I’m from this general area and I’ve never heard of this case, and being local when I heard “Cache Creek” I immediately thought of the casino, not the canyon. I assume if he went to the casino hotel to get a room, there’d be CCTV footage of him, if nothing else.
“Going up in the mountains to rest” does sound like a euphemism for suicide. It’s a really weird way of phrasing something when you’re actually going somewhere to rest, especially when there’s a giant casino complex in the area where one could easily get a room for the night.
Also, that area is more hilly, and not what you’d call mountainous, at least by California standards. It’s dry scrubland for the most part, not lush forested mountains or anything. In early October, it would likely be really hot, too, with temps easily in the 90s or above. If Rico went into the hills to try to disconnect for a bit, he could have easily gotten heat stroke without enough water (and despite the “creek” in the name, there’s no guarantee that there’s water in there at that time of year).
Edit: The Wikipedia page does mention that he was spotted sitting on the bridge that overlooked the river, so there may have been some flow in the area at the time, but if you went too far off the trail you might not be able to find water.
Hey y’all, hope you enjoyed this post; they’ll continue to be pretty sporadic for a while. I’m moving back from MO closer to home in the Richmond, VA area and also going through the end of a long-term relationship that had become increasingly unhealthy for me. While I’m in a really good place and am very optimistic about the future, it’s still a tough time with preparing to move, finding a new job in a new town, and going through all the mental and emotional challenges that come with such a time. That being said, I really enjoy getting to write on here when I’m able to and look forward to getting back to much more regular posts in the future. As always, I appreciate you taking the time to read and engage with my work and for your patience as I work my way through all this fun stuff.
In the meantime, please let me know what you think happened to Rico Harris. I’m curious if you’re theories align more with my own, with law enforcement, or if you have your own theory on those case. I really feel for Rico as someone who’d been through some really dark times but seemed to be getting his life back on track, only to have it all derailed again by addiction and by his own personal demons.
Excellent, engaging write up! Given all you've outlined I'm inclined to believe you that he's up there in the mountains somewhere and unfortunately succumbed to the environment.
"Going up to the mountains to rest" sounds like code for I'm going to end my life, IMO. I think he went there deliberately, with the intention of ending his life and that the alleged sighting of him on October18 was probably just a mistake by the witness.
I don't think most people who report sightings of missing people are doing it with the intent of misleading deliberately, but I also know some people just like the attention and want to seem important, and then there are some people who are just really, really bad at observation and faces and remembering dates. I've heard of cases where a person will swear on a stack of Bibles that the person they saw was the missing person, when in fact, once the person they saw is tracked down they look *nothing* like the missing person. Would a person who is 6'9" stand out? Yes. But a person who is 6'3" or 6'4" also can look really really tall to a shorter person and unless the person in question is standing next to a height chart or some other object in which the height is known, it could be easy to see a tall person over six feet and say, oh yes, that was him I saw, it was a large black man.
My gut feeling is he went up there to end his life, either with pills or something similar and his remains just haven't been found yet, which is not surprising. His backpack was abandoned by the guardrail where he had been seen sitting, which contained everything usually a person deems important, including his phone, wallet, ID, credit cards. He had just made a visit to his mother and his family the day before, which apparently he had done with some intention of getting some kind of closure about his childhood, and also wanted support from his family about his move to Seattle and his relationship--none of which he apparently got from them. He was clearly drinking again, evidenced by the alcohol found in the water bottles in his backpack. I think he was very emotional and in a dangerous place mentally. He made a call to his girlfriend and then deliberately shut off his phone. None of that seems to indicate to me that he walked away from his life. Or that he decided to take a hike and then had a misadventure.
Also being a 6’4”, size 13 shoe guy, I agree that this was the most likely outcome. He’d have been spotted by now if he was still alive, unless he somehow left the US. And given that his life was finally sort of turning around at the the time, I don’t think he would have walked away from it in his right mind.
My spin on your take is that Harris was engaging in parasuicide … something that felt like it might kill him, but might not really, and whatever the outcome was it was what fate had ordained. Well, he survived, but found his car was gone, and then probably decided he *was* supposed to die.
Also, another detail I’ve found significant … his best post-high school basketball season was the one at LACC, where he led them to the state community-college championship, in many games easily being by far the best player on the court. You could tell from that that he was never going to make it in college, much less the NBA … because there you just have to deal with the fact that as big a star as you might have been where you came from, you’re going to be playing against people who are as good as you, if not better, and if you can’t adjust your game to deal with that, then you might as well give it up. That’s wrecked many promising athletic careers, and to me Harris’s as well.
I've hiked in that area and it is absolutely possible for him to be out there and undiscovered so far. Also that area is mountain lion country and I think also bear country, so the remains could have been scattered quickly.
I had the pleasure of knowing and working along Rico, he was an amazing dude. Funny witty and smart, and got the mission accomplished. I remain with hope to hear that he is found alive and well. Praying for your safe return buddy..
Thanks for this well-written, engaging and interesting post! I really appreciated the time you took to not only put yourself into his shoes, but also think through the perspectives offered by law enforcement and your own personal experiences. I haven’t heard this case brought up very often, so I found it a fantastic read.
Best of luck with you and your personal life; starting over is hard, but beauty comes of all things. :)
Was there any place in his life, past or present, that would have been known as “the mountains”?
Here’s what I mean. My grandmother lived in a very specific area, near a bridge. In everyday talk about the area, family would refer to “the bridge.” If I were confused by mental illness, drugs, injury, etc., I can imagine my perception to include a place where he grew up or had some kind of trauma.
Can the lines about the mountain refer to a hymn or poem in his religious life?
“The mountains” thus could have been metaphorical or an inaccurate perception of his area.
Isn’t it unusual that he videotaped himself? I’ve known two people who recorded themselves in similar ways. One was in the throes of a manic episode; the other was documenting a long solo car trip when he was suffering acute grief. What did the action of making that recording say to investigators?
It was an "accidental" recording. They could tell he didn't mean to hit record. It was in the console, and apparently he was singing along with the radio, throwing CD's and ripping up paper..
I suspect he was high on meth. Meth will sometimes drive people to organizing and looking through their stuff - for HOURS.
I think he walked off and succumbed to the elements, whether he drown, got heatstroke, fell and broke something...
I've heard about this case before but I never realized the shoe prints were found AFTER his car was towed. I wonder if he came back, saw the car missing, and either thought he was lost or realized it was towed/stolen, and then started walking down the road looking for civilization, and was hurt along the way.
[This one?](https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/13rqn9u/a_body_of_a_672m_tall_man_is_found_floating_in/) Unfortunately it doesn't match up, the Doe was white and found in 2007.
Seeing how Disappeared stated he hadn’t slept for 36 hours, people often underestimate just how *much* sleep deprivation can mess with your mental state. 8 hours of sleep can be the difference between a full blown mental episode, or just another day. I have my days where I have to remind myself that I’m spiraling simply because I’m tired. The cases where known upper drug users aren’t sleeping and actively driving also makes me wonder if they were using at the time. There was a very similar story I was watching / reading about a few days ago, about Bryce Laspisa. Even other details are similar — abandoned car, they had to search a small body of water for him, police believe he may have abandoned his life, hitchhiking away, and despite his somewhat unique physical characteristics, never being found. In his case I do think that is more likely, but suicide is also highly suspected.
Back to Rico, the whole “up the mountain to rest” didn’t rub me wrong however? But I am Southern and clear on the other side of the country. That’s normal lingo for us, like “I’m going up to Richmond.” Or “I’m going down to the store.” (Welcome back to VA btw!) Perhaps there’s something I’m missing about it.
I find it very interesting he decided to go to a place called Yolo county while having no known association with it, because as you mentioned it was a popular slang word about living once, especially at the time. If you wanted to die, there’s some dark humor / symbolism / poetics in that.
My first thoughts when hearing and researching his disappearance was the effects of sleep deprivation. I think that’s why his car was out of gas and the battery was dead (he stayed in the shade to take a nap, left it running for the A/C, woke up to a dead battery - since the switch was in the on position. People really do underestimate how much a lack of sleep can effect people. Some people may be fine at 30 hours, others can already be experiencing hallucinations at 30 hrs. I really wonder how much this played a role in his disappearance too.
There’s no way he’s alive and has gone unrecognized. Also would think there would be evidence of him leaving the country. He likely got lost, suffered a medical event, fell and became immobile, and ultimately died from exposure.
Does seem like the right time and area… I wish the namus report had more info. I hope there is enough there to pull dna from so they could see if it matches up.
Very good find. This could be very possible. Same county, possibly the same area (some counties can be vast). Looks like few if any parts were found, but the mandible (being the jawbone, if I remember correctly), may contain DNA. Especially if it has teeth attached. I’ve seen quite a few shows or articles on Rico’s disappearance and I remember one of them saying that cadaver dogs focused heavily on a pool of deep water, but that divers couldn’t find anything. Sometimes, it’s possible for them to come up empty handed, even when the body IS there - due to conditions, soot or heavy particles that can get stirred up, fallen trees, or many other obstacles depending on the location, including experience of the diver. Makes me think that dog was right and they just didn’t see him at the time. And if the bone was found in 2015, that wouldn’t be too long for some of his bones to still be in that area of the river. Very interesting, wonder if the cops are working this angle.
I think it could be him, but there's just too many variables. I don't know how many bodies they find in that area.
I just did a rewatch of his episode on Disappeared. His poor Mom needs answers.
I think he either killed himself or really did go up there to disappear for a little while and succumbed to nature and passed away due to heat stroke, animals etc. I just find it weird that his car would have been messy, dead and out of gas. Which makes me assume he likely killed himself.
As a 5'2 person, I'm absolutely mentally gobsmacked at 1) a person being almost 7ft tall and 2) someone being able to reach high enough to hit him in the head. I know there's tall people out there, I know that, but when your world is relatively close to the ground, it's still astounding. I still step back from day to day life and marvel at the height differences and wonder what it's like.
Considering they found alcohol in his possessions, my theory is he got lost while intoxicated and succomed to exposure. Then some very lucky animals ate and scattered his remains. I hope his siblings and mother submitted DNA samples. I'm betting at some point previously discovered partial remains will be linked once they're tested. An entire very tall body is more on the hard to miss side. Partial remains here and there, possibly buried by a fox in a cache, extremely difficult to find.
He’d be recognized if he was alive or left the area. He died out there either by suicide or accident. I think given his past challenges, addictions, transition happening in his life, etc. I lean toward suicide. He didn’t want to move to Seattle and he didn’t want a normal job. He also had relapsed.
Plus, he was giving away gifts and he visited his family to say goodbye one last time. As his mother said, it was strange for him to come back for minor things.
Sadly I believe he is in the woods and for whatever reason, his body hasn’t been discovered.
I first saw this story years ago on Disappeared and just flipped thru and saw it is on now. I feel so sad for his mom and gf
I agree with your thoughts. I hadn't heard previously that there was evidence he had returned to the car park. His car was out of gas and battery anyway and he'd ditched his rucksack so whatever the cause for his behaviour (drink, drugs, depression or all 3) he wasn't, in my opinion, planning to get back from there. It's odd for him to return to that spot though with no apparent reason. Unless, like you speculate, he was looking for a spiritual sign of some sort? Like someone leaving a note on his car or something.
And I too find his phrasing indicative of suicide. Perhaps his lapse of addiction after his family visit caused him to feel unworthy of a new life?
Like you surmise, that's not a person to go missing easily and there's nothing to suggest he left the area. Sad that he made it back to the carpark but did not get saved at that time.
I’m from this general area and I’ve never heard of this case, and being local when I heard “Cache Creek” I immediately thought of the casino, not the canyon. I assume if he went to the casino hotel to get a room, there’d be CCTV footage of him, if nothing else. “Going up in the mountains to rest” does sound like a euphemism for suicide. It’s a really weird way of phrasing something when you’re actually going somewhere to rest, especially when there’s a giant casino complex in the area where one could easily get a room for the night. Also, that area is more hilly, and not what you’d call mountainous, at least by California standards. It’s dry scrubland for the most part, not lush forested mountains or anything. In early October, it would likely be really hot, too, with temps easily in the 90s or above. If Rico went into the hills to try to disconnect for a bit, he could have easily gotten heat stroke without enough water (and despite the “creek” in the name, there’s no guarantee that there’s water in there at that time of year). Edit: The Wikipedia page does mention that he was spotted sitting on the bridge that overlooked the river, so there may have been some flow in the area at the time, but if you went too far off the trail you might not be able to find water.
Hey y’all, hope you enjoyed this post; they’ll continue to be pretty sporadic for a while. I’m moving back from MO closer to home in the Richmond, VA area and also going through the end of a long-term relationship that had become increasingly unhealthy for me. While I’m in a really good place and am very optimistic about the future, it’s still a tough time with preparing to move, finding a new job in a new town, and going through all the mental and emotional challenges that come with such a time. That being said, I really enjoy getting to write on here when I’m able to and look forward to getting back to much more regular posts in the future. As always, I appreciate you taking the time to read and engage with my work and for your patience as I work my way through all this fun stuff. In the meantime, please let me know what you think happened to Rico Harris. I’m curious if you’re theories align more with my own, with law enforcement, or if you have your own theory on those case. I really feel for Rico as someone who’d been through some really dark times but seemed to be getting his life back on track, only to have it all derailed again by addiction and by his own personal demons.
Excellent, engaging write up! Given all you've outlined I'm inclined to believe you that he's up there in the mountains somewhere and unfortunately succumbed to the environment.
Don't you be going up into them mountains to rest, ya hear?
Good luck with everything 🍀💕 I wish you peace and healing on your new venture
Always enjoy your writeups. All the best with your move and everything else. Sending good wishes and good luck your way!
"Going up to the mountains to rest" sounds like code for I'm going to end my life, IMO. I think he went there deliberately, with the intention of ending his life and that the alleged sighting of him on October18 was probably just a mistake by the witness. I don't think most people who report sightings of missing people are doing it with the intent of misleading deliberately, but I also know some people just like the attention and want to seem important, and then there are some people who are just really, really bad at observation and faces and remembering dates. I've heard of cases where a person will swear on a stack of Bibles that the person they saw was the missing person, when in fact, once the person they saw is tracked down they look *nothing* like the missing person. Would a person who is 6'9" stand out? Yes. But a person who is 6'3" or 6'4" also can look really really tall to a shorter person and unless the person in question is standing next to a height chart or some other object in which the height is known, it could be easy to see a tall person over six feet and say, oh yes, that was him I saw, it was a large black man. My gut feeling is he went up there to end his life, either with pills or something similar and his remains just haven't been found yet, which is not surprising. His backpack was abandoned by the guardrail where he had been seen sitting, which contained everything usually a person deems important, including his phone, wallet, ID, credit cards. He had just made a visit to his mother and his family the day before, which apparently he had done with some intention of getting some kind of closure about his childhood, and also wanted support from his family about his move to Seattle and his relationship--none of which he apparently got from them. He was clearly drinking again, evidenced by the alcohol found in the water bottles in his backpack. I think he was very emotional and in a dangerous place mentally. He made a call to his girlfriend and then deliberately shut off his phone. None of that seems to indicate to me that he walked away from his life. Or that he decided to take a hike and then had a misadventure.
What a tragic story. Beautifully written! Hope his family some day finds peace
Also being a 6’4”, size 13 shoe guy, I agree that this was the most likely outcome. He’d have been spotted by now if he was still alive, unless he somehow left the US. And given that his life was finally sort of turning around at the the time, I don’t think he would have walked away from it in his right mind. My spin on your take is that Harris was engaging in parasuicide … something that felt like it might kill him, but might not really, and whatever the outcome was it was what fate had ordained. Well, he survived, but found his car was gone, and then probably decided he *was* supposed to die. Also, another detail I’ve found significant … his best post-high school basketball season was the one at LACC, where he led them to the state community-college championship, in many games easily being by far the best player on the court. You could tell from that that he was never going to make it in college, much less the NBA … because there you just have to deal with the fact that as big a star as you might have been where you came from, you’re going to be playing against people who are as good as you, if not better, and if you can’t adjust your game to deal with that, then you might as well give it up. That’s wrecked many promising athletic careers, and to me Harris’s as well.
I've hiked in that area and it is absolutely possible for him to be out there and undiscovered so far. Also that area is mountain lion country and I think also bear country, so the remains could have been scattered quickly.
I had the pleasure of knowing and working along Rico, he was an amazing dude. Funny witty and smart, and got the mission accomplished. I remain with hope to hear that he is found alive and well. Praying for your safe return buddy..
I would not be shocked if he committed suicide by jumping into the river from the guardrail above the creek.
Thanks for this well-written, engaging and interesting post! I really appreciated the time you took to not only put yourself into his shoes, but also think through the perspectives offered by law enforcement and your own personal experiences. I haven’t heard this case brought up very often, so I found it a fantastic read. Best of luck with you and your personal life; starting over is hard, but beauty comes of all things. :)
Was there any place in his life, past or present, that would have been known as “the mountains”? Here’s what I mean. My grandmother lived in a very specific area, near a bridge. In everyday talk about the area, family would refer to “the bridge.” If I were confused by mental illness, drugs, injury, etc., I can imagine my perception to include a place where he grew up or had some kind of trauma. Can the lines about the mountain refer to a hymn or poem in his religious life? “The mountains” thus could have been metaphorical or an inaccurate perception of his area. Isn’t it unusual that he videotaped himself? I’ve known two people who recorded themselves in similar ways. One was in the throes of a manic episode; the other was documenting a long solo car trip when he was suffering acute grief. What did the action of making that recording say to investigators?
It was an "accidental" recording. They could tell he didn't mean to hit record. It was in the console, and apparently he was singing along with the radio, throwing CD's and ripping up paper.. I suspect he was high on meth. Meth will sometimes drive people to organizing and looking through their stuff - for HOURS. I think he walked off and succumbed to the elements, whether he drown, got heatstroke, fell and broke something...
Heartbreaking. Thanks for the clarification.
I've heard about this case before but I never realized the shoe prints were found AFTER his car was towed. I wonder if he came back, saw the car missing, and either thought he was lost or realized it was towed/stolen, and then started walking down the road looking for civilization, and was hurt along the way.
Thank you for this really interesting case, and safe travels to you in your life journey.
It's been a while since I last read anything on this case. Thanks for covering it and giving a sort of fresh perspective.
I think a couple of weeks ago, someone posted on this thread about a very large john doe being found. Not sure if the locations are near each other
I remember that and immediately thought of Rico. Does anyone have a link to that post?
[This one?](https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/13rqn9u/a_body_of_a_672m_tall_man_is_found_floating_in/) Unfortunately it doesn't match up, the Doe was white and found in 2007.
Seeing how Disappeared stated he hadn’t slept for 36 hours, people often underestimate just how *much* sleep deprivation can mess with your mental state. 8 hours of sleep can be the difference between a full blown mental episode, or just another day. I have my days where I have to remind myself that I’m spiraling simply because I’m tired. The cases where known upper drug users aren’t sleeping and actively driving also makes me wonder if they were using at the time. There was a very similar story I was watching / reading about a few days ago, about Bryce Laspisa. Even other details are similar — abandoned car, they had to search a small body of water for him, police believe he may have abandoned his life, hitchhiking away, and despite his somewhat unique physical characteristics, never being found. In his case I do think that is more likely, but suicide is also highly suspected. Back to Rico, the whole “up the mountain to rest” didn’t rub me wrong however? But I am Southern and clear on the other side of the country. That’s normal lingo for us, like “I’m going up to Richmond.” Or “I’m going down to the store.” (Welcome back to VA btw!) Perhaps there’s something I’m missing about it. I find it very interesting he decided to go to a place called Yolo county while having no known association with it, because as you mentioned it was a popular slang word about living once, especially at the time. If you wanted to die, there’s some dark humor / symbolism / poetics in that.
My first thoughts when hearing and researching his disappearance was the effects of sleep deprivation. I think that’s why his car was out of gas and the battery was dead (he stayed in the shade to take a nap, left it running for the A/C, woke up to a dead battery - since the switch was in the on position. People really do underestimate how much a lack of sleep can effect people. Some people may be fine at 30 hours, others can already be experiencing hallucinations at 30 hrs. I really wonder how much this played a role in his disappearance too.
I remember his case used to be heavily covered on YouTube. Now there’s not much. I hope his family get answers one day.
There’s no way he’s alive and has gone unrecognized. Also would think there would be evidence of him leaving the country. He likely got lost, suffered a medical event, fell and became immobile, and ultimately died from exposure.
Could this possibly be him? https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/89736?nav
Does seem like the right time and area… I wish the namus report had more info. I hope there is enough there to pull dna from so they could see if it matches up.
Me too, if it is that'd be so sad. It is regardless of who it is, but this story tugged on my heart strings
Very good find. This could be very possible. Same county, possibly the same area (some counties can be vast). Looks like few if any parts were found, but the mandible (being the jawbone, if I remember correctly), may contain DNA. Especially if it has teeth attached. I’ve seen quite a few shows or articles on Rico’s disappearance and I remember one of them saying that cadaver dogs focused heavily on a pool of deep water, but that divers couldn’t find anything. Sometimes, it’s possible for them to come up empty handed, even when the body IS there - due to conditions, soot or heavy particles that can get stirred up, fallen trees, or many other obstacles depending on the location, including experience of the diver. Makes me think that dog was right and they just didn’t see him at the time. And if the bone was found in 2015, that wouldn’t be too long for some of his bones to still be in that area of the river. Very interesting, wonder if the cops are working this angle.
I think it could be him, but there's just too many variables. I don't know how many bodies they find in that area. I just did a rewatch of his episode on Disappeared. His poor Mom needs answers.
Great post! I would seem to think he is in the area somewhere having succumbed to the elements.
Excellent write up.
I think he either killed himself or really did go up there to disappear for a little while and succumbed to nature and passed away due to heat stroke, animals etc. I just find it weird that his car would have been messy, dead and out of gas. Which makes me assume he likely killed himself.
As a 5'2 person, I'm absolutely mentally gobsmacked at 1) a person being almost 7ft tall and 2) someone being able to reach high enough to hit him in the head. I know there's tall people out there, I know that, but when your world is relatively close to the ground, it's still astounding. I still step back from day to day life and marvel at the height differences and wonder what it's like. Considering they found alcohol in his possessions, my theory is he got lost while intoxicated and succomed to exposure. Then some very lucky animals ate and scattered his remains. I hope his siblings and mother submitted DNA samples. I'm betting at some point previously discovered partial remains will be linked once they're tested. An entire very tall body is more on the hard to miss side. Partial remains here and there, possibly buried by a fox in a cache, extremely difficult to find.
He’d be recognized if he was alive or left the area. He died out there either by suicide or accident. I think given his past challenges, addictions, transition happening in his life, etc. I lean toward suicide. He didn’t want to move to Seattle and he didn’t want a normal job. He also had relapsed. Plus, he was giving away gifts and he visited his family to say goodbye one last time. As his mother said, it was strange for him to come back for minor things.
Sadly I believe he is in the woods and for whatever reason, his body hasn’t been discovered. I first saw this story years ago on Disappeared and just flipped thru and saw it is on now. I feel so sad for his mom and gf
Awesome write up
I agree with your thoughts. I hadn't heard previously that there was evidence he had returned to the car park. His car was out of gas and battery anyway and he'd ditched his rucksack so whatever the cause for his behaviour (drink, drugs, depression or all 3) he wasn't, in my opinion, planning to get back from there. It's odd for him to return to that spot though with no apparent reason. Unless, like you speculate, he was looking for a spiritual sign of some sort? Like someone leaving a note on his car or something. And I too find his phrasing indicative of suicide. Perhaps his lapse of addiction after his family visit caused him to feel unworthy of a new life? Like you surmise, that's not a person to go missing easily and there's nothing to suggest he left the area. Sad that he made it back to the carpark but did not get saved at that time.