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The Disappearance of Gilbert Gilman and the Hawaiian Shirt
16 Plays12 days ago
In 2006, Washington State policy advisor Gilbert Mark Gilman drove to Olympic National Park for what should have been a short walk along the Staircase Rapids Loop Trail. After briefly speaking with a park ranger, he entered the forest and was never seen again. Despite extensive searches, investigators found no trace of Gilman, leaving behind more questions than answers. In this episode of Beneath the Evergreens, we explore the timeline, evidence, and circumstances surrounding one of Washington’s most puzzling disappearances. We also examine the leading theories, including an accidental fall into the river, a medical emergency, possible foul play, and other mysteries tied to the remote wilderness of the Pacific Northwest.
⚠️ Content Warning: This episode includes references to abuse, trauma, and death. Listener discretion is advised.
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Transcript
Introduction to 'Beneath the Evergreens'
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome to Beneath the Evergreens, where murder, mysteries, and mayhem lurk in the shadows of the Pacific Northwest. I'm Jess. And I'm Anna. From haunted forests and unsolved disappearances.
00:00:13
Speaker
To true crime cases buried deep in the moss and the mist. We're digging into the dark secrets hiding under the evergreens. Each episode will explore real cases, eerie encounters, and the legends that keep the Pacific Northwest up at night.
00:00:28
Speaker
So grab your flashlight, lock your doors, and join us Beneath the Evergreens.
Personal Updates from Anna and Jess
00:00:53
Speaker
Anna, how are you today? I am doing all right. You can probably tell by my voice. I'm not i'm not well, um but I'm here and I'm excited to hear about your story today.
00:01:05
Speaker
Yes, you are committed to the bit and I appreciate you for that. How are you doing? I'm doing pretty good. i The trees across the street from my house are officially in bloom.
00:01:16
Speaker
look that means springtime is just around the corner oh my gosh ah have you been seeing all the cherry blossoms all over the place too like they're looking beautiful also a little concerning that it's so early in the year though i know i'm like it's just it's the first week of march what's what's happening here but you know i'll take i'll take a little bit of beauty exactly i feel like the world is burning literally but that's fine m yeah on a happy note On this day in March 6, 2026, you know what happened?
00:01:52
Speaker
Episode 23 of Beneath the Evergreens was officially recorded.
00:02:02
Speaker
We graced the world with our dulcet tones.
Teaser: Mystery at Staircase
00:02:08
Speaker
I feel like as opposed to a dad joke that was like some really dumb mom joke like welcome you're starting a new category ah of stupid jokes Jessie I'm so proud of you I'm really proud of myself too I'll give myself a gold star um today
00:02:26
Speaker
question for you how have you ever been to staircase like the hike staircase Not here. No, I've been to a hike about a stair with some stairs in a different part of the country, but I don't think that's relevant to your story today.
00:02:42
Speaker
Not necessarily. Okay. I have another question and it's going to be really concerning for you at the top, but it will make sense as we get into the story a little bit. I love when you start out a question with this. Now I'm just so intrigued. You know how to get me hooked. Yeah.
00:02:57
Speaker
Hopefully this is a good hook. It could turn bad, but we'll see. So if let's say you were going on a short, a very short hike and it's just kind of more of a pleasure one, not necessarily one for like exercise. It's just a quick little, little thing. You might take some pictures just because it's a beautiful time of year. Like now with the cherry cheese blossoming, what are you wearing and what are you bringing with you?
00:03:19
Speaker
Um, wearing hiking boots, leggings or shorts, depending on the weather. sweatshirt t-shirt bringing copious amounts of water potentially too much water because i'm very cautious like that um a bunch of snacks pepper spray because i've had weird encounters in the woods um
00:03:46
Speaker
and probably more things that i'm now blanking on in its entire like Okay. Yeah. This is what I was thinking. Cause as I was reading this story, when we get to a particular part, I was like, I just have questions because when I go on whatever hike, whatever it is, bare minimum, I have water.
00:04:06
Speaker
Yes. That's the bare minimum. Sometimes my shoes are inappropriate because I'm like maybe trying to do something quick after work or something like that. But, but those are like very short hikes. So anyways, let's just get into the story because I'm sure everyone on the, on the that's listening in their earbuds or whatever is like, shut the hell up and just start the story.
The Disappearance of Gilbert Mark Gilman
00:04:25
Speaker
So I'm going to tell you about the disappearance of Gilbert Mark Gilman.
00:04:30
Speaker
Have you had ah ever heard of this? Oh, yeah. Gilman. Does that anything to do with like the Burt Gilman trail? Or is that just a weird coincidence? That's just a weird coincidence. Oh. Interesting. Okay.
00:04:41
Speaker
Also, I just caught a peep of myself in the in the screen. i kind of look like Marilyn Manson right now. The fuck are you talking about? You do not look like Marilyn Manson. Who's the Manson guy?
00:04:53
Speaker
The one that killed all the people? It was crazy. James Earl. Oh my gosh.
00:04:59
Speaker
Charles Manson. That guy. That one. I can maybe see Charles Manson I definitely don't see the pickup i think I think I'm Rob Zombie nevermind okay what the fuck are you talking about
00:05:15
Speaker
wait you know Marilyn Manson right Yes. the pi Yeah. That's a fucking loop. Like, am I, am I okay? am i Look, sometimes I've got it together. And other times I feel like this monster comes in my head. That's like, oh, you wanted things orderly and structured. like like Just rocks my brain. And then things like what I just said come out where I'm thinking of Rob Zombie said Marilyn Manson, then try to bring up Charles Manson into the conversation.
00:05:45
Speaker
Nothing. Whatever. one Moving on. Probably going to cut this out. So, all right.
Life and Personality of Gilbert Mark Gilman
00:05:54
Speaker
So Gilbert Mark Gilman.
00:05:56
Speaker
Going to tell you a little bit about the background of who this person was before we get into the biz nasty of what happened to this person. Okay. So full name, as previously said ah stated multiple times, Gilbert Mark Gilman.
00:06:12
Speaker
Also, I feel like that is quite a name. ah Gilbert's a very like intense name. Like you're not going to forget anyone named Gilbert.
00:06:23
Speaker
Yeah. Especially when it's paired with Gilman. Gilbert Gilman. That's a tongue twister. Yeah.
00:06:31
Speaker
GMG. Anyways, date of birth. November 26, 1958. Okay. Birthplace, Illinois. Somewhere in Illinois. I couldn't find the exact place, but he's a Chicagoite.
00:06:44
Speaker
Illinois? Jesse, you're killing me. what is it illinois illinois i stand by illinois no illinois what's crazy as i usually say it is illinois i think it's because i read illinois okay i need to get it together it's gonna be a wily episode oh my god i'm sorry to dance to literally everyone So there's not a lot of public records that I can find about Gilbert Gilman, Gigi, GMG, but definitely grew up in Illinois, which again, if you grew up in Illinois, you're pretty used to harsh weather.
00:07:26
Speaker
Yes. He's also, you know, in the suburbs, from what I could understand, somewhat in the suburbs. So he's He should be used to outdoor settings where it's cold or warm and preparing for those types of things. I'm setting the stage, so I hope you're picking up what I'm putting down right now.
00:07:48
Speaker
I am taking the hints, yes. Please take the hints, yes. Another thing about old gil Gilbert is that he was highly academically inclined. Okay. Okay.
00:07:59
Speaker
He was kind of one of those kids in school that didn't really care about his appearance, didn't really care about his social club, but was really into school. Like kind of nerded out in that physics class. Did you ever have physics?
00:08:11
Speaker
I did have physics, unfortunately. I really dislike disliked it. You did? I have a really hard time with science. You give me a bunch of math things. like I love it.
00:08:23
Speaker
I'm interested. you The minute you try to like apply it to a physical science or like chemistry, i i i i lose I lose all interest and I just can't do anything. i think this is the – my physics class was the moment I knew i was – smartish, but not smart enough. and In my physics class, there was a group of like four guys who were so into physics. They would like literally come early to class and be in the corner, like giggling with the teacher like building stuff. Like it was stranger things.
00:08:55
Speaker
Oh my God. And then I would like understand the concept concepts. and I'm like, oh, that's cool. Yeah, I can shoot my monkey. Yes, we did have like a sock monkey that we had to shoot across the class classroom and like do a equation about it.
00:09:08
Speaker
And I could figure it out and I did it, but then i couldn't bridge the gap between just normal person to superhuman brain. And I imagine the whole reason why I told you this story that makes no sense is that Gilbert reminded me of those kids that are just so into school and just learning stuff that it's kind of, it makes you sick a little bit.
00:09:30
Speaker
Yeah. Said with love. So everyone that met him said he's very curious, super analytical. Everything is by the book. He plans everything to a T. He's very...
00:09:46
Speaker
Yeah, just makes a plan, commits to the plan, is prepared for everything in the plan, and then moves forth with his life. So he's very structured. feel like that sounds like us. It does sound like us.
00:09:58
Speaker
Well, actually, sounds like you. i can make a plan... i make I make a plan with the best intentions and I will make the plan so freaking good. And then for some reason, halfway through the plan, feel like you and both know this.
00:10:14
Speaker
After many of the trainings that we've done together, sometimes I go off ad lib and it's like, why? is real We had the plan. We didn't need any changes to the plan.
00:10:27
Speaker
The plan was fine. I just, would that sounds, your description of Gilbert sounds very type a And I just have this very distinct memory of us doing one of those trainings together. And me setting everything up in the way that I thought it made the most sense. It was organized. It was everyone was able to figure out and get what they needed. And then you come over and you start moving things because your plan for how it was set up was different from mine.
00:10:51
Speaker
And I think we were both like silently killing the other one like, what what are you doing? for Why are you moving that? Why are you touching that? but right there don't move mark Don't move my Legos. Yeah.
00:11:04
Speaker
And that is when I knew, hey i love working with you, but I think that we're maybe better doing this training with someone else.
00:11:15
Speaker
Most likely, yes. But it was always fun. It was. always fun Oh, man. ah Yes. So that would have been Gilbert, by the way. he Yes, he would be type A, don't move my Lego type situation.
00:11:33
Speaker
He did his undergraduate at Union College, later went to London School of Economics. Oh, damn. Right? Yeah. shit And then his graduate studies focus specifically in Russian affairs.
00:11:47
Speaker
Oh, wow. And then he went to Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management to get his and MBA. So he's kind of international at this point. OK.
00:11:58
Speaker
One other thing is he spoke several languages, which included Arabic, crazy, Russian, also crazy, Chinese, and English.
00:12:09
Speaker
that's That's an interesting array of languages. like I was literally thinking that. Yeah, like there's not there's no like common threads, you know? Like, oh, you learn Spanish, Italian. and they're like They're similar-ish, right? Like structure, sounds of words. like like Those are very distinctly different languages. That's really cool.
00:12:26
Speaker
And like different alphabets. Yeah, yeah. I don't know. ah Anyone who speaks Chinese, I have mad respect for. That is... My brain can't comprehend.
00:12:36
Speaker
So with all of these incredible assets, he decides that he's going to join the military, specifically in the 82nd Airborne Division.
00:12:47
Speaker
Okay. This division is considered a rapid rapid deployment paratrooper unit, which is interesting because Gilbert is not athletically inclined.
00:12:59
Speaker
Oh. He's not necessarily outdoorsy at all. But something interesting when I was looking into the 82nd Airborne Division is in the late 60s, the division's third brigade fought in several key regions to essentially sway political leaders.
00:13:20
Speaker
Oh.
Erratic Behavior Before Disappearance
00:13:23
Speaker
Then in 83, they were deployed to Granada to support the island's democratic government and stop communist uprisings.
00:13:36
Speaker
Okay, I have a tangent before you continue. did you Have you seen the show Ponies? No. It just came out. It's on Peacock. You should watch it because I feel like you would love it.
00:13:47
Speaker
But it's about these two women. Their husbands are in the CIA. They're in Russia and like the in the late eighty late eighty s Like the KGB is a whole thing, right? Husbands die. They become like kind of part of the CIA.
00:14:03
Speaker
And they're they're just these two women that are like, don't know what the fuck I'm really doing, but I'm trying to figure out more information about my husband. And they're both like very smart. And they're just like kind of going through life. And they're just like making connections, like spying. It's really cool.
00:14:16
Speaker
but i kind of think right i feel like i feel like you would connect it also there's i feel like i feel like we are very similar to some of the characters and i'm just thinking about this now and i'm i want you to watch it and tell me what you think okay i will i will i will i'm excited but like that's kind of my brain's going like they're not there to like cause too much they're like cause like physical trouble like you know, kill people or, like, blow things up, but, like, just, like, intelligence gathering slowly and silently, turning turning tables and turning the war.
00:14:47
Speaker
Yeah. Have you ever heard of meme warfare? mean I don't think so, no. Meme? Like, any Emmy? Like, memes? Oh, no, I have not. So, one, particularly, like, well, definitely now, it now but in, like, the late 80s, early 90s, there was this huge movement to use...
00:15:09
Speaker
the internet and social media and stuff like that to sway public opinion. And actually goes back to a couple of weeks ago, we were talking about if you own the newspaper, you own the history, you own the truth, right? Yeah. Yeah.
00:15:23
Speaker
So if you infiltrate that and you start putting out these stories that maybe are a little untrue, you start to slowly sway opinion to your side. Yeah. And I feel like that is what Gilbert was in charge of.
00:15:38
Speaker
Interesting. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. So, because everything that the rapid deployment paratrooper division seems like they have one side that is very much boots on the ground, typical war game type situations. You pew pew your gun, you try to kill people.
00:15:59
Speaker
Then you have this other side though, that's like very much like hey, political uprising is happening that we don't necessarily like. We're going to send you out there and you're going fix the problem by whatever means necessary. So they did this in Iraq.
00:16:16
Speaker
They did this in Afghanistan, ah Panama, East Africa, Israel. And these are all places where Gilbert definitely was.
00:16:26
Speaker
There is some sources out there that says he got two bronze stars for his service to the military in wartime efforts, but I couldn't confirm that. So potentially out there he has bronze stars, but maybe not. But his postings were often connected with military intelligence and security operations, but like the logistic side of security operations.
00:16:51
Speaker
Interesting. Okay. So it kind of reminds me of like a pinky in the brain situation. If you remember that cartoon where it's like, there's this mega mind behind the scenes that like pull strings. And then there's this other guy who kind of like tries to help out. He's definitely like mega mind behind the scenes. And then former colleagues actually said that he has extensive experience in intelligence analysis, interrogations, and psychological and language operations. I don't know what the hell that last one means.
00:17:19
Speaker
Huh. Sounds
Gilman's Last Known Movements
00:17:21
Speaker
scary. I feel like that's like you sound like close enough to a native speaker. Maybe you kind of look the part you're like infiltrating as as a local.
00:17:30
Speaker
Yes. Yes. And I don't know if you saw the picture that I sent you. yeah i don't know if I can share it on Instagram, but if I can, I'll post it. He definitely has an interesting look where you wouldn't necessarily say he's white, but you wouldn't necessarily say... So he could potentially blend into multiple different scenes. He looks like broadly like Eastern, Central, European. Yeah.
00:17:56
Speaker
Yeah, like if I went to Afghanistan, I'm not hiding. No one is gonna be like, oh, you could be a native here. They would be like, what are you doing here? He strikes me as someone that could potentially blend in, yeah, everywhere.
00:18:10
Speaker
So after leaving the military, Gilman worked for several international companies. Worked with the United Nations overseas, and reportedly these positions span from United Nations media projects in Somalia.
00:18:27
Speaker
operating a radio station and newspaper network for the UN. n ah Consulting internationally on political and economic economic research. Oh my God, he was a spy.
00:18:40
Speaker
So he's definitely like got some interesting backgrounds going on. Yeah. And then he spent the majority of the 90s and early 2000s working overseas in these different positions. In 2003 to 2004, he was sent to Iraq as a government contractor search for weapons of mass destruction and sway public opinion.
00:19:06
Speaker
Interesting. Yes. And then the reason why he came back is because where he was working was hit by a suicide bomber. So you know that place was probably... yeah pretty important absolutely hot see now i'm so curious like what what information was he gathering like what was he doing there give me all the details i'll never have the security clearance to know this but i want to i know that would be such a so fascinating just like look take a peek inside that guy's brain right like what did you know and what did you help with especially in somalia i feel like that's such an interesting place oh yeah be sad
00:19:44
Speaker
So after years overseas and helping with non-domestic political work, he decided to move back to the US and help with political work on the domestic side. So he moved his back to Chicago or Illinois or Illinois, if you're nasty.
00:20:04
Speaker
her yeah And he worked in Evanston, Illinois, helping the Democratic campaigns, multiple different ones, not one specifically, but one major role included the Get Out and Vote campaign. I don't know if you remember that whole
Theories on Gilman's Disappearance
00:20:19
Speaker
vibe. You were you were a wee lass, so I doubt you remember this, but it was a whole thing. was unfortunately not a voting age at that point. I think I was oblivious to like what what voting entailed.
00:20:31
Speaker
No worries. So, but this was specifically for a congresswoman, Jan Schwiatkowski. I said that totally wrong. It's S-C-H-A-K-O-W-S-K-Y. My apologies to everyone who I offended.
00:20:45
Speaker
But then he kind of got bored with Illinois and he decided that he was going to move to Washington state. And in 2004, he did just that. He moved. So now we're in Washington state, the Pacific Northwest. And this is when the story starts to get little spicy.
00:20:59
Speaker
who So he managed the congressional campaign for Cindy Matheson, who attempted to unseat the Congressman Doc Hastings. But they lost. um However, Matheson was very impressed with Gelman's work, so she decided to give him a job.
00:21:16
Speaker
And in April 2005, she appointed him as the Deputy Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs in the Washington State Department of Retirement Services. Interesting. Okay.
00:21:28
Speaker
Also a long-ass title. Yeah. His responsibilities included legislative strategies, pension policies, communication with lawmakers, and policy analysis. So while it sounds more of like a very stiff job, it sounds like he had a little bit of sway to you know network, maybe rub elbows a little bit, and try to like get people on his side and still do what Matheson was wanting to do in office, but instead do it maybe a little more behind the scenes. Yeah. Yeah.
00:22:01
Speaker
And while in this job, his colleagues describe him as extremely intelligent, very analytical, deeply interested in philosophy and political theory. And specifically during this time, he was writing a ton of essays about Niccolò Machiavelli.
00:22:19
Speaker
He was really interested in handbooks on rulers for acquiring and maintaining power, specifically through political politics politics.
00:22:31
Speaker
ethics and like essentially pivoting people's ethics to your side through political and propaganda means. Interesting. Okay.
00:22:43
Speaker
Which pretty much ties with everything that he was doing in the military and for the UN n and stuff like that. But I think it's really interesting because his girlfriend was definitely saying he was pretty much obsessed with this guy before he disappeared. Interesting. Interesting.
00:23:00
Speaker
Very interesting. And so let's just go a little bit into his personal life before his disappearance. So at he was 47 years old. He lived in Olympia, Washington. He lived alone, but had a girlfriend, Boston Globe reporter Donovan Slack.
00:23:18
Speaker
His friends described him as humorous, intellectually curious, widely well-read, But a very, very private person. He's one of those people that didn't give you a lot about his, you know, personality, personal traits or anything like that. It was more like all about you. And going give you just enough to keep you satisfied, but I'm not going to give you the specifics of what's going on.
00:23:42
Speaker
Classic spy. Always gathering information. If I would have seen born identity, I love born identity. And if I would have known that was a real job. Bro, my life is completely different.
00:23:58
Speaker
that wouldnt be ah So he enjoyed reading and photography. And in fact, he always had a camera on him. He was always taking pictures.
00:24:10
Speaker
Sounds very spy-like. I'm just saying. I'm just saying. One a very important detail, though, is that he had extremely poor eyesight. In fact, he was blind without glasses.
00:24:22
Speaker
Oh, interesting. Okay. Also kind of interesting, especially if you're pretending to be a spy. m By all accounts, he was not an outdoorsy person. Yes, he had experience in the outdoors, but he wasn't necessarily built for that, nor did he necessarily like doing that type of stuff. Gotcha.
00:24:41
Speaker
So now we're going to go to... June 2006. two thousand and six It's mid-June 2006. So he's continuing to work at the Department of Retirement Services, but people are noticing that he's becoming like a little too obsessed with Machiavelli, like writing nonstop. He keeps coming up in conversations. He keeps kind of like dropping hints that he really likes this dude. I'm just imagining every conversation turns back to Machiavelli.
00:25:07
Speaker
so I really think that's what is going on. going on How's the weather? Well, actually, it's this. But have you heard of Machiavelli? Have heard of Machiavelli and how he tried to turn everyone into his like slaves, essentially?
00:25:20
Speaker
Going through the month, things are kind of going normal. No one's sensing anything weird. It's June 23rd. Gilman, on the 25th, is supposed to be in Spokane for work trip.
00:25:31
Speaker
He is supposed to carpool to this work trip with Sandy Matheson. They're supposed to leave on the 24th in the evening, drive to Spokane, spend the night there, then have their work meeting or whatever, and then drive back on the 25th.
00:25:45
Speaker
Gotcha. On the 23rd or on the 24th,
00:25:53
Speaker
Gilman, Gilman wakes up. I don't know why i said his name twice, but we're here. He wakes up on the 24th and he decides, you know, he wakes up at 6 30 AM and by 7 30, he leaves his residence in Olympia, Washington.
00:26:06
Speaker
okay By all accounts, there was no unusual behavior happening at this time.
Espionage Theory and Legal Declaration
00:26:12
Speaker
Then he is decides to keep driving.
00:26:20
Speaker
In fact, he drives for 85 miles or two hours. Oh, damn. In his 2005 Ford Thunderbird convertible. Oh, wow. Okay. Okay.
00:26:31
Speaker
So he's she's driving, driving, driving. He ends up at the Olympic National Park. Oh, my God. Okay. Yes. And he turns inland towards North Fork Skokomish River Valley.
00:26:45
Speaker
And he arrives at Staircase. Okay. I sent you a map in your email to kind of show you the area. Gotcha. He gets there about 1030, 11 o'clock.
00:27:00
Speaker
And he is blaring the radio so loud that the ranger comes out of the ranger station, heads towards his car to tell him that he needs to turn down the music.
00:27:15
Speaker
The ranger, Sanny, then gets in a conversation with Gil, Gilman. I would like you to tell me how often you see a ranger come up to somebody's car and ask him to turn down the radio.
00:27:32
Speaker
I have never seen that. Like, do you think he was talking about Machiavelli with him? 100%. He had to be. Hey, actually, that that composer that you were hearing me listen to, actually, you know about Machiavelli?
00:27:47
Speaker
So, yes, he's clearly making kind of a scene. So he pulled in the music so loud, he's like trying to gather eyes on him almost. Yeah. oh yeah And this is just me speculating. I'm obviously setting a scene. So,
00:28:02
Speaker
Ranger goes up, starts talking to him, and asks him to turn the music down. He complies. They have a conversation. Then Gilliman gets out of his car, and the Ranger notices that he's wearing a very brightly colored Hawaiian shirt.
00:28:16
Speaker
Okay. Haki shorts. Sandals. No socks. Prescription sunglasses. He's got a camera around his neck, and he doesn't have a backpack or any gear. Not even a water bottle.
00:28:31
Speaker
What the heck? And this is the last confirmed sighting of Gilbert Gilman.
00:28:38
Speaker
Whoa. The ranger estimates that he started his walk between 11.08 and
00:28:48
Speaker
he's He's leaving the parking lot and he's going towards the Staircase Rapid Loop Trail, which is about a 2.1 mile loop. Okay. The normal person walks this within 45 minutes to 60 minutes.
00:29:01
Speaker
Okay. Depending what you're Yeah. The likelihood, since he had a camera and sandals, he was probably taking it very slow, probably taking pictures. But even with that, he would probably get off the trail by around 12.30 p.m. Yeah. If you're taking a shot.
00:29:17
Speaker
It's a short trail. There's heavy foot traffic on this trail. Okay. But there was no sightings of Gilman after he started walking on this trail. What? He just kind of like disappeared.
00:29:31
Speaker
What? Then no one, yeah, no one reports. His car is still in the parking lot at 3 5 p.m. it's still in the parking lot. No one's messing with it. 9 p.m. you know kind of closes down because it's after dusk but it's not uncommon that you know there's overnight hikers so no one calls to say hey this car's in the parking lot. Yeah. But remember he was supposed to meet Matheson to drive to the Spokane work trip. Yeah.
00:29:56
Speaker
He never shows up. He doesn't necessarily answer his phone so she decides to go by herself and Then the next day, Gilman fails to appear at the work meeting in Spokane. And that is when she reports him as missing.
00:30:10
Speaker
Oh, shit. Okay. So then there's like this all points bulletin that goes out and then they find his car on June 26th at the staircase trailhead where he was last seen by that ranger.
00:30:24
Speaker
They start the search there. They look in the car. There's no trace of anything weird in the car. There's no damage. Like everything seems in order in place, very structured. He had like everything kind of in type A order. Yeah.
00:30:39
Speaker
And so they are like, okay, well maybe something happened on trail. So search and rescue teams go out, dogs go out, there's a helicopter. They do thermal image imaging. There's nothing.
00:30:49
Speaker
They can't find a single thing. What? Yeah. Yes. So then they're like, huh, okay, let's go to his residence and see if there's something there. So they collect his computers, digital media, storage devices. They look around and there's nothing out of place. There's no note.
00:31:09
Speaker
There's, you know, nothing there that would be unusual and, or, or
Conclusion and Listener Engagement
00:31:15
Speaker
concerning. The only thing that's missing is the camera that he was last seen with.
00:31:21
Speaker
Whoa. And so there's a couple of theories that could have happened. Yeah. That people are saying. So, I mean, the obvious one is that he could have had an accident.
00:31:35
Speaker
Yeah. In the wilderness. So maybe, you know, he suffered. He he was maybe trying to take pictures or something while he was on the trail. Maybe he climbed up on a rock. And while he was in sandals with no socks, he slips off.
00:31:48
Speaker
maybe goes into a river, maybe hits him head, something like that. yeah And the river itself is known for extremely cold water, strong currents, large large boulders. So maybe, you know, he slipped and fell into the river and it like took him away and and they just couldn't find him. However, usually in situations like that, you would find like an article of clothing. yeah You would see where someone like slid, maybe the camera, you would find the remains down river, never found.
00:32:16
Speaker
Also, for someone who's always prepared for everything, like that is what he was known for. Yeah. Why are you only wearing sandals with notebooks?
00:32:26
Speaker
That is so odd. And you don't even have a water bottle. Crazy. Then there's this other one where it's like, well, he could have had a medical emergency. He could have had a heart attack. He could have had a stroke. He could have been disoriented. But still, even if you this happened and you wandered away from the trail,
00:32:44
Speaker
I feel like they would have still found you. It's like the area that he went has multiple different trail heads leading off of it. It's a very popular area. oh yeah. You would think someone would have seen him deviate from the trail, especially if he's wearing a bright ass Hawaiian shirt. Yeah. it's like he wants to be noticed.
00:33:00
Speaker
And I don't know if you've ever gone through the woods with when you go off the trail and you actually go deep in the woods. Yeah. Walking with sandals, not easy. No, you're so slow. You're like, mean, you're constantly stopping, like you're stepping on shit. It hurts.
00:33:14
Speaker
Yeah. And then again, with no socks. Yeah. they I don't know about that. So then there's this third option where there's foul play. So there's no confirmed evidence of foul play. Investigators essentially rule it out as a possibility, but it is relatively remote compared to other parks, but it's still not that remote.
00:33:35
Speaker
Yeah. And there's also a ranger station right there. Exactly. And if it was a robbery, why is the car still there? Yeah. And why like why is the car still there? Why are there no signs of struggles? Why is there no witness reports? I mean, this is ah this particular trail that he chose isn't like one of the, you know, sometimes you go to, I don't know, like Paradise or something, and there's that trail that everyone travels. yeah And then there's a couple that are like, connect there too, but they're not as widely used. yeah
00:34:07
Speaker
This is the one, the trail that he was heading towards was the one that like everyone uses. Interesting, okay. investigators though are still like nope it wasn't foul play you know it could have been a thing but maybe he we think that he just wandered off the trail and you know the the temperatures that night were below 40 so he probably had hypothermia and we just can't find him then the fourth theory which i find kind of interesting have you heard of someone named israel keys i have heard of israel keys Yes. So in 2014, speculation arose that Gilman might have been a victim of Israel Keyes.
00:34:44
Speaker
And he he kind of operated between 2001 and 2012. Okay. okay um He was eventually ahas or arrested in Alaska for abducting and murdering a girl named Samantha. And during interrogations, he admitted to multiple killings. And the reason why some consider Keys as a suspect here is because he was actually living in Nia Bay.
00:35:08
Speaker
okay. Which is in the Olympic Peninsula, so it's way, way, way up north. But Keys was actually in the Vancouver area when this took place.
00:35:20
Speaker
Interesting. Which is only two hours away. Oh, interesting. Okay. And one thing that Keyes was known for is actually going to isolated areas in the forest that are off kind of like the path, burying his murder bags, essentially, in these areas, going back there to find his murder bag. And then the first person he sees next is like, who's getting offed.
00:35:43
Speaker
How scary is that? Oh my god. The creepiest thing ever. His victims were often chosen randomly, which is why it was so hard to track him down. But he frequently targeted isolated individuals or people hiking alone. Okay.
00:35:57
Speaker
Campers and people in remote locations. But... Oh, and then he also disposed of bodies in... locations that were extremely hard to find. So in fast removing rivers, which is, I mean, he was walking along, Gilman was walking along a river, um, or burying them somewhere way off the path. So no one could actually find them very easily. Yeah. But the FBI ruled this out because keys was participating, participating in the Port Angeles marathon around the time of Gilman's disappearance. Oh, interesting.
00:36:32
Speaker
Which I mean, I get, but also, did you Do you have pictures of him? absolutely absolutely i'mpleing But I kind of just like that choice. But then there's the fifth theory that his mom, Gilman's mom, is saying she thinks happened.
00:36:50
Speaker
i i thought you were going to say Gilman's mom killed him. I was like, oh, shit. we're working No, he she thinks that he went deeper into intelligence or espionage.
00:37:02
Speaker
Okay. So he essentially became a spy. So yeah as we noted earlier, his career involved a lot of work that occasionally overlapped with the intelligence community.
00:37:13
Speaker
He has you know a military background with the airborne division. he's worked overseas. He has all of these languages that he speaks fluently. he's assigned He was assigned connections with the UN. He also consulted on a lot of political environments and was very key and instrumental in searching Iran for weapons of mass destruction.
00:37:37
Speaker
And, you know, people also were like, was the reason that he kept talking about Machiavelli so much and maintaining power and trying to influence political parties? Was he trying to tell us, like,
00:37:52
Speaker
he's going to shift m into a spy role and that was not a spy role as in spiral but like a spy like spy kids role mom joke number two but hey I'm on a roll today. Not a spiral. ha Three.
00:38:15
Speaker
However, investigators never found any evidence that what that his disappearance was connected to intelligence work or political activity. And law enforcement publicly suggested that espionage did not play a role in this case at all. But you would say that.
00:38:31
Speaker
Yeah. Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. So, as I said, he he went missing in 2006. No one really knows where he's at. um Years go by. And then in 2015, he's finally legally declared dead.
00:38:46
Speaker
Okay. And that's the end of the story. People just stopped looking. There's no body found or anything? No body was ever found. Any clues that he was there? Like, nothing? No clues?
00:38:58
Speaker
Nothing. No clothes were found. His camera was never found. No shoe mark. No body. Huh. Nothing. Nothing. So that is my story, my friend. What do you think happened to him? Like, personal theory?
00:39:12
Speaker
um Personal theory would be option number six. Okay. Sasquatch or aliens? Of course. should have known. That's the only. Hollow Earth. Maybe he fell into the Hollow Earth. I don't know.
00:39:28
Speaker
i don't know. so Something i really would love it to be, he became a spy. Right? Me too. There's something that's super juicy about that. I think realistically...
00:39:40
Speaker
I don't know, this guy, from everything I read, he's super analytical, everything has its place, everything's very logical, he's always prepared for everything. And for him not even to have a water bottle to me speaks and wearing sandals with no socks and like not prepared for being outdoors to me that speaks to he wasn't trying to be on that trail for very long he was trying to you know get back and then get to meet his friend and then go to Spokane I see it as almost like a like what if he faked his own death
00:40:17
Speaker
That is, I can see that as well. like he does yeah i Like he was incredibly prepared for what he was trying to do. He was trying to make a scene, right? Be noticed. People are going to remember that I was here.
00:40:30
Speaker
And they're going to notice that I'm not. Like, it worked. we ah where No one's really talking about it. He's declared dead. He can go on to live a new life. Like, I feel like that lines up with the image of him that he presented. 1000%. Do you think the new life is like spy life or just a new life, period? I want to say a spy life or like he was in, he was a spy. Like he was like heavily involved with something. and Now he's in like witness protection or something like that.
00:40:57
Speaker
That makes sense. Actually, I like that theory a lot. I still feel like my alien theory is because you know, Olympic, Olympic area, the national park is,
00:41:10
Speaker
Is alien infested, my guy? ah we can we can keep that theory. That can be theory number two. Maybe 10. Maybe theory 10. No, I do agree. i feel I also feel like it's fishy for someone to pull up and have...
00:41:25
Speaker
He also doesn't strike me as a guy who would have his radio blaring so much that a ranger would have to leave their station and make contact with him and then watch him walk into the woods unprepared. Right? Like that's, but that's such a good alibi. Like, still like,
00:41:41
Speaker
Yes, I'm making the biggest scene that I possibly can. Like, i can I imagine if I was doing... Like, the only way you would get me to make a scene is if it's, like... If I'm, like, really working at something. Like, I'm gonna go undercover. I'm gonna fake my own death.
00:41:55
Speaker
I'm not gonna fake my own death, but... No, like, seriously, though. Especially... yeah He reminds me of just, like, an introverted nerd. Yeah, I feel like... Something about the how this whole whole thing happened just doesn't speak to...
00:42:11
Speaker
i accidentally wandered off the trail. Right. It had to be way more planned than that. Yeah, I agree. Well, that's my story for you. That was so good.
00:42:22
Speaker
I'm so intrigued now. I wish there was more information, but now my imagination is going to run wild. So thank you. I hope we find something someday where it's like, I don't know, fine we either find a shoe that's like, okay, he did leave or like he ends up in, I don't know, some political leader's aid in like Somalia or China or like something crazy where you're like hey, I know that dude. And you're like, Oh my god! He was a spy! ah a plot twist. He's like in the Middle East right now. like He's a part of this whole whatever the hell the US government is doing.
00:42:58
Speaker
like Well, he wouldn't be there anymore because apparently it's bombed to the ground. so yeah well Neither here nor there. yeah If you guys have any theories on what happened to Gilbert, please submit them because I'm super into this now and I want to see how crazy we can get with our with our theories like let's let's have a competition for the craziest theory and we'll read them off next episode please please please i feel like i'm going to write one and you guys have to get me i have a challenge for you hosts can't win so please submit submit them so we don't have to listen to to um jesse's and only only jesse's ideas ah could be fun
00:43:41
Speaker
Okay, that's it for today's dive into the dark corners of the Pacific Northwest.
Episode Wrap-up and Future Mysteries
00:43:47
Speaker
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00:43:54
Speaker
Thanks for joining us on Beneath the Evergreens. We appreciate you diving into the mysteries with us. Until next time, keep your eyes open and your doors locked.