Sometime before 23 July 2018, a man later known to millions as Mostly Harmless died in his tent in a Florida swamp. His body was found in the morning by hikers in Big Cypress natural preserve, whose 911 call opens They Called Him Mostly Harmless, a new Max documentary on the case and the internet sleuths who sought to reunite the hiker with his loved ones. The caller described him as unnaturally thin, discolored, alone.
The man was, indeed, emaciated; at 5ft 8in, he weighed only 83lb. An autopsy found no drugs in his system other than Tylenol, no tattoos and what was described as a “small scar” on his abdomen. He had food in his tent, plenty of cash and relatively expensive camping equipment. He had a notebook full of what appeared to be code, or maybe the scribblings of a madman. He died a few miles from the highway – presumably, if he needed help, he could have walked a short distance to find it. The official cause of death was inconclusive.
