The dead hiker went by Mostly Harmless. The search to ID him was anything but

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Hikers and ‘trail angels’ had encountered the kind-eyed stranger, who introduced himself as ‘Denim’ or ‘Mostly Harmless’ before he was found dead and emaciated in a tent in Florida, the cause of death ‘undetermined’ but showing no signs of foul play That took off on social media, making its way through online hiking groups and catching the interest of amateur sleuths. Those who recognized the image came forward to say that they’d met him under the names “Denim” and “Mostly Harmless.” They ranged from fellow hikers to “trail angels” – “these wonderful people that just sort of volunteer their time to bring water and snacks to people out on the trail, or some of them mail things home for them or let them crash up on a couch if they need a night off the trail,” Gillespie tells The Independent. Hiker Brandon Dowell, who encountered the ill-fated trail walker in Georgia using the trail name ‘Denim,’ felt a strong connection to the older man and has written a song about him in tribute “He was not getting internet famous fast enough for my taste,” says Christie Harris, a Virginia resident who took up the cause and emerges as one of the film’s main protagonists. The body of Mostly Harmless, later identified as Louisiana native Vance Rodriguez, was discovered in his tent at a Florida campsite about 15 months after he’s believed to have started his journey on the trail in the Northeast They Called Him Mostly Harmless explores the lingering questions around Rodriguez, the search to ID him and the legacy his mysterious death has left – touching upon the ethics and personalities of the “true crime community” as well as exploring trail culture, the nuances of modern life and loneliness.