The Harlan Murder/Disappearance

[lilmissd]

Has anyone heard if Hugh Harlan has ever shown back up after he disappeared? He was the guy who's wife was murdered while she was walking her dogs on the beach. This has always been a weird case in my mind. Does anyone know what happened with this?

[justins5256]

Okay, I said I would bump this. I would be curious to know what everyone thinks. This wil probably sound like a cop out, but I am going to hold off on stating anything definitive, as it has been a year or more since I last watched the story. I'm going by memory pretty much.

Based on the segment, I did think that Hugh probably either murdered his wife or was involved in some capacity and then went on the lam. He slipped up during an early interview with detectives and disclosed some information that only the killer would have known. He then lawyered up as I recall. Not suspicious in itself. However, this was after he let it slip that he knew more.

I'll have to watch it again and report back.

[mattc]

thanks for bumping it up! This is a case I'm very surprised doesn't get more discussion on here, because it has all the elements of a fascinating mystery. In fact, I consider it a UM classic.

I think that he probably just had it one day, as it was reported that his wife was draining him dry financially, feeding him dog food, and generally acting crazy. Whether it was planned or not, I'm not sure, but I believe he killed her, and then managed to get by with lack of evidence. Also, people clearly liked him in the community, and I got a sense they weren't too sad when his wife disappeared.

As to his own disappearance: This is a tough one. What comes to mind is that he did not meet with foul play. I think he either left to start a new life, or went into the woods to kill himself. He struck me as a man "at one with nature" so to speak, and I feel he would have found it a peaceful place to end his life. Or, he simply wanted a new lot on life, esp. if there was more pressure on him regarding his wife's disappearance than came out in the show.

The only thing that struck me as odd was the pot that was left in his truck. Usually if you are a pot smoker, as he clearly was, you don't leave that behind if you are going to start a new life (unless he had a lot more with him, and left that as a way to confuse the cops). I think he parked the car, maybe rolled a joint on the way, went into the woods and peacefully ended his life.

Of course, I'm guessing about all of this, but that's what my hunches told me while watching the segment.

I hope other people chime in too.

[cmyweb]

Thanks for bumping this! I agree that its a classic. I'd be interested to hear if its been re-aired on Spike? I have a ton of epis tivo'd that I haven't had a chance to get caught up on.

[Shahla]

I saw it yesterday on youtube so you don't have to wait and go straight there watching it.
It is likely he killed her. Because for example: if you're innocent as a husband wouldn't you be worried if the dogs came back home without your wife and go look for her?
In the segment it was stated that she cared a lot for her dogs. Would she then leave them, walk home by themselves to go missing for a couple of days? I don't think so.
And when questioned he first says the dogs came home with their leases on. After confronted with the lease that likely killed his wife he changes his story and ten says that they came home without.

[justins5256]

I saw it yesterday on youtube so you don't have to wait and go straight there watching it.
It is likely he killed her. Because for example: if you're innocent as a husband wouldn't you be worried if the dogs came back home without your wife and go look for her?
In the segment it was stated that she cared a lot for her dogs. Would she then leave them, walk home by themselves to go missing for a couple of days? I don't think so.
And when questioned he first says the dogs came home with their leases on. After confronted with the lease that likely killed his wife he changes his story and ten says that they came home without.

The deal with the leash was confusing. She was strangled with it, was she not? And then he told the police the dogs came back WITH the leashes? If he was the killer, he would have known that she was strangled with the leash and therefore, the dogs would not have had their leashes on, correct?

I need to watch the segment again. Just something I pulled from your post and my hazy memory.

[Shahla]

According to the police she was strangled with the leash, as told in the segment, so I guess that is right. But to me it sounded the police assumed it was one of the leashes of her dogs, not just a leash, which can be also true in my opinion. If for example another person did it. And if it was in fact one of the leashes of her dog, and that example is true, it is also possible that the leash was put back on the dog. But that would only be the scenario, I guess, if her husband was telling the truth about being at home and the dogs came home on their own accord.
Too bad dogs can't talk...;)

I'll find it strange that if he did it and after a year he is no longer a suspect why he just disappeared then. Why wait a year. Why after he is no longer a suspect. Why even disappear. He could just tell people he was moving on, start a new life. Why go trough all that mysterious 'crap'?

[justins5256]

I had forgotten that Hugh Harlan was a pot smoker. Marijuana, in my view, is an amplifier/enhancer, nothing more. I think it's a common misnomer that smoing pot makes one giddy/happy all the time when they smoke (scenes from "Refer Madness" come to mind). Pot has the potential to make your "trip" a Hell if you are in a bad place mentally when you smoke - IE. experiencing hurt feelings, feelings of guilt, paranoia, or just bad vibes in general - and you let your mind go there.

What I'm getting at is this...If Harlan was feeling guilty about murdering his wife, that guilt would be magnified a thousand times while he blazed up, if he allowed his mind to go there. If he was paranoid that the cops were going to bust him (whether the paranoia was reality based or not), I think that paranoia would have been even stronger stoned.

Maybe he did decide to off himself then, or something extreme whilst stoned.

[kadrmas15]

Well, it was actually 4 years after his wife's death that he disappeared. It is just strange but to be honest, I think she was the one with the temper problem, not him. So in my opinion and this is just an opinion, that Hugh Harlan did not kill his wife. I mean, it could be an honest mistake that he said the dogs came back with their leashes on when they did not. Who knows? I just think if he had actually killed his wife, would he not want to avoid being caught, this why wouldn't he say that they did not have their leashes on when they came back? In fact I believe Hugh was aware by the time he disappeared that he was no longer a suspect in his wife's murder. So the question is, did he disappear voluntarily or was their foul play? Big question that is hard to answer.

[Shahla]

Pot can indeed mess with the mind, true. The chance that happens is more likely if you smoke on a daily basis for years on end.

Hm, maybe I did not hear it right in the segment. I thought it was one year but you can be right and it was indeed four years.
It can be a mistake that he said the dogs came home with their leashes. Possible but it is in the same manner possible he just lied and it did not even happen.
I think he was not aware that the police found a or thé leash near his wife's body. If he wás the killer he could have forgotten he did not take it with him. And when he told his story, heard about the found leash, realised he made a mistake and had to change his story.
He could have said the dogs had their leashes on to hide he killed her with the leash of one of the dogs, thought at that time that he got rid of the leashes and thought he took them both with him.

Maybe he waited with going away till the point he was no longer a suspect to avoid extra suspician? Ofcourse he must have known he was no longer a suspect. If he was cleared the police would have told him?

The scenario that something happened to him is also possible. We can't rule that out completely. Because if he just wanted to start a new life why can't anybody find him?

[lilmissd]

I am thinking that Hugh's disappearance is definitely fishy. Even the folks that knew him well said that the whole thing didn't seem right. Take the truck, if he wanted to start an new life why not take the truck with him? It seems odd that someone who wants to disappear would not take their transportation because you won't be able to travel very far or fast on foot, unless he was hitchiking and got picked up by strangers. Another odd thing was that he left a lot of his belongings in his truck such as glasses, clothing etc. and his keys were not in the vehicle, and it was also said that he had a health condition and needed medication that was also not taken with him. If he was planning on leaving town don't you think he would have given his truck to a friend and arranged care for his dogs and had someone look after his home? I do, that is why I believe he met with foul play, there are just too many loose ends on this one. People planning on starting a new life typically take stuff with them, and I don't think he had much with him by the looks of his truck.

[Shahla]

Unless he planned to take his own life. Then he didn't need all that stuff. Maybe also the reason he left his pot in the car. I don't think a heavy potsmoker would leave that behind if he was planning to start a new life. The same goes for other stuff he needed daily.
His keys were found nearby on the ground if I remember that well from the segment. To me it sounds like he was ending his life or he indeed met foul play. On the other hand: do we really can guess what people do or don't take with them if they are planning to start a new life?

[soilentgreen]

On the other hand: do we really can guess what people do or don't take with them if they are planning to start a new life?

That's my perspective. Hugh seemed to live life off the grid; I could easily see him walking away from everything and hitchhiking out the area. His friends believed he would have left the truck with someone, rather than abandoning it, but who knows what was running through this guy's head? For me there's no question that he murdered his wife, but I've always wondered if he left or if his remains are out in the area where his truck was left.

The glasses and the medication does lean more towards a medical ailment (he felt unwell, stopped the vehicle, dropped the keys, wandered off the road and died and the body wasn't found). If he's alive, he'd be in his mid/late seventies.

[kadrmas15]

No question? The case hardly seems that solid.

[Shahla]

I also wonder why you are that certain he killed his wife. There is always a possibility that someone else hated her guts, saw her walking with her dogs and took an oppertunity. Or got in an serious argument with her, maybe about her precious dogs, and things got out of hand.

Bút.. some things does not speak for the husband. She seems to treat him like crap sometimes. He could have had enough.
The given that he did not find it strange that she was gone for quite some time and did not bother to look for her or worry.
Especially when his story ís true that the dogs came home on their own accord. I for sure would wonder why my spouse didn't come with the dogs and go look for him.