The television show "Disappeared" focused on a 2004 missing person case from Maine earlier this month. Jeremy Alex, 28, disappeared from Northport almost 7 years ago. Since then, his father has started the Jeremy Alex Fund with the purpose of helping at-risk kids. Bangor Daily News revisits the story:
TV show to air about Maine man who disappeared in 2004Source: http://new.bangordailynews.com/2011/02/06/lifestyle/tv-show-to-air-about-maine-man-who-disappeared-in-2004/
By Abigail Curtis, BDN Staff
Posted Feb. 06, 2011, at 8:00 p.m.
Editor’s Note: This article is part of a feature called Follow-up in which BDN staff update stories from the past to inform readers of the status of subjects covered in initial reports and any new developments.
NORTHPORT, Maine — Almost seven years ago, Jeremy Alex disappeared in the woods of Northport under mysterious circumstances.
Despite a $20,000 reward for information on his whereabouts, his family is still left with many questions, no answers — and no Jeremy.
They hope that a television program about him that airs Monday night on the Investigation Discovery channel’s series “Disappeared” will change that.
“There’s not too many things left to do that will spark an interest again,” his father, Ted Alex, said Friday from Portsmouth, N.H., where he lives. “We’re optimistic … Hopefully, somebody will call and give us some information.”
Jeremy, a landscaper who was in the process of moving to Northport from Islesboro, was 28 when he last was seen running into the woods off Pound Hill Road the evening of April 24, 2004. Although the disappearance was treated initially as a missing-person case, his family believes that the man they describe as kind and a free spirit may have been murdered.
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Deputies found Jeremy’s car nearby, but were unable to locate him. A search was mounted immediately, but nothing was found. After the public was notified that Jeremy was missing, a second witness recalled seeing a man who matched his description run across Route 1 near Northport Marine at about the same time. That area also was searched extensively, but nothing was found.
For years, there were no more reliable clues, Ted Alex said last week. But about 2½ years ago, Jeremy’s driver’s license surfaced at a home on the shore in Northport along with a story of missed opportunity.
In 2004, a Northport couple was building a house on the ocean, and about a month after Jeremy disappeared, money started washing up onshore. Workers found about $30 in all, according to Alex.
About two weeks after that, Jeremy’s driver’s license washed up, too.
The couple had a bowl on their coffee table that was filled with everything that had floated in on the tides, and they put the license and the money in that. They never made the connection to the missing man. After the husband died, friends came to a get-together after his funeral. A retired highway patrol officer saw the driver’s license in the bowl and remembered hearing about Jeremy Alex.
“He called the police,” Ted Alex said. “He ended up e-mailing me about it, saying ‘I have $30 of Jeremy’s money and his license,’ which was obviously really bizarre.”
[...]
The $20,000 reward, too, has led to nothing more tangible than rumors, he said.
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He remembered his son as a nice guy who struggled with addiction but loved snowboarding, chess, music, gardening and Maine.
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Anyone with information about Jeremy Alex should call Trundy at the Waldo County Sheriff’s Office at 338-2040.
For more information, visit www.jeremyalex.com.
The Jeremy Alex episode of “Disappeared” aired at 9 p.m. Monday, Feb. 7, on the Discovery channel. See below for videoclip:
29 comments:
I unstand what Jeramy was going through when he disappeared. I suffered the same Psychosis under the influence of cocain. The hailucinations were so real that I believed that I was being chased and my life was in dangered. I ran through black berry bushes with no shoes in shorts and dove into a pound were I almost drowned. The event lasted hours. It doesn't happen to everybody that uses the the drug or combination of drugs. I have seen others go through this psychotic event. It's no fun to experience. My heart goes out to Jeremys Family and freinds.
I saw the case of Jeremy from Maine on ID disappeared and I wanted to offer a theory on his demise based on the evidence presented in the episode. I don’t believe he is a victim of foul play, but rather fell victim to the drug induced paranoid hallucinations. I too have experienced this before many years ago when I was young and using. These symptoms of course cleared up when I became clean. Here is the evidence I believe that supports this.
1. Used drugs with little food or sleep for several days.
2. The drugs cocaine and heroin are generally not strong enough, compared to meth, to sustain the necessary energy to go beyond this time frame. But strong enough to cause an episode of paranoid delusions similar to an advanced schizophrenic.
3. All witness accounts of Jeremy during the days in question lean towards a displaced reality and intense paranoia.
4. The lady who reported seeing him come from the woods crossing the road on one side, then darting back to the same side after she passed, supports drug induced paranoia. When someone is under this condition they believe that everyone/anyone is after them and is part of a collective conspiracy to get them. When the witness veered at him, as someone would that sees something out of place, he interpreted a conspiracy. Someone of sound mind knows specifically who is after them. Yet he darted back in the direction he came, believing that he was not seen and that the unrelated conspirator would communicate to his pursuers a different direction. Thus barely, once again, eluding capture.
5. When he came out of the woods on another witness’s property and was approached by the owner, he believed that he had been caught by another unrecognized conspirator. Feeling trapped, unbelievably to the sane, he offered him money to be let go. The witness, who was obviously not a conspirator, describes him in a manner that supports a crazed paranoia and alerted authorities.
6. His last known direction was towards the river basin where his ID and money was later found. Clearly this is a positive ID.
Summation: Jeremy’s hallucinations had grown to the intensity that he consistently believed his hunters were always within minutes or yards of catching him. His imaginary pursuer’s persistence would somehow match his ability to barely elude them. His hallucinations mysteriously and relentlessly without mercy stayed within 20 or so yards from him for three days straight. Whenever he encountered a random person, it only intensified his paranoia and supported in his mind this organized gang of predators was growing in size and structure. Had he encountered a bowl of beef stew and 20 hours of sleep, the story would have ended differently.
It is likely that he did owe someone money for drugs and may have even been threatened. But that’s where it ended. In Jeremy’s drug induced paranoid hallucinations, that’s where it began. In reality, if a drug dealer had caught Jeremy they would have, of course, confiscated his money.
He didn’t just randomly run off a some cliff. Jeremy came to the river believing his imaginary pursuers were only moments behind him. In a moment of overwhelming fear and complete loss of judgment and reality, feeing cornered, he tried to swim across the canal to escape. Since his body was racked with exhaustion and lack of energy from sustenance, he became disoriented and simply drowned. Some of his possession, possibly more than what was found, washed ashore. His body may have eventually washed out to sea.
It is unfortunate that the couple who found his ID didn’t have enough sense to try and return the ID. An opportunity to recover his remains was clearly lost.
Again this only a theory based on the evidence presented in the episode. I am saddened for the family’s loss and hope they find some peace.
I totally agree with the theory of a drug induced paranoid hallucinations. Such a sad story.
I live in Zambia and have just watched the Jeremy Alex touching story on the ID disappeared and really feel for the parents and all the people who showed their love for Jeremy. I definitely have to swallow the bitter pill and the reality that Lovely Jeremy is no more. However lessons to learn from the evidence presented are that we need to encourage the public to report to police strange things no matter how small they may be to one but may mean so much to the police. Just as hiding evidence may not necessarily be an act that yield beneficial results. The drivers license was kept in one’s collection and the cocaine was flashed these would have helped the police. Lastly I have to thank Ted Alex for creating the Jeremy Alex Fund. Ted You have shown the love you have for all our children and would not like a parent to experience the pain you still live with. There will be no another Jeremy yet the you still have the courage to do this for the sake of other parents, I salute you for you abundant love for all of us. The sad thing is that I have failed to open the Jeremy Alex website for unknown reason. God bless
In many such cases the link to drug use/abuse is prevalent and comments by those fortunate enough to have avoided such behavior are, IMHO, accurate in their description of Jeremy's demise. A sad end for someone who, by all accounts, was mostly harmless in his drug use. When folks talk about legalizing drugs they might want to consider how few folks really understand the physiological and psychological ramifications of use/abuse. These are comments by folks who wised up in time to not go "Missing."
Its just so sad.......I just hope and pray some positive and useful info comes up.
I don't believe anyone hurt him his money and license washed up from the ocean I believed he drowned and died from his own demise due to drug induced paranoia. My brother went thru similar circumstances last October he was running screaming thru the streets that bad people where after him. He ended up in a swollen river face down found two days later he was found he had been high off of bath salts and extremely paranoid. I feel so sad for him and his family hopefully they find him or his remains to ease their pain.
I am so sorry about your son. I understand so much of this type of loss. I lost my son to an overdose of prescription pain medication.Although I was able to have some sense of closure because he did not go missing like your precious Jeremy. I still have yet to know the complete story about my son's death, since the only one with him is not a credible witness to his last moments of life. Nevertheless, he took a part of me with him, and since then I have become a part of a group of parents and friends working hard to help those addicted to pain meds to get free of the addiction. Also it has become so easy to get these prescrips from doctors and pharmacists. My son had many opportunities for help, and he understood that. Just as Jeremy, my son was very loved and harmless to others.
My heart goes out to the loved ones of Jeremy. I so understand your need to know what happened that tragic night.
I just watched the episode of Jeremy's story on ID Missing. I have to say how sad this story is and I truly feel for his friends and family. I understand the pain of the sleepless nights and sickness you feel in the pit of your stomach. I have a twin brother who fell under the spell of the drugs and went missing without a trace for six very long years. I thought I had him back in my life, but only to go back under that spell a few years later. That was four years ago. I hate not knowing if he is safe or alive?. My prayers are with you xoxo
From South Africa,just saw the episode,my heart goes out to the family. I hope you get closure.
I personally have gone through cocaine addiction tho i survived it was a trying experience and without intervention at the most important moment in my life. The fact he had been up for days without nutrition or any type of sustenance can cause parinoia and hallucinations on their own let alone the fact of cocaine use. I truly hope this comes to a conclusion either way. Jeremy is no less a mysterty or concern as anyother human being on earth no matter societys taboo's an stigmas on life sfyles of all ppl.
I am sorry for your heartache! Like many other responses...I can relate. I have abused drugs throughout my life. And honestly can't say I won't do it again. I have also experienced the hallucinations. I have memories...I guess that's what to call them...of hiding from "someone". Flashes of pure terror. Trying to get away. I also know that with the progression eventually this behavior is going to get me killed. When sober I am torn...I feel great, healthy, worthy but worthless, a loser, suffocating. Reckless.
Pcp which is often mistaken for other drugs causes all the symptoms jeremy seems to have. A guy i went to school with (wasnt even a friend) my took pcp and he freaked out the same way he thought people were after him couldnt explain who or why. He showed up on my door step I had to call his mom who had him put in the hospital he escaped twice and kept coming back to me for some reason this went on for weeks and eventually he dissapeared. I wonder if jeremy took pcp
Greetings from South Africa. All my sympathies go out to family and friends suffering without any closure and consolation. I share my birthday with Jeremy and will spare a thought for him each year. Good luck with the years to come. Hermine
Does nobody else find it extremely strange that the man that found Jeremy's license never turned it in & is now dead from a crazy accident? Too weird!
I dremt of Jeremy and like the theories in these comments (which I didn't see before the dream) I saw him on the shore looking around terrified something was right behind comming for him. Next he was walking into the water he went deeper n deeper n I could actually feel the weight of his wet clothes pulling him under I felt exhaustion and then I felt like I couldnt breath it only lasted a few seconds of no breath then calm and I felt like rather than watching him in the dream I was myself feeling what was going on. I felt clarity found myself vack on the shore and knew that I died thst drugs messed me up. And I felt saddness n regret for all those who would now be hurt from this my passing. At thst moment my husband woke me he sais I was breathing weird like I couldnt suck in air or something. I did see the show when it first aird but that was a long while ago. I remembet his girlfriend saying she drempt of him hugging her and saying he had to go. I think his spirit stuck around and stayed with those who loved him for a long time and I truely believe now he is at peace he knows he wont be found but I think he couldnt leave till he felt evetyone would be ok. I think his father starting the Jeremy fund helped him and Jeremy's spirit heal and I think you are all virrect the drugs brought him to the water that day. After all these years I just hope all his lived ones can accept although he is gone he loved them all so much and try to heal. My heart goes out to you all. I dont usually have dreams like this im not some psychic. But I did dream this and it affects me still I remember it like it was real I feel cild water, the smell I hope I dont ever dream like it again only because how close it made me feel like I was dieing. Stay strong!
God bless his family and friends I hope however he died it was not a terrible death. Drugs do make you paranoid.
Im from Serbia and i just looked up for Jeremy Alex missing, and i couldn't stop thinking about what happend to him, so i started searching on web, and i read all web sites and my thought is that because of drugs he is killed, maybe he owned a money to a big drug dealers so they killed him and throw him away in the ocean and that why his money wash on shore, that is just one of a milion possibility, maybe if that couple who found his money and driver licence said that police before, maybe they will find close to the ocean, surely his was there at some point, so, is he dead somewhere in the ocean or he is cluttered in woods, we will never find out, but i would like to now more about this, so, if somebody want to talk with me about this or exchange opinions can reach me on my email - masamarinkovic0@gmail.com :)
Jeremy's true friends loved him very much, and wont ever stop looking for him. His friends and family deserve closure, and someday we will find him and bring him home. We are still looking for answers.
Jeremy's true friends, absolutely adored him. Don't think that we have forgotten him, because we absolutely haven't. We wont ever stop searching, wont ever stop asking questions. We will find him , and we will bring him home. He may be gone, but he is never forgotten.
Today is 4/49/2016...Rumors are flying around Belfast that Jeremy od'ed at the home of the brother of the current chief of police...and the wallet was thrown to throw searchers off...It doesn't sound logical to me..the paranoid hallucination theory seems much more likely...but the chief's brother has been in trouble recently...drugs, drunk driving accident...
6/2016 I just watched the episode about Jeremy on YouTube and am thinking of the family and very saddened by what appears to have happened to Jeremy. As I read all these comments I cannot help but worry that I will lose one of my brothers this way. It seems some people have very strong paranoia when they use these drugs... and yet they do it again and again. I think people that have some sort of inclination towards schizophrenia/paranoia have these severe reactions that maybe others do not have. I feel fairly confident that Jeremy believed he was being followed and that he himself got into the water and drowned.
People with mental problems often drink or take drugs which may seem to them to alleviate their problems and stress but really it makes it worse. I sometimes wonder what comes first the mental illness or the drugs?
I'm from Waldo county the county where Jeremy went missing from. The rumors I have heard several times was that Jeremy was found in Northport by two acquaintances of a man Jeremy owed money to over a drug debut. they had heard over a police scanner that Jeremy was in a mental breakdown in the woods of northport and were worried Jeremy wood rat them out. Jeremy was killed in mount Waldo(20 mins away from northport) and remained there for several years until he was later moved to another location. His money and drivers license was later thrown of the Belfast bridge to throw off the case from the state troopers. The local cops in jeremy's county are aware and helped cover up the case due to being paid in cash. Cameron philbrook was who he owed money too and later killed Jeremy
Funny cops family seem to get away with such meaningless foul play! I knew Jeremy and the one who brought the unjustified end to Jeremy's life.
Seems as though someone will stand up for Jeremy and do the right thing and put Cameron away or perhaps if they speak to the right citizen for true statements and real witnesses that saw this brutal slaying..if asked
I would stand up n get closure for his family. They deserve this much. And so much more.
" mcfaddens, Meryl reed, Cameron philbrook, I so welcome you all to be brought up for murder, conspiracy to cover up murder, the cops informed Cameron of searches and told him to relocate his remains. I may have some sense of where to find trace evidence with DNA......
Also the murder of " George " is also being swept under the rug, yes drugs was involved as well. Uncle George was also a friend. May be able to bring that to closure . His dear daughter has the right to know his killer,killers more like it .let's all communicate n prevail!!!!!
Waldo county.
A - FRIEND .
These comments infuriate me. People who didn't know him, trying to analyze his situation based on this documentary. "the imaginary people hunting him?? His paranoia??" There were people after him. He wasnt being paranoid. I was his friend. He didnt drown. His death was not accidental. There were in fact people after him. He was murdered, and they are still walking around free, because his remains have still never been recovered.
2/28/17 Spent tons of time in Belfast/Norport area as my grandmother has lived in northport my whole life. incredibly interested in since case ever since she told me about it. Would love to hear from Locals... whats the most common believe that happened to him? email me! ryan.gilliganc@gmail.com
It saddens me that parents and families are daily faced with such painful experiences. Nothing we say can take the pain away. We can only pray the Almighty ease your pain. From cape Town south africa
It seems was clearly drug induced and he succumbed to the elements somewhere. There are a boatload of paranoid and often crazy sounding rumors out of Belfast Maine regarding the case but none have been substantiated. Seemed drugs were the likely cause. Still, that area is steeped in drug activity and crime, so is always possible something may have happened involving such things even though he did a lot of drugs that can screw up your psyche and hallucinate. Is one of the flip the coin kind of cases in some ways despite the obvious.
People suffering stress and anxiety doctor themselves in anyway they can. Unfortunately this can open the door to the other side and negative things can enter your life. They are real. This is not pychosis. These people are haunted and really do see and feel the danger coming for them. My son was spiritually gifted, he suffered night terrors his whole life and I do believe this came from a past life into this life. He never grew out of it. He believed right up to the day he died that the police were going to make him disappear. Between self medicating and mental health medication he eventually died in his sleep with pneumonia. But the strange and wonderful thing that happened there was a prayer I said for my son. I prayed to Jesus instead of God and asked him to send angels to my son and for them to wrap their arms around him and keep him safe from the dark. Then I was awake all that night. I couldn't sleep, I was alert. I slept the next night and the following morning before I opened my eyes a voice said my son was fine. And I absolutely felt such happiness because I knew with a mother's certainty that he was fine. A week later they found he had passed in his sleep. And I knew exactly when it was that he had died. I will never believe that psychosis made him see people who followed him. I believe him when he said they were real. They burnt his vehicle and hunted him with lights in the night. Do not use drugs. Do not lower your natural God given psychic protection.
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