Joseph Lee Wood Jr. -- Missing Since July 1999 From Washington

Paraphrased details from government source**: 

Joseph Lee Wood Jr., a missing New York City book editor, was last seen hiking in Mt. Rainier National Park. He was thought to have been last seen near Comet Falls at about 3-4pm on July 8th, 1999. The MP's rental vehicle was recovered near the National Park Inn, at Longmire. This individual had a heart condition, when he was last seen he was only wearing light clothing, he had no survival gear, no coat, no food, and no water.

Missing Person: Joseph Lee Wood Jr.
Last-contact date: July 8th, 1999 (Thursday), possibly between 3-4pm
The area where the MP was last seen: Mount Rainier National Park, Washington near Comet Falls
Link to government source: NamUs MP 

VITAL DETAILS

Ethnicity: Black
Sex: Male
Age at time of disappearance: 34 years old
Birthdate: Joseph Lee Wood Jr. was born between July 9th, 1964, and July 8th, 1965 based on his reported age at the last date of reported contact.
Hair: Black, had a beard
Eyes: Brown and wears glasses
Scar: None known
Height/weight: 5'9" to 6'0" and 160 to 180 pounds
BMI*: Joseph Lee Wood Jr. was in the normal range for BMI.
Tattoos: Joseph Lee Wood Jr. did not have any tattoos associated with his profiles.

Joseph Lee Wood Jr., a missing person, was last heard from on July 8th, 1999 when he was 34 years old. This individual has now been missing for about 22 years as of the original publication date of this blog post.

There is a pretty good description of his disappearance in the Seattle Times archive at this link: Joseph Lee Wood Jr.'s disappearance (Jul 15, 1999 Dave Birkland, Arthur Santana Seattle Times Staff Reporters). In case that gets deleted in the future, I will make some bullet points from the article:

• He last-seen location was associated with the Comet Falls area of Mount Rainier
• He was heading toward a bridge that other hikers had deemed a little too risky to try and cross
• An entry-slip into the park was stamped for 12:29pm that day
• His disappearance was associated with the Rampart Ridge Trail
• The elevation he might have last been seen at was 4,800 feet

One detail that is mentioned in this case quite often is that he had a heart condition. However, what should be mentioned in conjunction with that is that he was at an elevation of 4,800 feet. The elevation of New York City is just 33 feet so he was at much thinner air that what he would normally be accustomed to. 

I don't know what Joseph's heart condition was but there are heart conditions where the heart will be exasperated due to the thinner air that you find at higher elevations. That the missing person was performing strenuous hiking to heights that he wasn't used to with a heart condition can't be ignored in this case.

Consider this medical advice from National Jewish Health:

"As more people travel to higher altitudes for recreation and adventure, high altitude and lower oxygen availability need to be considered. For most people this causes few problems, but for those with lung or heart disease, altitude can have a negative effect on health. Acute exposure to high altitude can affect the cardiovascular system by decreasing oxygen in the blood (acute hypoxia). It also increases demand on the heart, adrenaline release and pulmonary artery pressures."

Joseph wasn't at a super-high altitude but he was about 4,800 feet above what he would have been used to as a New York City resident. That he might have weakened in part from his heart condition as he ascended could increase the chances of a stumble or loss of balance. That he was described as heading toward a part of the hike that others had turned away from because it looks unsafe would also increase the chances of a fall. 

The following video is of the hike to Comet Falls as represented by a Youtuber. As you can see, the trail isn't routine. While Joseph disappeared in the height of summer, the reports are that there was an unusual amount of snow for the area at that time in 1999. Even melting snow produces hazards for footing. Furthermore, melting snow produces rushing water and higher levels in streams. I wondered if the bridge that the one hiker didn't want to cross for safety reasons was featured at the 6:50 mark of the video.

What I would suggest with Joseph Lee Wood Jr., is that he he fell at a steep point on the trail. This was an individual who was not prepared for this hike. That he wore light clothing and carried no water attests to inexperience. As he was a New Yorker, I wonder how much time he spent in the city in his life relative to the natural area of Mount Rainier.

He may have had the following articles when he disappeared: a bird book, binoculars, and wearing light clothing. These items may be associated with a matching John Doe from the Comet Falls area.

Please share this article to social media using hashtags that are related to where the missing person went missing from, which is Mount Rainier National Park, Washington.

Author: Shane Lambert (Vancouver, Canada)

All articles are subject to editing after the original posting.

Shane Lambert (Vancouver, Canada) is not a Private Investigator, however, he is currently studying to be one as of April 2021.

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Website hashtag: #MPCSL

*For BMI values, I use the UPPER or HIGHER ranges that are given for height and weight.
**Might not be the exact meaning that NamUs or Canada's Missing conveys. I improve upon their descriptions with my research.
Disclaimer: Whenever possible, government sources are preferred for getting the details of a missing persons case. However, any source that the article writer deems reputable may be used.

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