Aaron Hedges, Missing 411 and Many Explanations

Superior, Montana is on the I90. To the north west you would find Spokane to the south east lies Missoula.

If we were not focused on unsolved crime I could seriously get into the subject of wilderness mysteries. I mean what is not to love? You have conspiracy theories about Big Foot, Park Service cover ups, secretly deployed special forces that hunt creatures in the woods and paranormal vanishings. We have covered a few here like the case of Michael Hearon, Frederick Hayward and Paul Braxton Fugate.

A fascinating subject to be sure. In the case of Aaron Hedges you have a sort of case study. A horrible one for the man himself, but one that could help others in the future. This 38 year old went missing while on a hunting trip with two acquaintances. This was in Montana in 2014.

The Crazy Mountain area

On the one hand you have a tale that looks very mysterious. In some people’s view his vanishing is almost other worldly. Mr Hedges features in the work of a guy called Paulides who has been researching such wild land disappearances.

My own view is that I cannot rule out any possibility, in any case, until there is concrete proof of what happened to each individual. I hope that open attitude sets us apart from many other true crime writers. Maybe the ethereal type explanations may turn out to have merit in the future, perhaps there are Big Foot or giant insect like creatures out there. I am not sold on the idea though. One of the main reasons I am sceptical is that when I look at the stories as told, details are often left out.

We make no money from our efforts here so we don’t have any vested interest in reporting anything other than facts we can find online. Even then ‘facts’ as reported can be unreliable. We do our best is all I can say.

However, there is money to be made from the wilder side of theorising and I think wilderness disappearances are particularly prone to exploitation. All you need to do is paint a picture of an individual and leave out a compromising medical issue for example. Suddenly a sad tale becomes a mysterious one.

Sticking specifically to Mr Hedges, here is an account by a YouTuber who I respect. He is logical in his approach and he goes to original sources. Not for the first time does he question the story that has been put out on various forums and by various researchers. He lacks drama and the impression I get is he also lacks ego. Once money and ego get involved in debating the possible solution to a mystery I think any conclusions reached should be suspect.

Have a look at his take on the Aaron Hedges tragedy. Then, if you have not heard of it before, look around at other things that are said.

Take Care and if you disagree with his explanation, let me know. Please look at our take on the subject generally and tell us what you think.

When Hypothermia Can Look Like Murder

Making A Mystery Out Of Hiker Disappearances

Tim

tim@reasonedcrimechronicle.com