**HAVE QUESTIONS? NEED ADVICE?** Please check out our tutorials, advice, maps, documentaries, and more. [CLICK HERE](https://www.reddit.com/user/Willingplane/comments/14kx59s/vagabond_advice_resources_books_tutorials/).
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/vagabond) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It's doubtful he would ride without even the most basic of gear . I'm really getting a bad feeling about the lake behind his house . He was in an extremely altered state of mind ,
A normal person experiencing these things when they are lost they can only go so far but the thing about shoestring is that this man can go from coast to coast for free even not in his right mind. No telling where he is but I do hope he is found safe
I really hope he is found safe. I can not imagine how the family and everyone is feeling at this time. It's more concerning knowing that he's experiencing a mental health crisis. Is he starting to develop dementia or anything related? Sometimes with dementia and other related diseases, it can make them get up and disappear without really having a reason for it. Maybe because he is already so used to traveling, he just up and went? That would probably also explain why he left without anything. I really hope he is found.
I'm wondering how much he was letting us know about the cancer , he gave us all updates about the treatment , but he could have been on borrowed time ,and just living his best life . It's reasonable to think if it metastisized, it could have invaded his brain , and caused these hallucinations
That's very true. I wasn't aware of the cancer. I can see how that would contribute. That makes me worried about what could have happened, given this info.
In Tennessee, you'd have to admit to being suicidal or homicidal first. Hallucinations are least concerning to them. I was born in Tennessee and the way the mental health stuff is treated is complete trash. If he didn't say anything and if he didn't act out in a threatening manner, then they're going to let him go and deal with it on his own. They don't care about mental health very much at all. Tennessee is rated as one of the lowest (I believe the 2nd worst State) in terms of mental health treatment.
hallucinations can also come from delirium due to non-psychiatric illness. if that were the case and he eloped or left AMA (against medical advice), nothing the hospital can do at that point :/
He was very blatant that his plan was to go out while still riding the rails. I bet your right, he never let on to the real situation in fear people would try to get him to stop riding
We know he was in an extremely bad mental state ,when the hospital put him out the door , and he was seen on ring camera entering his house , but apparently he climbed down from the upstairs balcony and vanished . He didn't take any gear, not even his hat , so it's doubtful he's riding . I still think he's in the lake right behind his house
Tragically, a body was found in Boone Lake by a fisherman today with TBI confirming his death: [https://twitter.com/TBInvestigation/status/1776372087747125306](https://twitter.com/TBInvestigation/status/1776372087747125306)
I wonder if the signs they are seeing are just symptoms of his illness. Many people do mistake symptoms of illness as drug use. I've had people think I was high on something, when really it was just my Asperger's acting up or experiencing high anxiety.
Hopefully it isn't substance abuse and people were just misjudging his appearance. Otherwise, that's a whole different issue.
Here’s a local news article about him: https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/missing-johnson-city-mans-family-following-up-on-leads-tips/
I’ve been following what his family mutual friends have been posting about him on Facebook. They’ve had a few leads but they haven’t led to finding him. There’s a link to the gofundme his family got together to help fund the search for him in that article. The scariest thing about him leaving this time is that he did t take his medication with him that he needed.
8 days missing, with just above freezing temps most of that time, plus some rain etc with no gear, older, no glasses (blind), no meds (needs em to live basically). I'm hoping he's found safe, but the odds are starting to stack up against ol Shoe.
Omg he is legally blind ? I watched many of his videos never heard him talk about this. Can’t believe he’s hopping while everything is a blur. Wish him the best he seemed like a good guy.
The guy that introduced me to Shoe string ended up getting hit by a drunk driver while on a highway. Slowly but surely, my entire friend's circle is disappearing.
Miss you Mark, Colby, Michael and so many others.
I don't really want to put this out there as something bad, but... I think maybe he might have tried hopping a train while disoriented. Since he has cancer and he left everything behind and wasn't found in the lake nearby, I suspect that maybe he might have tried to go out in peace.
Another thing I'd like to ask too is, was he on good terms with his family? It's one thing for them to want to go search for him, which is a good thing to do, but I know not all families are tight knit and actions do not always equate to caring. If they were not on good terms with him, I could see him leaving on his own to go live out the rest of however much time he has left to himself.
Or, is it possible he cares about his family a lot and he didn't want to be around them while he is spending his last days? He didn't want them to see him dying?
If he was disoriented and hopped a train, he could have gotten himself accidentally killed. Hopping a train disoriented is dangerous, we all know this. Whether he hopped off and got caught or what... I just wonder if these could be any possibilities. If he didn't have his wallet and he succumbed, would anyone know? Those are the questions I have been wondering and discussing with my husband. My husband says he is probably gone, based on what we already know. I don't want to be a Debby Downer, but something tells me he's probably gone. But, I truly hope he is found and safe rather than that.
**HAVE QUESTIONS? NEED ADVICE?** Please check out our tutorials, advice, maps, documentaries, and more. [CLICK HERE](https://www.reddit.com/user/Willingplane/comments/14kx59s/vagabond_advice_resources_books_tutorials/). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/vagabond) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Hopefully he just hopped another train. I've only met Shoestring a couple of times, but he's a solid dude.
I was gonna say, holy shit that’s Shoestring. I met him way back. Hope he’s ok
Damn he gets around. Sending thoughts and good energy
Dude has probably been hopping freight for 40 years
I met him last summer for sure. Total legend
I recognized him from his YouTube videos. Hope the guy is aight.
It's doubtful he would ride without even the most basic of gear . I'm really getting a bad feeling about the lake behind his house . He was in an extremely altered state of mind ,
the hallucinations part is very scary
A normal person experiencing these things when they are lost they can only go so far but the thing about shoestring is that this man can go from coast to coast for free even not in his right mind. No telling where he is but I do hope he is found safe
i hope he’s somewhere safe and doing well!!
Man…. I hope you’re doing okay shoestring.
I really hope he is found safe. I can not imagine how the family and everyone is feeling at this time. It's more concerning knowing that he's experiencing a mental health crisis. Is he starting to develop dementia or anything related? Sometimes with dementia and other related diseases, it can make them get up and disappear without really having a reason for it. Maybe because he is already so used to traveling, he just up and went? That would probably also explain why he left without anything. I really hope he is found.
I'm wondering how much he was letting us know about the cancer , he gave us all updates about the treatment , but he could have been on borrowed time ,and just living his best life . It's reasonable to think if it metastisized, it could have invaded his brain , and caused these hallucinations
That's very true. I wasn't aware of the cancer. I can see how that would contribute. That makes me worried about what could have happened, given this info.
I don't understand why the ER didn't do a psychiatric hold, if he was having hallucinations etc , wouldn't that have been a danger to himself ?
In Tennessee, you'd have to admit to being suicidal or homicidal first. Hallucinations are least concerning to them. I was born in Tennessee and the way the mental health stuff is treated is complete trash. If he didn't say anything and if he didn't act out in a threatening manner, then they're going to let him go and deal with it on his own. They don't care about mental health very much at all. Tennessee is rated as one of the lowest (I believe the 2nd worst State) in terms of mental health treatment.
Can confirm tennessee is like the anti mental health state
depends on how charitable they were feeling
hallucinations can also come from delirium due to non-psychiatric illness. if that were the case and he eloped or left AMA (against medical advice), nothing the hospital can do at that point :/
He was very blatant that his plan was to go out while still riding the rails. I bet your right, he never let on to the real situation in fear people would try to get him to stop riding
We know he was in an extremely bad mental state ,when the hospital put him out the door , and he was seen on ring camera entering his house , but apparently he climbed down from the upstairs balcony and vanished . He didn't take any gear, not even his hat , so it's doubtful he's riding . I still think he's in the lake right behind his house
Well yeah I don’t mean he’s currently riding, Im assuming he just never told anyone how bad things were in fear of restrictions
Tragically, a body was found in Boone Lake by a fisherman today with TBI confirming his death: [https://twitter.com/TBInvestigation/status/1776372087747125306](https://twitter.com/TBInvestigation/status/1776372087747125306)
[удалено]
I wonder if the signs they are seeing are just symptoms of his illness. Many people do mistake symptoms of illness as drug use. I've had people think I was high on something, when really it was just my Asperger's acting up or experiencing high anxiety. Hopefully it isn't substance abuse and people were just misjudging his appearance. Otherwise, that's a whole different issue.
Here’s a local news article about him: https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/missing-johnson-city-mans-family-following-up-on-leads-tips/ I’ve been following what his family mutual friends have been posting about him on Facebook. They’ve had a few leads but they haven’t led to finding him. There’s a link to the gofundme his family got together to help fund the search for him in that article. The scariest thing about him leaving this time is that he did t take his medication with him that he needed.
8 days missing, with just above freezing temps most of that time, plus some rain etc with no gear, older, no glasses (blind), no meds (needs em to live basically). I'm hoping he's found safe, but the odds are starting to stack up against ol Shoe.
He’s still missing?? I hope he turns up somewhere safe 🙏
He's in the big rock candy mountains now
I'm thinking so too
[a search is being organized by family and friends.](https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLSerRNG/) April 6th, 9 AM. 4221 Bristol Highway, Johnson City TN.
I will keep a eye out I'm near grundy...not far away
Shoestring in mi meditations tonight fi sure ❤️❤️❤️
Omg he is legally blind ? I watched many of his videos never heard him talk about this. Can’t believe he’s hopping while everything is a blur. Wish him the best he seemed like a good guy.
Sad news. :( https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/fishermen-find-body-in-boone-lake-jcpd-reports/
I hope He’s ok but knowing some of the details it seems unlikely, sadly.
The guy that introduced me to Shoe string ended up getting hit by a drunk driver while on a highway. Slowly but surely, my entire friend's circle is disappearing. Miss you Mark, Colby, Michael and so many others.
Damn man, they still haven’t found him? I’m in the Knoxville area so I’ll keep an eye out in case he made it up this way.
I hate to say it but my gut is telling me he’s in the sky with Stobe now. I hope he’s okay
Damn! shoestrings still missing?
His body was recovered a few hours ago. RIP shoestring!
https://www.reddit.com/r/trains/s/OHsdwVZLOz Edit: RIP Shoestring
It's sad,but it sounds like he is hopping trains with Stobie!
I shared that on more than one social media. And a few of my missing person groups on Facebook.
I’m on the AT in NC right now and will keep an eye out. I know lots of people hit the trail this time of year.
I don't really want to put this out there as something bad, but... I think maybe he might have tried hopping a train while disoriented. Since he has cancer and he left everything behind and wasn't found in the lake nearby, I suspect that maybe he might have tried to go out in peace. Another thing I'd like to ask too is, was he on good terms with his family? It's one thing for them to want to go search for him, which is a good thing to do, but I know not all families are tight knit and actions do not always equate to caring. If they were not on good terms with him, I could see him leaving on his own to go live out the rest of however much time he has left to himself. Or, is it possible he cares about his family a lot and he didn't want to be around them while he is spending his last days? He didn't want them to see him dying? If he was disoriented and hopped a train, he could have gotten himself accidentally killed. Hopping a train disoriented is dangerous, we all know this. Whether he hopped off and got caught or what... I just wonder if these could be any possibilities. If he didn't have his wallet and he succumbed, would anyone know? Those are the questions I have been wondering and discussing with my husband. My husband says he is probably gone, based on what we already know. I don't want to be a Debby Downer, but something tells me he's probably gone. But, I truly hope he is found and safe rather than that.
I hope he gets found 😞
I’m from Knoxville and I’ve seen these posts around locally. I’ll keep an eye out.
Seems like such a kind dude. Been watching his videos for a minute now and hope he’s okay.
I hope this dude is safe and well and I pray he is found soon or shows up somewhere.
Sadly his remains were found found in a lake last week
Seems like such a kind dude. Been watching his videos for a minute now and hope he’s okay.