The Cold Vanish: Seeking the Missing in North America's Wildlands

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stars. I would’ve continued if the conspiracy theories were kept to a minimum and not suggested as an explanation for the disappearance of missing persons.

Randy Gray never loses faith in finding his son, even as he consults the crazies, the ones who claim to have had a vision of Jacob alive somewhere. Even as he travels up and down the west coast, from Vancouver to California, asking anyone he can if they’ve seen his son. I’m a believer in Occam’s Razor, that the simplistic scenarios are the likeliest ones. As I’m reading, I know in my heart that Randy is on a forlorn quest, but his determination is critical to his character, and anyone who reads his story will immediately champion his cause.

The concept of “lost person behavior” could fill its own book. And does. You can read up on it elsewhere. Or get a ten dollar app. For example, people who want to be found tend to go downhill. People who don’t want to be found, go up. While watching an old episode of ‘Disappeared’ on Discovery plus recently, an anguished mother described her life as living somewhere between hell and hope. I think that may be the most apt description of being caged in the relentless trap of 'not knowing'. Billman couldn’t even get the relationships correct in this book. He claimed the sister of the wife of his uncle was Jacob’s cousin. He also claimed the grandma of his uncle was his uncle’s mother-in-law. And these are just a few examples of how wrong he got the people involved. Also he didn’t live NEAR his aunt and uncle, he lived WITH them and later moved out for a while to an apartment when he had the money. How can you call this non-fiction or researched when you can’t even get the most basic information correct? I am a relative of Jacob Gray's and my family is incredibly upset about the publication of this book. First off, Billman did not interview or talk to any of the family and get permission to use our full names and location.

I have always been fascinated and just a tiny bit fearful of the American Wilderness; I think the sheer vastness of the spaces makes me think it would be so easy to disappear out there. And so enters Jon Billman.A compassionate, sympathetic, and haunting book sure to make you think twice before stepping out into the wilderness alone."―Kirkus (starred review) What a heartbreaking but amazing book about the stories of those who go missing in North America’s wildlands. Most of which are never found, some that are [rarely] found alive, and some that are found not alive, but at least allows for some closure.

I’ve always been fascinated by true crime and missing person stories so when I noticed this brand new book coming out all about the mysterious disappearances of people in North America’s wildlands, I knew I had to read it! Famous First Words Lots of interwoven examples, stats and theories. From hyperthermia to big foot to Jerusalem syndrome, everything is examined. Do these people want to be found or have they met a foul end? Bleak notes of mental illness and the significantly higher rate of indigenous disappearances. Bigger questions are asked such as: if this is the amount of missing in the wilderness, what about the rest of the populous in general; or, why are most people found in areas close to where they went missing that have been scoured numerous times?

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This book follows several folks who went missing while out for a hike, but it most closely follows the story of Jacob Gray, a 22-year-old resident of my hometown, Santa Cruz, California. In April 2017, Jacob’s bike and gear was discovered abandoned in Olympic National Park in Washington state. A Google search will tell you that he was eventually found, but the circumstances surrounding his tragic death remain a mystery. The author's personal involvement makes this tale all the more affecting. Billman shows himself to be just as adept at nonfiction as at fiction." - Publishers Weekly (starred review) It gets worse, as other conspiracy theorists have theorized that these people who seemingly vanished have entered a portal to another dimension or have been abducted by aliens. Billman meets with a variety of folks to discuss the missing, from dog trainers to bigfoot believers. No person is too kooky to meet with, and no case too strange. Billman is a skeptic but willing to forgo what he knows in favor of what he doesn’t. I find no shame in this, and neither does Randy Gray. When the government abandons its citizens to their own devices, what else is a father left to do but consult psychics and the cryptic community? I decided to give this a go after hearing a reviewer call it "One of the scariest books (they) had read".

Now, I could handle the author mentioning these Bigfoot researchers and conspiracy theorists once or twice— but when the author begins to entertain these ideas a something that he believes in and could be an explanation for the ‘vanishings’ of these missing persons, that was when I had enough and felt like I was wasting my time. The Cold Vanish is a false depiction of who Jacob Gray was as a person. Jon Billman completely defamed who Jacob was as a person and member of my family. I'd like to enlighten you to who Jacob Gray truly was. I happen to have the facts since I am related.

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Jacob was not a mentally ill loner with no friends. This representation of Jacob has devastated his family and friends to no end. Jacob was a a wonderful person. He loved everyone deeply and was compassionate. He took his job at the retirement home seriously and his disappearance devastated the residence and his former boss. During the search, they constantly asked me if he was found yet and were heartbroken with the negative outcome. He spent time with each resident, joking with them and listening to their stories. When he delivered food to residents who were bedridden, he would sit at their bedside and spend an extra 10 minutes to talk with them. This was not required for his job as a dishwasher/kitchen helper. While working at the retirement home, he was also attending college. He was trying to figure out a career that would help the most people. He considered law enforcement, Rescue, and even becoming an EMT. But, he decided to major in Kinesiology and transfer to university for a career in Physical Therapy. He loved muscular function, exercise, and was completely obsessed with his health. He was one of the most disciplined people I know. To him, the health of his mind and body was the most important thing to him.