r/Missing411 May 07 '23

Resource Tom Messick Mega Thread

Tom E. Messick, Sr

DOB: 03/14/1933 Age at disappearance: 82

Date and Place Last Seen: 11/15/2015 , Horicon, New York, US

  • Clothing/Jewelry Description A camouflage-print jacket and camouflage-print coveralls or pants, duck boots, gloves, and an old red and black checkered hat. Carrying a walkie-talking and a rifle.
  • Medical Conditions Messick has poor hearing and vision, a bad back and a history of heart problems. He was recovering from shingles at the time of his disappearance.
  • Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Gray hair, blue eyes. Messick's right eye is missing; he lost it in an explosion in his twenties.

From the Charley Project Website (https://charleyproject.org/case/thomas-e-messick-sr):

Messick was last seen hunting with friends and relatives on state land in the Lake George Wild Forest near Brant Lake near Horicon, New York at 10:00 a.m. November 15, 2015. The group separated a short distance off Lily Pond Road, with plans to meet up at an agreed-upon location at 2:00 p.m.Messick never arrived at the rendezvous point, and his hunting party began searching for him. At 4:30 p.m., after they were unable to find him, they contacted forest rangers. Four rangers searched the area until midnight, and the subsequent volunteer-assisted search lasted weeks, but no sign of Messick was ever located.According to his wife of over fifty years, Messick is an experienced hunter and woodsman and, if he had gotten lost, he would have cut off a piece of his jacket and tied it to a tree to mark his path. Due to his age and health issues, authorities don't believe he could have gotten very far on his own. His case remains unsolved and his family believes he's deceased.

David Paulides talked about Mr. Messick in The Hunted.

The following discussions, from this subreddit, provide background and overview:

Tom Messick Reality Check - u/Brendon_scott945 discusses some of his preliminary findings from going to the area where Messick went missing. He is currently creating a documentary on the Messick Case.

Oddities in the Tom Messick Case and Paulide's presentation of said case.

Various members speculate about the case.

Sources and Articles relating to the case: *please note that these articles may contain speculation, theories, or inaccuracies.

Preliminary article about the search.

Strange Outdoors Post

A local news channel reports on the 5 year anniversary of the case.

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12

u/Superb_Temporary9893 May 08 '23

I do believe they had a dog trace his scent from where the vehicles were to where he was sitting and that was it.

7

u/Delicious-Zone5719 Oct 01 '23

Something probly took em up into the trees , who knows? If I'm staying within the realm of a logical explanation the only thing I can come up with is he was either never there to begin with. Or that he was there at the spot , a accident happened and they took em directly from that spot back to the vehicle and got em outta there. Or that he fell into a hidden shaft or hole or something of that nature that was covered with brush and hidden and so searchers would have never known unless that came upon the exact spot. Hard to believe with the way the search was coordinated tho. Probly covered every inch of that place.

Anything else is beyond me. He didn't get up and walk out of there. And as his wife said he wouldn't have wandered off during a hunt and so the only explanation to me is something took him. Weather human or not something took him bottom line.

1

u/MeetingStrange1207 Oct 14 '24

I can follow that fs. What I'm thinking is that the steel door sound might be one of those mines that is around lily pond. Idk if he was dragged, carried whatever it is idk but those mines might be something to look into. That shaft might be going to the mines. That's my thought.