Original subtitles

- [Narrator] Rico Omarr Harris, known to the world

of basketball and all who followed

his career as simply Rico, was an extroverted, athletic

and one time world renowned basketball prodigy.

His energetic entertaining skillset,

followed by a courageous battle against addiction

and apparent recovery was cut short

by an unexplainable, untraceable vanishing

in October of 2014, leaving all who knew him,

from college basketball fans in Los Angeles

to the Harlem Globetrotters

grasping for answers in a sea of evidence

that drowned us all in doubt.

As a hope to provide more substantial reasoning,

build upon observable evidence and situational analysis,

this is an examination of the disappearance of Rico Harris

and the mystery in Yolo Country,

and the surrounding hills of Cache Creek.

This is "Cold Case Detective."

(creepy music)

Rico Harris was born on May the 19th 1977,

to parents Henry Harris and Margaret Fernandez

in Los Angeles, California.

After moving to Oregon for a little while

to account for Henry's new job,

the Harris family quickly bonded with one another,

but moved back to Los Angeles soon after

to raise three additional children.

During their younger years, the Harris siblings

were subjected to violent and abusive tendencies

at the hands of their father.

Rico specifically was a frequent target of Henry's rage,

taking the brunt of his abuse, despite desperately

seeking out his approval as he grew into a teenager.

Henry's collision course eventually drove Margaret away

and she took her children with her to Alhambra, California.

Rico, the eldest brother, took it upon himself

to help support the family.

And while Margaret would work full time,

he watched over his siblings.

While his parents urged him to use his big body frame

in sports, Rico had decided to pursue acting at age 15.

To improve his chances of finding success,

he enrolled in Hollywood High School

a headache of a drive all the way from Alhambra.

However these aspirations only last a year,

before Rico realized he was born to play basketball

and he used his father's address to attend

Temple City High School.

By the time he was 16 years old,

Rico was already six feet eight inches tall,

and 250 pounds, a colossal of a young man.

It didn't take long for him to take control

of the basketball court, dominating his opponents

and entertaining the crowds

with his explosive style of play.

He transformed a once dormant high school club

into a powerhouse program, drawing in college scouts

as he reflected the style of Magic Johnson

and broke through double team defenses.

Off the courts he was an introverted adolescent

without much academic prowess,

until he met a girlfriend, whose family helped him

achieve higher grades in school.

This helped Rico find even more success in basketball,

and during his senior season, he averaged 28 points,

15 rebounds and was compared to the top basketball recruits

in Western United states,

such as Jason Terry and Paul Pierce.

Sadly, because Rico failed to receive high marks on the SAT,

his scholarship offers from top flag universities

such as UCLA were rescinded, thus Rico ended up

at Arizona State to take classes

before regaining eligibility to play basketball.

For the first time in his life,

Rico was away from friends and his close knit family,

and it caused struggles in his studies and his social life.

In march of 1996, he was briefly accused

of unlawful imprisonment along with two other team mates.

But the charges were dropped and Rico was told

he had to sit out his second year of sports

in order to clean up his act.

Refusing to sacrifice additional precious time,

Rico transferred to Los Angeles City College,

he was able to basketball team

and immediately let his presence be known.

He guided the LACC Clubs to a state title

and won Most Valuable Player.

But by his second year, Rico found himself

in academic decline and trending towards

an unhealthy lifestyle, constantly consuming alcohol,

despite still performing at a high level

on the basketball court.

When he lost connection to his former girlfriend

and acknowledged his deteriorating emotional health,

Rico shut down his recruitment from other colleges

fearing they only wanted his skills

rather than his personal development,

and declared for the NBA Draft.

Once again though, this plan went up in flames

when Rico kept pushing off special events

to showcase his skills in order to remain close to home.

As a byproduct, he withdrew his name

from draft consideration,

declining various East Coast offers

to play Division I college 'ball.

And transferred to Cal State Northridge.

Many thought it was a poor choice for Rico's future career,

and the doubters were unfortunately correct,

but with the summer between semesters,

Rico attempted to reconcile with his estranged father Henry,

but was swiftly rejected.

Caught in a purgatory of social and emotional negligence,

Rico continued to lose focus and lost interest in the NBA

during his only lackluster season at CS Northridge.

Out of NCAA eligibility,

Rico turned to semi-professional basketball

to keep his NBA dream alive.

He played in San Diego, St. Louis and other pickup teams

before deciding to join the Harlem Globetrotters,

a comedic exhibition basketball team.

In a tragic twist, Rico found himself in a scuffle

in South L.A., only a month into the Globetrotters gig,

in which he was hit in the back of his head

by a baseball bat.

While he survived, Rico suffered from balance issues

and headaches thereafter,

effectively ending his basketball career.

After moving back to Alhambra with his mother and siblings,

Rico entered a seven year stretch battling addiction,

that started with alcohol and soon exploded

into heroine, meth and cocaine.

In fact all of the Harris siblings were suffering

from some version of substance abuse,

and their mother Margaret did everything she could

to help them with their demons.

After Rico turned 30 years old in 2007,

he finally saw true help and entered rehab.

The program lasted longer than normal,

but in the end, Rico recovered from his addiction.

In 2012, he met Jennifer Song, a Seattle insurance broker

and the two entered a romantic relationship.

Throughout the next couple of years Jennifer and Rico

become very close, Rico eventually moved

to Seattle permanently and started planning a life

with Jennifer as a married couple.

The two talked about having children

and setting up a happy future.

Rico even lined up a job interview as a property appraiser,

an incredible opportunity considering

all he had to overcome.

However, before Rico could make the final transformation,

he had to go back home to Alhambra one more time

to find closure with his family.

He arrived on October the 9th 2014,

and had dinner with his brother,

gifting him a new cellphone.

Rico then visited his mother,

engaged in a one-on-one private conversation.

Whatever resulted in the exchange is unknown,

but it's believed to have been against Rico's wishes.

Rico left for Seattle again, just after midnight

and stopped in Lodi, California for gas.

He drove all night, and in the morning called Jennifer

to let her know he was going up into the mountains to rest.

It was the final point of contact

anyone made with Rico Harris, and he soon disappeared

into the North Sacramento wilderness.

In early September of 2014, Rico and his girlfriend Jennifer

enjoy their intimate hopeful relationship with one another

and begin to think about the future together.

However, Jennifer notices something is off with Rico,

who acts abnormally and loses his sense of organization.

After she persists in questioning him,

Rico reveals he relapsed the previous summer of 2014

with alcohol consumption.

While it hadn't turned back into a habit,

the return to an old behavior threw Jennifer off-balance.

Rico's relapse was confirmed by longtime friend David Lara,

who had rekindled their friendship around the same time.

Later in September, despite the earlier friction,

Rico and Jennifer settled on taking their relationship

a step further, and move in together in Seattle, Washington.

It's seen as a monumental endeavor for Rico,

who previously struggled when away from his hometown

of Los Angeles and close knit family.

The couple engage in intense conversations about marriage,

having children and exploring true love.

Yet Rico still feels insecure about the new surroundings.

It takes him almost a month to unpack

as Rico felt awkward making himself at home

in a living space that wasn't his own.

Jennifer later says it was Rico's sensitive,

underlying will to provide for loved ones

that fed the insecurity and not lingering

second thoughts or laziness.

Within the first week of October,

things change for the better, Rico secures a job interview

for a position as a property appraiser

at a local real estate company.

The new opportunity sparks joy and encouragement

and Rico finally unpacks his belongings

in Jennifer's house, a signal he's ready for change

and is there to stay in Seattle.

The happy vibes shifted unexpectedly

on October the 8th 2014, when Rico tells Jennifer

he's going out later in the day to explore.

A bit strange compared to Rico's usual activity,

yet Jennifer doesn't really think twice about it

and kisses her fiance goodbye.

But when Jennifer calls Rico later in the eve

of October the 8th, Rico informs her

that he's on his way to Los Angeles

to visit with his family.

Rico explains that he wants closure

from the dark past of his childhood,

and to create trust with his mother again.

Regarding their relationship and his future.

Jennifer while taken aback, understands his well meanings

and supports his quick decision.

Jennifer remembers Rico sounding excited to move on,

his head seemingly in the right space.

Rico arrives in Alhambra the next day on October the 9th,

his mother Margaret, notes his excitement

about the recent changes and optimism

about his flourishing life.

However, Margaret also suspects Rico to have been drinking

or under the influence of a substance.

In the evening of October the 9th,

Rico leaves his mother's house,

and has dinner with one of his younger bothers.

He buys his brother a new cellphone

and the two reminisce of old times.

After the brothers rekindling,

Rico heads back to Margaret's house in Alhambra

to engage in a private conversation

and again the closure he seeks from a tattered childhood.

The conversation does not last long,

and Margaret later claims, she felt Rico

hadn't taken from the conversation

what he had hoped for in terms of emotional revelation.

Not long after the clock strikes midnight

on Friday October the 10th, Rico decided to head back

to Seattle rather than spending the night

like his mother expected,

in order to have extra prep time for his interview.

He takes a few extra personal belongings

from his mother's home and hits the road.

At around one o'clock Rico calls his mother again

to explain his rash decision.

Margaret recalls her son saying something along

the lines of, "I have these things that I need to do."

Right after talking to his mother, Rico then calls Jennifer,

once again surprising her with a premature return home.

The couple talks for three to four hours,

throughout which Jennifer encourages Rico

to find a motel and sleep,

considering he had been awake for 40 plus hours.

Rico finally comes around but offers the desire

to drive up to the nearby mountains for a quick nap.

Jennifer suggests an alternative,

reminding him he'd have no cell service at high altitude.

And the dark winding roads would be dangerous

in the thick of night.

The two end their phone call with Rico still set on driving.

At 8:00 a.m. on October the 10th,

Rico receives a second call from Jennifer,

after she slept for a few hours.

Rico informs her that he's getting gas at a station

near Sacramento in a town called Lodi, California.

He sounds incredibly tired from his end of the phone.

An hour or so later, Rico is contacted again,

this time by his mother wondering about his progress.

Rico finally admits to exhaustion,

and claims he's going to find somewhere to rest and eat.

Throughout the morning both Jennifer and Margaret

make multiple calls to Rico

to check in on his resting plans, but Rico never picks up.

After a few unsuccessful tries, Jennifer sends him a text.

At 10:44 a.m., Rico finally responds to Jennifer's text,

and says he is doing well, but gives little details,

this is the last official contact

anyone makes with Rico Harris.

As morning shifts to the afternoon,

Jennifer tries to let Rico's rest time go uninterrupted,

yet her anxieties get the best of her

and she calls him anyway, still getting no response.

Jennifer tells herself, he must still be

in the mountainous region of California

and the cell service is playing a role.

Between 7:00 and 8:00 p.m., Jennifer officially falls

under the silence of Rico and calls Margaret worried.

Margaret on the other hand is calm

and guesses Rico is just operating on his own will,

not uncommon to his personality.

Sometime before midnight, Rico records himself

singing along to music in his parked car,

but appears to be doing so unintentionally.

He also throws around various CDs

from the passenger compartment as well.

These video clips are later found

to be timestamped on the evening of October the 10th,

confirming he was alive and functioning at that time.

At 11:15, Rico's cellphone turns off,

whether it was by Rico himself

or due to battery failure is unknown.

The weekend of October the 11th and 12th goes by

and Rico never returns any calls or returns to Seattle.

Yet Jennifer and Margaret hold off on reporting it,

remembering he once escaped to San Diego

for a few hours without notice,

and give him a couple days to reappear.

On Monday October the 13th a Yolo County deputy sheriff

makes a routine check of an isolated rest area parking lot

at Rumsey Canyon in Rumsey, California.

Along California State Route 16,

he finds a black Nissan Maxima off to the side

in a dirt lot with no nearby passengers, but lets it be.

The following day on Tuesday October 14th,

the same Yolo County sheriff returns to his route

and finds the Nissan in the same spot in the parking lot.

He runs the plate in his database,

and discovers it belongs to Rico Harris,

his address still linked in Alhambra.

The Yolo County Sheriff's Office, calls Margaret

to inform her they found the car but no person,

and she then calls Jennifer,

trying to make sense of what both women

describe as a surreal dream.

Margaret officially files a missing persons report

with the Alhambra Police Department.

And law enforcement opens an investigation.

Over the next week or so, police put together

a vast network of searches and rescue personnel.

Helicopters with thermographic cameras

fly over the surrounding areas.

All terrain vehicles are commissioned

for the mountainous search zone.

And cadaver dogs are deployed to pick up

any lingering scent of Rico.

Overall, the crews covered a five mile radius

of the parking lot and 27 mile stretch

of Rumsey Canyon along Route 16.

But find little clues, besides unidentified footprints

in the dirt alongside the road.

Using cellphone data, police interview residents

of nearby locals and receive a few reassuring sightings

that dated back to Sunday October 12th,

but nothing concrete surfaces.

On October the 19th, investigators receiver another tip

about the sighting of a large man walking along Route 16

and subsequent shoe prints are found in the dirt once again.

However, the location of the previous eye witness testimony

had footprints compared to the October 19th clues,

lead police to conclude, Rico had left the site of his car

at Rumsey Canyon, walked along the Cache Creek

and then returned to the original spot for unknown reasons.

This revelation would provide the strongest foundation

for later theories.

A few days later on October the 22nd,

the search is pulled back and slowly dwindles down.

In mid-November of 2014, divers return to deeper sections

of the surrounding bodies of water to record more searches.

But again find nothing of use or suspicion.

Since the mid-October mystery,

nobody has found credible evidence to lead police to answers

or spark reasonable theories outside of speculation.

Currently, we are only left with what was found

in those few weeks of investigating,

making the entire ordeal murky, with dead ends

and puzzle pieces without a home.

In the case of the disappearance of Rico Harris,

most of the tangible clues were discovered

in the first week or so of searches.

But none was more perplexing

than the backpack and cellphone recovered on a guardrail

along Route 16 near Cache Creek.

After police assessed cellphone records

from the provider company.

Data pings led them to the Redwood Valley area

in Northern California, about 70 miles northwest

from where Rico's vehicle was originally located.

To cover all their bases, authorities called

as many residents as they could

in the surrounding communities.

Leaving messages on voicemails asking for tips.

It didn't take long for the scheme to produce results,

when lead investigator Dean Nyland

received a call from a Redwood Valley man,

who claimed to have found items belonging to Rico.

Police immediately responded to the tip

and learnt the Redwood man indeed had a black book bag

owned by Rico Harris.

Inside the backpack were jumper cables and a cellphone.

The man explained, he, his wife and their grandson,

were driving along Route 16, when the young boy alerted

his grandparents of the stray backpack

that was on the curb of the highway,

and alarmingly out of place amid the surroundings.

The man pulled over and the trio shouted into the wilderness

to hopefully make contact with the bag's owner.

When they found nobody down by the creek,

the Redwood family checked the bag for ID.

All they found were the cables and phone,

so they took it with them in hopes

to charge it and contact someone.

Law enforcement quickly assumed the backpack to be Rico's,

not only was the bag like a purse according to Jennifer,

who recognized the parcel instantly,

but was also found only 1500 feet

from a sighting reported by a passerby earlier in the week.

Someone who had seen a large African American man

standing along the guardrail on Route 16.

These inclinations were confirmed,

when the officers assessed the cellphone

and combed through its information.

Pulled from the phone would later prove

to be crucial visual evidence in creating the timeline

of Rico's last known actions.

In his media gallery, Rico had videos on himself

singing along to music in his car,

but seemingly ignorant to the fact

that he was recording himself.

Along with absentminded singing,

Rico was also seen throwing around CDs in the cabin,

ripping up random papers

and playing with the sunroof controls.

These clips were saved in the evening hours

of October the 10th, meaning Rico was alive that night

and probably showcased the reason why the vehicle

was out of gas and had a dead battery.

The fact that Rico had been tossing items around in the car,

also helped explain why the car

had originally appeared ransacked

when investigators towed it into the station.

Most importantly however, the cellphone videos

gave authorities a better idea

about the state of mind Rico was in around the time

he last made contact with his family.

The fact that Rico recently relapsed with drug use,

was thought to have consumed alcohol while in Alhambra.

Engaged in difficult, emotionally draining conversations

with his family and was awake

for an estimated 50 hours straight,

would certainly lead to a fragile psyche.

This combined with Rico's indecisive demeanor

and lifetimes worth of personal struggles

could have tripped him into madness

or at least extreme exhaustion.

Without a doubt, the backpack, cellphone

and overall major case point shows Rico was in trouble,

and if not from a third party,

than at least from his own beaten battered self.

The first and most popular discussed theory

in the case of Rico Harris developed into a confusing,

speculative story of foul play.

The hypothesis originated

with the Yolo County Sheriff's Department,

after the Nissan was found abandoned

and seemingly plundered.

Besides the mess of papers, CDs and bottles in the backseat.

Investigators also noted, Rico's wallet was left behind.

Still full of its contents

except for a Discovery credit card.

On the exterior, the car wasn't parked

in any of the marked parking slots

and had both no gas and a dead battery.

Police calculated that after filling up with gas

in Lodi, California, Rico took a wrong turn

and headed northeast on Route 16.

When he found the Cache Creek Park in Rumsey Canyon,

he pulled off to rest, released pent up energy

and was eventually embattled with a third party.

To explain the defects of the car,

investigators guessed the gas must have been siphoned.

This theory would also explain why a six foot eight,

300 pound man, could so easily slip through the cracks

outside of a few potential sightings.

Men of that size typically don't go away unnoticed,

unless another person or persons assists them,

drives them away or something far sinister.

The foul pay musings became much more obscure,

when Rico's backpack and footprints were discovered,

because the cellphone videos

show Rico sitting in an idle car on October 10th.

It's possible he ran out of gas and juiced the battery

from extended periods of running both the engine

and the audio system.

Normal cars can run through 1/5 gallons of gas per hour

just in idle position, so it's in the realm of possibility

that Rico let his car run through the night on 10th

and into the weekend of October the 11th and 12th.

It would also help explain why the interior of the car

was a wreck, and why jumper cables

were in Rico's possession.

He was probably looking for someone to help jump his battery

meaning the footprints along Route 16

suggested Rico walked along the highway

to flag down passersby.

There was also zero DNA findings to corroborate

third party interference or the presence of a stranger.

So while Rico certainly didn't encounter foul play

whilst in his car at Cache Creek,

investigators still theorize he met with trouble

after hitchhiking along Route 16.

They believe while walking and talking

to anyone who would pull over to assist him,

Rico was taken advantage of by someone

or somebody with criminal intentions.

It's very likely that Rico was not in right frame of mind

that weekend and if he came across as exhausted or groggy,

his captor could easily persuade him

to leave his backpack behind and get in the vehicle.

It's a bit confusing as to why someone would risk

dealing with a man who's almost guaranteed

to have a physical advantage,

not to mention, no money on their person.

But it's also worth remembering,

Rico relapsed shortly before his disappearance

and if he found someone who promised

him drugs or other substances,

how likely would he have been persuaded.

Who this figure could be, ranges from a potential killer

to a drug dealer, but someone desperate

for a man of Rico's stature.

Unfortunately, there are hardly any leads or threads

associated with the foul play theory,

besides combing through people

with criminal backgrounds in the area.

Due to the vast population of Northern California,

and the Sacramento area,

the possibilities are borderline infinite.

Another theory considered by many is that Rico was wounded

and taken by a wild animal or large predator.

Northern California has its fair share of wildlife

including combative creatures such as rattlesnakes,

mountain lions and black bears.

A rattlesnake would certainly be able to bite

and poison an unsuspecting human.

But if Rico was in fact bit by a snake,

his body would've been picked up

by the overhead helicopters or numerous search parties.

Black bears, while imposing animals are in fact quite docile

and do not interact with humans very often.

Let alone a large man the size of somebody like Rico.

The only animal that makes sense is a mountain lion.

It would take a considerably strong cougar

or pack of cougars to kill Rico.

And then take his body into a dwelling cave

or habitat hidden from humans.

The search found now blood or signs of struggle

in the dusty expanse of Rumsey Canyon.

And again, the mere size of Rico,

probably deterred wild animals from approaching.

And if he did die somewhere in the wilderness,

his body would not have decayed into the ground

and avoided visibility due to the timeline

of the disappearance and impending manhunt.

The third theory associated with Rico

involved around a planned a escape

and manufactured disappearance.

This conspiracy points to Rico's history

with indecision and probable disappointment

with the closure he sought when returning to Alhambra.

Supporters of the story suggest that Rico realized

in his return home, he no longer wanted the life

he hoped for in Seattle, and thought best to vanish

without a trace and escape somewhere new.

The theory points to the new cellphone

Rico bought for his brother, highlighting that Rico,

could've bought a second phone that he used for his getaway,

and that his brother helped him along the way.

After conversation with his mother went south,

Rico decided to leave unnoticed

using his scheduled interview as an excuse.

On the way to Sacramento, Rico slowly broke off contact

with his mother and girlfriend.

And veered off course from Interstate 5 to Seattle,

and drove east to Cache Creek.

When he arrived he recorded himself to appear distressed

and potentially even stage a kidnapping or robbery.

After the car finally ran out of gas and electricity,

Rico walked off with his backpack and old phone,

appearing to need help with the jumper cables.

Instead when Rico flagged down a car to hitchhike,

he left the bag and cellphone behind to create a diversion.

Some go as far to say, whoever picked him up

was in on his plan and are linked

to Rico's staged disappearance and his new life.

In the end, this theory is rife with inconsistencies.

Rico had been adamant to all he knew,

that the opportunities in Seattle

were incredibly encouraging.

He had recently become a resident of Washington State,

constantly talked about marriage and fatherhood

and truly settled in with Jennifer.

Police also tracked the missing Discovery credit card

found missing from Rico's wallet.

And the account was never assessed or operated

at anytime following October the 10th,

meaning that if Rico escaped,

the funds he would most certainly need

to execute such a scheme,

came elsewhere and not from personal wealth.

Taking into consideration the skill and resourcefulness

needed to pull off such a feat.

The improbability of faking a mental collapse

seen in the selfie videos, and coincidental contrast

of Rico's recent attitudes towards life,

the idea that Rico staged his disappearance

and escaped thereafter is highly implausible.

Before we divulge our hypothesis

of Rico's mysterious disappearance,

we want to make known our conclusions

presented in "Cold Case Detective"

are purely logical speculation based on evidence,

circumstance and factual subtext.

We are only privy to the same information

presented in each video and we do not attempt to promise

certain or an expert guarantee on the findings

we reach in the closing.

We simply observe, research and report.

In this case, we believe Rico continued to relapse

into substance abuse as a result of personal torment

and extreme exhaustion.

Found himself alone and free of scrutiny out in the wild

after making a wrong turn on his journey,

and wandered into unknown territory

where he most likely died hidden by the natural elements.

All of his life Rico dealt with the absence

of a caring, nurturing father.

Despite the physical and verbal abuse

he sustained in his youth,

Rico sought his father's approval

and internalized his love for basketball.

After he and his siblings moved in with their mother,

Rico never quite broke off the relationship

he had with Henry Harris.

When Rico's basketball career fizzled out

and he turned to drugs and alcohol,

Rico swelled the bubbling tension from a rough childhood.

To make matters more complicated,

Rico ran into his own father in jail

after an arrest for public intoxication.

These humiliations and unresolved conflicts

took a psychological toll on Rico

leaving him with signs of undiagnosed depression,

anxiety and possibly bipolar disorder.

Revealed by Jennifer after he disappeared.

Taking a history of mental troubles into consideration,

a relapse into substance use and family of shortcomings,

would've put Rico in a very dark place

on his drive back to Seattle.

After his attempts to tie knots on his past fell short,

and failure created the wounds in his heart

and mind to irreversible sizes.

Thus after staying awake for more than two consecutive days,

the emotional instability caught up to Rico,

and he ventured from the planned course.

On his drive up north, he probably took a wrong turn

that took him through the mountains of Northern Sacramento

and into Rumsey Canyon.

Between the stop for gas in Lodi

and parking in the lower site of Cache Creek Park,

Rico found an outlet for drugs and alcohol,

and picked some up.

Hard drugs are notoriously distributed throughout Sacramento

and the surrounding regions.

So it wouldn't be too tricky for a former addict

to navigate and purchase.

After he parked, Rico either consumed the drugs

he had collected or experienced

the side effects in full force.

It's plausible he had taken either crack or methamphetamines

throughout the trip anyway.

Stimulants that explain how he could stay awake

and alert for so long.

The drug reasoning comes from a vital clue

found in the Nissan Maxima after police

towed the vehicle into evidence.

Under the glove compartment below the passenger seat

investigators discovered a bindle,

a plastic wrap used specifically for drugs.

Now the bindle in question was empty

and contained no residue or drug paraphernalia,

but hinted at a recent inclination towards substance use.

There was also two bottles of alcohol found,

one empty and the other half full,

also thought to have been consumed by Rico.

After the car run out of power and gas,

Rico wandered off from the lower site

along the guardrail on the highway.

He set his backpack and cellphone on the curb

and walked down to the actual creek

for a drink and cool down,

where enormous footprints were found

days later by the search teams.

After spending time by the water,

Rico found an easier way up the hill back to the road,

a different place than where he'd left his belongings.

While continuing to plod along Route 16,

Rico was able to hitchhike and find a way

into a small town or establishment,

where he could clean up and find something to eat.

A couple vagrants in Clearlake, California,

have said they recognized Rico buying drugs

in the area once, but didn't have any details

or further information regarding their testimony.

The last part of this theory is quite cloudy,

what Rico engages with throughout the next week

is a complete mystery, but he avoids eye witnesses

and returns to the lower side in Rumsey Canyon

where his car was parked on October the 19th.

It was this night when someone reported sighting

a large African American male walking in that direction.

And police later confirmed it

with more footprints in the immediate area.

Rico was probably dropped off

so that he could return to his car.

But when he found it was hauled away,

he either went back to the vehicle that dropped him off,

or decided to stick around the new found freedom

and march into the woods.

What happened afterwards is the true meat of the mystery,

as mentioned previously, Rico was hard to miss,

and his profile didn't allow for much invisibility.

Maybe he tripped into a sinkhole or ravine,

that camouflaged him from search and rescue.

Maybe he took his own life in a deep part

of the rugged forests.

Regardless of details, Rico Harris was dealing with issues

none of us could fathom or ignore.

Whether it was a lack of sleep, a depressive episode

triggered from recent events,

or a combination of anxiety and drug use,

Rico wasn't in his normal state of mind.

His reckless activity in his cellphone videos

proves just as much and unfortunately casts

a heavy shadow of unpredictable behavior

that stemmed afterwards.

The Harris family and Rico's close friends,

have often talked about Rico's history

with drugs and addiction to have stigmatized his character

and undermined the public perception of the case.

We want to be perfectly clear,

Rico's struggles with substances

does not take away from the compassionate

and caring person he was.

He deserves just as much attention as any missing person

and is not anymore of a bad guy than you or I.

Addiction stigma be damned.

Addiction is a disease of mind and body,

and can create turmoil of both

physical and emotional health.

Those who struggle with addiction must battle

not only their own sickness,

but the constant degradation of society

and those who categorize addictive persons

as failures to the consequences of their actions.

Rico Harris deserves to be found,

he was a warrior, a courageous spirit

that endured so much pain throughout his life,

he finally found the light at the end of the tunnel,

the dawn breaking from a treacherous night.

He loved his family, he loved his friends

and he loved making a difference in people's lives.

Outside of his athletic giftedness, Rico was a kind soul.

He would have gone unthinkable distances

to help those in need, so it's only fitting

we do the same in his favor.

Let not his legacy be Harlem Globetrotter

to druggy to missing person.

Let his legacy be of caretaker to a fighter

to a found and fostering father, his ultimate aspiration.