Melbourne man's 'cryptic' note before vanishing prompts Into the Wild theory
The family of a missing Melbourne man fears he might be trying to copy the ill-fated adventurer from Into the Wild, a story of a man who moved off-grid and was later found dead.
Samuel Thomson, 19, left his home at Lysterfield South in Melbourne's southeast on February 9 for a camping trip and his family have not heard from him since.
Mr Thomson’s mum Elizabeth said a note left inside his copy of Into the Wild said he was going “walkabout” and would be returning home, however he's reportedly not returned any messages.
Ms Thomson said her son "was taken" by the book — which in 2007 was turned into a Hollywood movie — when he read it a year ago and they're now "greatly concerned" for his safety.
"Because it was inside the book and he was taken by the story of that book when he bought it and read it a year ago, that’s caused us great concern,” she told reporters on Wednesday.
"We don’t necessarily think [he is going to follow the book’s outcome] but we don’t know."
The story follows the character Christopher McCandless who hitchhiked his way to Alaska in 1990 with limited supplies or equipment, planning to live off the land.
His body was later found by a group of hikers. It's believed he died from starvation.
Police grow 'concerned' over his safety
Investigator Senior Constable Imogen Brill admitted police had concerns for Mr Thomson's safety as he was not carrying any food, money or a phone, only basic camping equipment.
The young man is believed to only have a Blue Pioneer hiking pack, a blue sleeping bag and a red and black tent.
"He’s potentially taking inspiration from the narrative in that book," she said.
"We are aware of the ending of that book and it does play into our concerns, but that’s not necessarily the reason that we’re searching for him.
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"We’re concerned he is in a remote location and he’s not able to contact anyone, and doesn’t have enough possessions to last a long period of time in the bush on his own."
Ms Thomson last spoke to her son on the night of February 9 after he returned home from a trivia night with friends.
"I heard him in his room the next morning early and he had told me he was going camping that day. I went to work and didn’t think anything else about it," she said.
By Friday evening, two days later, the family still had not heard from him so they contacted the police.
'We really want to hear from him'
That evening, a couple in the Swan Hill area, Sally and Rick Op’T Hoog, had picked him up and gave him a place to sleep for the night, and the next day drove him to Nyah. This was his last known sighting.
"He camped out in their backyard in his tent and they have then taken him to Nyah which is 10km northwest of the Swan Hill area,” Senior Constable Imogen Brill said.
Mr Op’T Hoog said the young man had not eaten lunch and took up the family’s offer for a cup of tea and some food, News.com.au reports.
"He had no plans and said he didn’t have a phone on him, didn’t know where he was going apart from he really liked the Murray River," Ms Op’T Hoog said.
Late on Monday, police located Mr Thomson’s Nissan Navara abandoned next to the Murray River near Swan Hill.
They believe he travelled west on foot, possibly en route to Midura, before hitchhiking a ride on Friday 11.
Mr Thomson’s family and friends have been extremely worried about his whereabouts and said they just "want him safe".
"We really want to hear from him – give us a call or a text Sam because we all love him and miss him," his mum said.
"I’m hoping and I’m holding onto the idea that he’s having a lovely time exploring the world, off the grid away from his friends and family, off social media, and working out where he fits in the world."
Anyone who has sighted Mr Thomson or knows anything about his direction of travel is urged to contact police.
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