Details from a government source (might be paraphrased): Ramona Lynn Fey left her sister's residence in Spanaway, WA after she, Ramona, cut her own throat. She was later involved in a single-vehicle car accident at Mount Rainier National Park and had to be towed from a ditch. Her car was later found in Mount Rainier National Park with the door open and the engine running. Witnesses saw her on a trail in the park. An extensive search failed to locate the MP. She may have had brown-wire-rimmed glasses.
Missing Person: Ramona Lynn Fey
Last contact: July 17th, 1995 (Tuesday)
Age when Ramona Lynn Fey disappeared: 39
Sex: Female
Height in Inches: 64-65, which is 5'4" to 5'5"
Weight in pounds (lbs): 115
Ethnicity: White/Caucasian
Hair color: Brown but graying
Eye Color: Brown
Scar or distinctive characteristic: Scar on the leg. Had cut her own throat.
Ramona Lynn Fey has not been seen since July 17th, 1995. Her vehicle was found in Mount Rainier National Park, making her a case of "Car found person missing," which is a popular tag on this blog.
This missing person case is not as clouded in mystery as some other ones. In my opinion, suicide is the most likely reason for her disappearance. However, the whereabouts of her remains is the question at hand.
The journalism on this missing person, by my research, started on July 19th, 1995. A short blurb appeared in The News Tribune out of Tacoma, Washington. She had left her car running in the park's parking lot, which shows some indifference to the vehicle. That may have been a call for help.
This individual was depressed and had a doctor for the matter. A blurb written a day after the one below stated that she had stopped taking her medication. The family described the woman as mentally ill and possibly suicidal.
Has Ramona Lynn Fey been found?
There is a chance that body parts of hers were found on September 13th, 2013. Some human remains were found on that day that have not yet been linked to an individual yet.
The NamUs Unidentified Person is #12200. The authorities are uncertain of the sex or other details of these body parts. However, I will point out that the coordinates given for where Ramona Lynn Fey was last seen and the coordinates of the body parts that were found are extremely close to one another when I pull them up on Google Maps. I'm not sure if this has to do with just a kind of "default" coordinates for the area or not.
The missing person has a webpage at Ancestry. There is a separate picture there of her which I decided to publish here. It may show the glasses that are associated with her case. Also, there appears to be a mole on her chin/cheek. Her date of disappearance is listed as her date of death at Ancestry, suggesting that her family members are satisfied to some extent that she died at the time of her disappearance.
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.
"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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