker known as Denim and Mostly Harmless so that his family can be notified and lay their loved one to rest,” the office said.
Those with tips are encouraged to call the Collier County Sheriff’s Office at 239-252-9300.
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