Missing Dutchman Hunter - Jesse Capen

[SuperstitionGuy]

The following article is about a man missing since November 22, 2009 whose camp was found December 20, 2009 near the old Tortilla Ranch. Has he perhaps asked questions on HAZ prior to his trip and/or have any of you while hiking the Superstitions met a man that meets his description? The Maricopa County Shriff's office is in charge of the search if you have info.

Colo. man missing in search for Lost Dutchman gold mine

1 comment Jan. 17, 2010 02:15 PM
Associated Press

PHOENIX - Arizona
authorities are searching for a Colorado man whose mother says disappeared while searching for the storied Lost Dutchman gold mine.

The Marcicopa County Sheriff's Office has been organizing searches for 35-year-old Jesse Capen since hikers discovered his Jeep near Old Tortilla Ranch on Dec. 20 but have found no trace of him in the desert near the Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix.

"It's a pretty desolate area. It looks like you stepped on the moon," said Don Roughan, a sheriff's deputy.

The hikers who found Capen's Jeep said his wallet, backpack, cellphone, food and sleeping bag were also in a tent nearby. About 100 people, dogs and helicopters searched for Capen on Saturday and have covered a 10-mile radius near his tent.

Capen's mother, Cynthia Burnett, said her son was obsessed with the Lost Dutchman mine and had more than 100 books and maps about it. He arrived in Apache Junction, east of Phoenix, on Nov. 22 to begin looking for the mine, Burnett said.

"This is beyond obsessed," she said.

Burnett said she fears her son may have been bitten by a rattlesnake or injured in a fall and then attacked by a bear. She described her son as a "gentle giant" - about 6-foot-4 and more than 200 pounds - who went into the desert unarmed in search of the gold mine, which has been the subject of movies.

She said her son planned to return to Denver by Christmas.

Capen had been working as a bellhop at a hotel in downtown Denver for the past 11 years.

[imike]

Owen, can you confirm the location his tent was at w/his stuff, was it Kane Spring? Or Tortilla TH (Ranch).

Is there anybody out there that would like to accompany this oldtimer for further searches?

I will be over in Tucson mid March through first week in April... could probably dedicate some days...

[SuperstitionGuy]

Not to take this thread off topic, but how do you get at sedan down there? It takes a pretty good 4WD to get up those rocks just above the trail head.

Yes, the blue sedan belonged to Jesse's mother who drove down from Colorado and indeed parked it at the parking area by Apache Trail and the road into the old Tortilla Ranch.

I will be going in again Thursday with two fellows from the preceeding referenced web site. And hopefully again on Saturday with Superstition Search and Rescue and or with Randy/djui5 of HAZ.

[Nighthiker]

Check the area north and east of where he parked at the trailhead.

[Jeffshadows]

Not to take this thread off topic, but how do you get at sedan down there? It takes a pretty good 4WD to get up those rocks just above the trail head.

Yes, the blue sedan belonged to Jesse's mother who drove down from Colorado and indeed parked it at the parking area by Apache Trail and the road into the old Tortilla Ranch.

I will be going in again Thursday with two fellows from the preceeding referenced web site. And hopefully again on Saturday with Superstition Search and Rescue and or with Randy/djui5 of HAZ.

Do you have a route? I'm h=guessing the rain has destroyed any sign by now, for sure...

[SuperstitionGuy]

After the terrible December storm and more recent rains there will be no sign such as foot prints, etc. The gentleman that I will be working with tomorrow have a search area they are interested in and I will just be tagging along with them in hopes of discovering scent if you know what I mean. Hopefully the weather cooperates so we can make this trip.

Last Monday I picked up scent that included skunk along with death at the junction of the JF and Hollie Bacon trail and slowly followed it about a quarter of a mile until I discovered the remains (hide and fur) of a recently chewed skunk. It took me about an hour and a quarter to track the scent to its source by zig zaging left and then right as the scent would appear and then disappear. As I got closer to the source the path of odor became narrower and narrower.

I realized that it would probably be just a dead skunk but then I thought that maybe it was a skunk that had recently sprayed and was scavanging on a cadaver. Therefore I had to attempt to follow the odor to it's source. Searching for a missing person overdue as long as Jesse has been is almost always a search for a body. But we have to do it to bring closure for the family.

[SuperstitionGuy]

Check the area north and east of where he parked at the trailhead.

Why?
Are you refering to the heavily vegatated area alongside and east of the creek or the foothills and cliffs to the east of the road?
What is your reasoning or suspicions?

[SuperstitionGuy]

Searched today with two other hikers from Desert USA Forum website. Checked out what our guide Jim called Indian Spring Canyon with out finding a trace of Jesse. One of our hikers left next to the water tank at the Peters Trail Head his equipment belt with his GPS, rock hammer and hunting knife. Anyone finding it please let me know so we can arrange to return it to him.

[SuperstitionGuy]

One of our hikers left next to the water tank at the Peters Trail Head his equipment belt with his GPS, rock hammer and hunting knife. Anyone finding it please let me know so we can arrange to return it to him.

The equipment in question has already been found and returned to the owner.

SSAR along with I and my two grandsons will be searching today for Jesse. We will give you an update later this evening.

[SuperstitionGuy]

Saturday I and my two older grandsons searched with the Superstition Search and Rescue organization up the Peters Trail and various locations around and near Jesse's campsite. As some of you have expressed interest in joining us I will be available the rest of this week and the next to join you in this search.

I would like to do a day search from the Tortilla Ranch area east down to Fish Creek Canyon and upstream to what I call Fish Creek Cave and return.

There is also a need to do a two day search up the Hollie Bacon Trail, on to Trap Canyon, search the entrance to Trap Canyon and then search overland north to where Jessie had his campsite and then return via the Peters Trail.

Now that the weather is warmer we would be searching for scent, assuming of course that Jessie is in the Superstitions and is down. In one or two more months of warmer weather it will become much more difficult to find his remains. Please PM me if your interesting in helping with this search.

Thank you for your interest and if you want more information about this search see the following link.

http://www.desertusa.com/mb3/viewtopic. ... d&start=90

[azbackpackr]

So what is the likelihood of foul play, since wallet, backpack, etc. found at his campsite? Any thoughts on that?

[nonot]

The real question is was he out dayhiking and only had his backpacking stuff left at his campsite or did he not have a separate dayhiking pack. Given the length of the search and how it has been unsuccessful, this leads me to believe he may have had separate dayhiking gear and may have ventured deeper into the Supes rather than the ways back towards or parallel to the TH most have reported searching...

[te_wa]

consider Cottonwood canyon off Peter's
or, paradise/rough canyons off frog tanks.
the entrance to the trap canyon is suspect, as well. nonot and i went in that way, the upper side, and found it to be intimidating. just a few thoughts.. i may be able to join you/kurt on friday

[nonot]

Upper Trap would be a good search target, you could easily break your leg in there and not be able to get back out.

[SuperstitionGuy]

Given the length of the search and how it has been unsuccessful, .

Not to be critical of MCSO and other organizations that MCSO has invited in to search for Jesse I need to make the following comments.
1. A search should be documented and recorded daily as to where searchers have looked and to what extent.
2. This data should be archieved online and be released to other agencies and search organizations after it is assumed that the subject is down or that their life is in immediate danger.
3. Volunteer organizations and qualified individuals who have knowledge of the area or search qualifications should have access to the data and be allowed to add to that database as they search along with the County Sheriff's department.
4. Once the down subject is found the County Sheriff's office should be notified and then they pick up the investigation as to if there was foul play involved.
5. Once this investigation is completed then the County Sheriff's office performs the recovery.

As it is today if a person goes missing in the Superstitions the County Sheriff's office efforts to involve other search organizations and qualifed searchers is almost non existent. Even knowledgable search organizations and qualified searchers offers to assist are refused by the respective County Sheriff's office. They will not share what they know and where they have searched putting the subject or subjects at greater risk of survival.

I.E. Steps one through three in searches within the Superstitions are not currently being followed and implemented. The primary cause of this is lack of properly trained Sheriff's search organizations and lack of manpower and tools to implement the steps necessary to document and record the process of the search.

In Utah we have a citizen organization to come to the aid of County searches. All the Sheriff has to do is pick up the phone and make the call. In July of 2005 we had an eleven year old Boy Scout go missing at a Boy Scout Camp in the Unita Mountains at 5:30 PM on a Friday afternoon. The Summit County Sheriff's office set up their base camp that evening and requested the help of other Counties within Utah to assist which they did.

The Bardsley Foundation was also called and Saturday morning they set up their base camp approximately a half mile further up the road. By noon on that Saturday there were 3,000 volunteers that had been processed and sent out from that base camp. By noon on Sunday there were 5,000 volunteers that had been processed and sent out from that base camp. They were led by qualified individuals with GPS units searching grids using UTM coordinates which were downloaded onto laptops when they returned from their respected searches.

This continued until Tuesday around noon when the boy was found alive after climbing and hiking over a very difficult mountain ridge that the County Sheriff's search organization said he would not and could not go over. He was five and a half miles away and out of the search parameter that the County Sheriff's search organization had set up for that day.

We need a similar citizens organization and particularily here in the greater Phoenix area to assist in saving the lives of those who venture into the desert and mountains of Arizona.

[Sredfield]

The hike below is a route along a ridge overlooking Fish Canyon. I saw a suggestion to search in this direction earlier. If I recall the "lore," this canyon is one target of Dutch Hunters. It's easy to envision him setting camp and exploring the area, perhaps getting up on this ridge to maybe scope out the canyon below with binoculars. A slip and fall could put him over the side and out of sight.

Just a thought . . .

http://www.hikearizona.com/decoder.php?ZTN=858

[SuperstitionGuy]

Monday I took my grandsons to Tucson to the Pima Air Museum and stood down today from searching because I have been having trouble with one of my knees. I may walk in tomorrow to search upstream of Fish Creek Canyon from the junction of Fish Creek and Lost Dutch Canyon.

Volunteers are needed to join another person or two to do the loop up Hollie Bacon, Trap Canyon, cross country to Peters Trail and back to the Peters Trail Head as a two day trip. Any takers out there? Just PM me and we will share information.

Thanks for following the posts on this search. :thanx:

[nonot]

Shawn,

Here is a route, we were not searching for anyone at the time, but if the information is correct, it was travelled well after he went missing:

http://hikearizona.com/location_g.php?GPS=7431

[SuperstitionGuy]

Thanks nonot for posting that route. It helps to know where others have traveled as we most likely do not have to search that area now. Looks like you passed close by those old radio parts that I mentioned in a previous post. I had gone up to that mesa with the intent of going down that drainage and out to the bridge but declined as I was alone. From your trip report, photos and video I now wished I had gone ahead and done it.

I did not go out to search today as my left knee is still somewhat swollen from searching and taking my grandsons to the Pima Air Museum on Monday. I guess I had better take more Ibuprofin (sp?) to get the knee ready for the next trip.

[SuperstitionGuy]

I have a ride and companion for tomorrow (Thursday) and probably will do the search to Fish Creek Cave.

Are there any volunteers to search the loop up Hollie Bacon, Trap Canyon, cross country to Peters Trail and back to the Peters Trail Head as a two day trip?

[SuperstitionGuy]

Lots of activity since I last reported in. When we arrived at the Tortilla Ranch and Apache Trail junction parking lot there was a lady there whose husband had not returned the night before from a two day backpack trip via JF, Hollie Bacon, Red Tanks and the Peters trail Therefore we cancelled the search for Jesse and searched for this man by beginning to run his route in reverse. We did not find him and returned about 5 PM and reported in to the Maricopa County Sheriff Deputy who was there with the mans wife. We also had the MCSO helicopter that had passed over us earlier show up for futher clarification as to where to search.

As far as I know that search is over but late this morning I took my grandsons out to hike Fish Creek Canyon Upper and there is still a vehicle at the Tortilla Trailhead not related to the search for the overdue backpacker. This vehicle I believe arrived there sometime Thursday and was carrying day hikers. Oops - maybe we will now have another search on our hands. I hope I am wrong!

I plan on going to search for Jesse on Monday but do not yet have firm plans for or with a partner that can transport us up that road to the trailheads.
Any volunteers out there available for a Monday search?