Background

On Monday, August 1, James Hepworth left his job at Haworth here in Ludington, driving off in his van, never to be heard from since.  

The distinctively unique light blue 2001 Chevy Town and Country he drove off with has since been found in a rural area of Wexford County seven days later near the Tippy Dam area around Wellston, roughly 60 miles away from Ludington.

Since that time, they have started to do some organized searches utilizing dogs and search units, but have found no indication of his whereabouts.  Police have not indicated any financial transactions or other sign of electronic activity conducted by Hepworth during the interim, noting his cell phone has not been pinging any towers since his disappearance.

James Hepworth is a 37 year old man with eight children by his wife, Amanda (both pictured below).  He is 5' 10" and was wearing black shorts and shirt when he voluntarily left work.

Personal Recollections

I have been averse to commenting publicly on the disappearance until now, because it's been difficult to do objectively, being that I have a connection to both of the Hepworth's.  I first met Amanda about twenty years ago during a time when her family was suffering a different crisis, and I was able to help a little.  Later on, I was her supervisor for a temporary job not long before she met her husband-to-be.  From all I heard at the time, it was a happy union, and over the years, though I have rarely met either in person, they seemed to have a lot of compatibility.

Amanda, like I, has been fascinated with the Baby Kate case since 2011, and that may have led to James and her contacting me sometimes concerning some of the events of that case and my coverage of it.  James became my formal Facebook friend shortly after he was ticketed by the Ludington Police while riding his bicycle out to the lighthouse; he wanted to know whether it was legal or not, and noted that the beach patrol did it regularly on their own. 

One thing I have found with James is that he has deeply libertarian beliefs and a distrust of authority.  He longs to be self-sufficient on his diverse farm and has many skills developed that would prepare him if there ever was a social collapse or other dire emergency.  We should be envious that he has been able to make that work so well over the years, and appears to still have a strong marriage after 16 years and eight handsome and healthy kids.  But then something like this happens to pull that all apart...

The Depression Dimension

We are informed by James' co-workers and his wife that his behavior before his disappearance makes them feel that he may have done something to end his suffering.  In the months before, we hear, James was perhaps feeling the weight of the world impact him more or just not able to cope fully with the aspects of life he was able to before.  Men who go through stages of depression can make it hard for others to decipher their feelings, internalizing the forces until the pressure becomes too much to bear.

It's hard to understand what could lead to something happening like this, without having seen it happen before.  Unfortunately, I have witnessed someone in similar straits take their life without a clear warning and the effect it had on those that cared about them, including myself.  Universally, there seems to be a feeling among the survivors that they should have caught the signs, that they could and should have been able to do more to avert the tragedy, and (since they didn't), that they shoulder some of the blame for what happened. 

I can't help but revisit those feelings of helplessness I felt and still feel as I write this, but the spouse and children of those who become their own victims, must deal with a much heavier millstone for the rest of their lives.  Could they have somehow made things right if they could only go back in time and try to change what led up to the calamity?  These and other questions will litter their minds forever.  James' wife has already searched her own soul in order to try and help others who find themselves in her shoes:

 

She has since sought answers nine days after his disappearance with a poignant post on Facebook that lays out some of the reasons her husband was so conflicted over the years that seems refreshingly sincere, frank, and on the mark with what I know.  It's a shame that James' had such a split with his own father who should have appreciated all of what his son had accomplished.  The eight grandkids may now have to further suffer the consequences of the schism, as will the rest of James' relatives wherever they stand.

Hope

Now, eleven days after the disappearance, four days after his van was found, can we still hold onto hope that James Hepworth is still alive?  Many of those who know him, the police agencies from multiple counties that have helped investigate, and his wife seem to believe that his perceptions and depression led him to taking his own life.  They have put their emotions and other resources into the belief that James is no longer alive by his own hand and that all is needed is to find where he ended it all. 

But, can we continue to devote efforts into recovery (and I believe the nature of the case should have more searches being organized than have been), and yet still believe, still hope, that he did not seek such a permanent solution?  James has a unique personality and outlook on life, I have a hard time believing that he would figure out that there is nothing left to live for during the middle of his work shift, even if it was Monday. 

He drove well over an hour to get to where he eventually parked his car.  What crossed his mind through that time?  He appears to have went to an area where he and his family have been before, although it is hours away from his farm in Pentwater.  Was he seeking a peaceful place for his final moments, or could he instead have been looking for a spot where he could take a vacation from all the worries of life? 

Maybe he had some sort of plan to start over, without taking the illogical choice of suicide.  Investigating police have not organized search parties since the finding of the van; one cannot help wonder why they haven't.  If James had decided on finality on his drive, wouldn't he have left some indication he had in the van?  Might he not have chosen to use the van to help do this ultimate act? 

James was rational enough to get to work that Monday, work for several hours, and make the drive to Wexford County.  Did he decide to do an irrational act of self-sacrifice without making any sort of statement before doing so?  I hold out the hope that he either decided to do a 'more rational' act of taking a break, perhaps making a game out of hiding from the cruelness of society for as long as he can. 

History is also replete with people that plan such disappearances so as to start over again.  James' was in a mid-life crisis, much like another local that recently turned up missing (and was found trying to escape from his problems out of state).  James may have been inspired and learned from that episode.   

Our community mostly forgave Vaughn Flewelling for his subterfuge in evading reality and its consequences, they will be even more forgiving with James if he ever does some random day in the future go back to his farm, open the door, and ask his dumbstruck wife what she's serving for dinner. 

Please come home James Hepworth, happiness and forgiveness can be found there.

Views: 2694

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

This absolutely breaks my heart and as a middle aged man I also feel his pain! I wish that everyone would read this and understand we all have struggles, specially when so many obstacles are placed in front of our hopeful goal! The reason for a governance and police state is to help people in need! Find this man PLEASE! Should be priority #1, he has 8 darn kids! It takes a village.......

The Facebook post made by James on June reminds me of another quote made by Williams:  "I used to think that the worst thing in life was to end up alone. It's not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people who make you feel alone."

I experience that almost every other Monday at Ludington City Hall, James probably experienced that almost everywhere.  Odd as it sounds, I believe it's quite possible that James went out in the woods alone to escape from his sense of loneliness, to normalize his eccentricity, to heal his spirit.

Nice posts jfc, and I totally agree. What a travesty, and to be working and living in our area, just age 37. Amanda made a very loving video, God Bless her too. Law Enforcement, please, where are you, why aren't you in desperate and earnest search? This is Certainly a Case that needs to be solved, and that's why we in Mason County are now paying $5 Million for LE. Police Dogs and such can do great work, why not use them? C'mon! We Can DO BETTER, can't WE? Heartbreaking for us all now, we CAN do BETTER, imho.

Why conduct investigations to save lives when they can conduct witch hunts to ruin lives? 

Patience, jfc123 and Aquaman, this other story will come out eventually.

I would like to show a more precise map as to where James' van was located in Wexford County.  It was found near Dobson Bridge on a dead end road according to reports (about mid-map).  My original map indicates the area it was found at was west of M37, and a bit closer.

Sorry to hear about James. He picked a secluded spot to park his van so he didn't want to be found anytime soon. I hope the police have checked the scene for all possibilities, even foul play.

According to the Facebook page, there was a discovery of some of James' effects out in the forest of that area, some state police and a small private group were out looking today.  If nothing comes up, I will be taking a small group up there midweek to search again.

What's the  update now? Still didn't find him?

Still missing, presumed dead by most.

We are on the understanding that there may be a development in this case.  Initial reports have that Hepworth's body has been recovered about a mile from where his vehicle was parked.

Noting that I trudged across the area three times covering that area and beyond, I find it odd that the body was found about 3/4 of a mile away from his car, especially with all those search and cadaver dogs used last year.  Though it should be noted, the area is well covered with bracken and thickly forested, with a hostile topography to boot, it's possible that he could have been overlooked.

Depression can be a fierce opponent, but in my investigations into this case, I wouldn't be surprised at this point if the MSP, the current investigating authority, told us that the autopsy and other evidence indicated foul play was involved.

RSS

© 2024   Created by XLFD.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service