Michael Negrete

[UCLABruin]

I would imagine that has been looked into. The private detectives seem more active in the investigation, but they may not have access to that information, or would they?

Credit cards, bank cards etc. had not been used since he disappeared. I know that may not be an indication of anything, but if I put myself back at that age (I am not that much older), I can't imagine anybody having the ability to pull off such a strange and "perfect" disappearance to start a new life, especially somebody that seems somewhat sheltered.

What is interesting...in 2004 another UCLA student disappeared. He took a bus from Anaheim headed for UCLA. About a mile from UCLA, he intentionally got off the bus and disappeared. About 3 months later or so he was found alive in Mexico. He had some sort of psychological breakdown is all we heard (sounds like that fugue theory).

I emailed the owner of the server that hosts findmikenow.com. It turned out to be a technical issue and the site was restored.

[connieallbright]

Originally Posted by UCLABruin

I know that may not be an indication of anything, but if I put myself back at that age (I am not that much older), I can't imagine anybody having the ability to pull off such a strange and "perfect" disappearance to start a new life, especially somebody that seems somewhat sheltered.

When I imagine myself at the same age, it makes me think he must be deceased or have had A LOT of help from someone close to him.

One of my co-worker's has a sister who lost touch with the family/went missing years ago. My co-worker basically bribed an FBI agent to look up her sister's social security number. It was still active -- her sister had changed her name and moved several times.

My reason for relaying this story is that it was extremely hard to find out if a person is still using a social security number.

[mistagee]

I still feel the Van Damm connection is the key to this case. This guy knew Michael, played video games, and dramatically changed his appearance after the Michael case surfaces, too many coindicences, and from my criminology training, I can say, most killers know their victims AND have minor criminal offenses prior. I think this is the person responsible and there was definitely a botched investigation.

[UCLABruin]

Yes, I agree. I also agree that the investigation was botched from the start.

In everything I have read about the case, there is no mention of cell phone records, and little mention of his roommate as a possible witness of anything strange. Of course, there could be nothing there, but usually it is at least reported as such. I also have the suspicion that a lot was missed in the investigation of his computer system. There was mention of investigating the contents of the hard disk, but some record of connections to Internet sites would have been more useful if that was not considered. There must have been something there.

If cell phone records and Internet connection logs turned up nothing suspicious at all, I would believe it is more likely to be related to the Van Dam case since there would have been a more personal connection, or some strange accident followed by a cover up/disposal of body which seems unlikely.

[connieallbright]

Is there a link for Van Dam -- besides the really cluttered one?

Besides the mild resemblance to the sketch, his interest in video games and the connection to his family, is there anything that places Van Dam on the UCLA campus?

UCLABruin, can you go into any more detail about the psychics you'd mentioned?

[UCLABruin]

The connection is convoluted, but if I remember correctly, they do live in the same area and Damon and Miguel worked at the same company at some time (notable, but not suspicious although Damon did assist in Michael's search). There is another bizarre thing. Although I am basing this just on what I have read, there seems to be something weird about the involvement of Bill Garcia and Damon in missing person searches. Something is very fishy here. I don't like to believe in conspiracy theories, but it seems too strange that Damon seems to be very interested in missing person cases and that two of them he was closely involved with (father of Danielle, and Michael Negrete's search).

The psychic http://www.briansprediction.com calls his readings "Remote Viewings." I followed his site carefully over my Winter Break and it is somewhat disturbing how accurate he has been in his viewings on some cases. I withheld the link in my earlier posts because as a scientist I am of course a bit skeptical, but I think there is something here. In my description below (?) means I do not believe, or do not know how that fits into the case.

He sees the following: the name DAMIEN (Damon?) and draws a man that does resemble Damon with hair (but actually looks strikingly like Jack McClellan, Santa Monica pedofile hobbyist that was arrested at UCLA recently). Michael is dead, and his body was taken somewhere off of Pacific Highway 21 (perhaps either Pacific Coast Highway, or CA-27 Topanga Canyon Blvd.) 900 meters from the road, possibly under a newly constructed building. He was killed by somebody with immense anger that will kill his ex-wife (?) and is a child molesterer. DAVID (perhaps Westerfield??) is the only one that can stop this man. He also sees the rock and roll hand symbol (?), or a surfer hang-loose sign (?), there is a bookcase with the numbers 3, 4, 5, 6 (I think this is actually an elevator, Michael lived on the 6th floor). He also sees California 415 (?), STOP 1260 (a stop sign and block number?). DAVID can show the murders.

What do you think? I am waiting for a second RV on this.

The contents of his remote viewing are below. I am not quite sure it makes sense and his viewing may be a combination of cases that have nothing to do with Michael.

http://www.briansdreams.com/MISSING/publicr/565.htm

Regarding a link to the Van Dam case. I will clarify, but I want to do some more research on the case before I comment further to avoid looking misinformed. Also just to clarify, I do know he disappeared three years before Danielle was killed, and not around the same time.

[JimmieL]

He left late at night as one of the other posters suggested in order to hook up with someone, probably a male.

He wasn't abducted in the dorm, and in fact, he wasn't abducted at all. The probability that the only successful abduction was also one of the very few 10+ years missing persons is highly unlikely. Instead, he left to meet someone for to specific reason in a car or something.

Let's face it, there's plenty of liberal sexuality in the area, and by that I mean a thriving gay community.

He was on chat and met someone. The person in the sketch is probably not someone who was even seen there that night. After 6 months (when the person came forward remembering this man), you misremember when things happen.
I don't think anyone was there that night..that sketch is a stab in the dark after the case went nowhere. Instead, someone was outside or waiting in car.
This kid went out there. Maybe he was drugged at that point and driven away, and who knows what happened after. End of story.
Nothing else makes sense. He didn't disappear from his dorm. He disappeared after getting into someone's car, and he did it willingly.
The only way I'd reject this theory is if he for sure had a girlfriend.

[UCLABruin]

Originally Posted by JimmieL

He left late at night as one of the other posters suggested in order to hook up with someone, probably a male.

He wasn't abducted in the dorm, and in fact, he wasn't abducted at all. The probability that the only successful abduction was also one of the very few 10+ years missing persons is highly unlikely. Instead, he left to meet someone for to specific reason in a car or something.

Let's face it, there's plenty of liberal sexuality in the area, and by that I mean a thriving gay community.

He was on chat and met someone. The person in the sketch is probably not someone who was even seen there that night. After 6 months (when the person came forward remembering this man), you misremember when things happen.
I don't think anyone was there that night..that sketch is a stab in the dark after the case went nowhere. Instead, someone was outside or waiting in car.
This kid went out there. Maybe he was drugged at that point and driven away, and who knows what happened after. End of story.
Nothing else makes sense. He didn't disappear from his dorm. He disappeared after getting into someone's car, and he did it willingly.
The only way I'd reject this theory is if he for sure had a girlfriend.

But why would he leave his keys, ID and shoes behind if he were meeting with a stranger he met online? The only scenario along those lines that makes sense to me was that the person identified themselves as a UCLA student (lie) and made up a story about why he drove to pick him up instead of walking (cold, dangerous at night etc). Thinking the person lived in the dorms or nearby, he did not think to put on more suitable shoes.

My own simplest explanation is similar to the Wade Steffey case. I think he may have left the dorm not planning to go far (who knows where). He realized he forgot his keys and had to find a way back into the building. The Dykstra Hall area was under *very* heavy construction as UCLA was building about 6 or 7 buidlings around it. He could have ended up in an empty construction area, perhaps fell and hit his head. It's possible nobody saw his body and it was covered (or the University covered it up).

[eclipse2282]

Originally Posted by UCLABruin

Could be. There was a rumor on campus several years ago that he was found but the family was too embarrassed to say anything due to all of the media coverage.

Hi - I've followed this forum from a distance for some time ... I went to high school in San Diego with Mike. Only knew him in passing, via some friends who were also in band with him; he was also a year ahead of me in school. I've always wondered whatever happened to him.

On the facebook group, just recently (within the last 6 weeks), his mother posted a request for assistance in obtaining UCLA alumni information, to perhaps contact former students from the time of the disappearance. I don't know if that means that she has a new lead, or if she's just reaching out to try again ...

It's hard to believe it's been 11 years.

[mistagee]

The "gay" theory had been thrown around a lot, but Michael's mother specifically said when we inquired that "Michael had no hidden lifesytle that we were aware of."

I have always believed that Mike met another older male that night and met with foul play. I also believe the guise could have been video games, and that Michael was unaware of this other male's intentions. Regardless, Michael was probably overpowered by a bigger man.

I dont think suicide was an issue, as he was looking forward to seeing his family in the vacation time approaching.

The scent thing may not be correct, dogs mess up all the time, but I cannot understand how no one saw anything totally bizarre

[UCLABruin]

Originally Posted by mistagee

The "gay" theory had been thrown around a lot, but Michael's mother specifically said when we inquired that "Michael had no hidden lifesytle that we were aware of."

The lifestyle could be gay, drugs, anarchist/hacker, anything.

Originally Posted by mistagee

I have always believed that Mike met another older male that night and met with foul play. I also believe the guise could have been video games, and that Michael was unaware of this other male's intentions. Regardless, Michael was probably overpowered by a bigger man.

Several months later, a student gave a description of a strange man seen in Dykstra Hall around the time Michael was last seen. I am not sure if Danielle van Dam's father has been mentioned in this thread, but people have argued that he would have fit your description as well as the description given by the student. Michael's father apparently knew him but was just a passing acquaintance.

The amount of time it took the witness to provide this description, providing a profile that looks like van Dam is suspicious though.

Originally Posted by mistagee

...but I cannot understand how no one saw anything totally bizarre

[/QUOTE]

At that time in the morning, it is a crapshoot if anyone would have seen anything. It was the end of the week before finals, very cold, and very late at night. Students would have either been sleeping, or studying indoors. At that time, I believe Dykstra Hall still had a parking lot out front, so if he left with someone in a car, it would have been very quick to get away. Despite the campus being very large, and typically bustling, it is eerily quiet between 2:30 and 5:30. Some type of construction related accident would also make sense because if he was knocked out, nobody would have heard anything.

---

It is now difficult to enter any of the dorms after a certain point in the evening (10 or 11 I believe) without a student ID programmed with access to a particular dorm. Larger dorms (Dykstra included) have students that check IDs as well. All doors are now controlled with cards instead of keys (which monitors traffic into rooms) and entrances/exits have cameras. All of these changes occurred within the 3 years between Michael disappearing, and my first year at UCLA. No doubt his disappearance led to these changes. The University screwed up, because there could have easily been more surveillance inside and outside the dorm and parking lot because weird stuff and crime happens all the time.

[DrDoom1981]

I was a student at Santa Monica College when Michael Negrete vanished. The case has always been on my mind. My friends and I would routinely spend our off-days at UCLA or near UCLA. In a way, I feel connected to the case. The area that Michael disappeared from is and was a safe area.
I currently work in government and have frequent contact with law enforcement. It is not uncommon for police to keep key pieces of information to themselves. I believe that is why the case is so baffling to those on the outside. I keep up with other cases from the doenetwork and the most baffling cases that get solved are the ones that had the most reasonable explanation such as a scorned lover or drugs.
So what do I think?
I think that Michael probably went for some kind of gay hookup with a male that he did not know. That is why he didn't tell anyone where he was going. He wanted to keep it to himself. I think the hookup was going to be a fast and quick deal but something went bad. Maybe Michael took some drugs and died.
When I was Michael's age, I did the same thing. It was reckless, stupid and dangerous. My point is that it happens ESPECIALLY on college campuses- a lot.
I believe that is why the Negrete family has also been reluctant to share information too. I actually emailed the mother awhile back and asked her if there was any information that hadn't been disclosed to the media that she would like to share on the tenth anniversary of her son's disappearance and she never replied. Usually people release previously held information to generate interest in a cold case as time goes on. I think she is trying to protect her son.
Another thing about law enforcement is that they always know who committed the crime but proving it is another story. I think they know who Michael met that night but can't come up with any solid evidence to show that a crime was committed.
Think about it- the police would tear UCLA a part to find a missing college student who vanished into thin air but not necessarily if he was doing something that would make UCLA look bad.

[DrDoom1981]

It's highly unlikely that Michael was kidnapped or was a targeted murder victim. It just doesn't make sense to target a male student in a crowded dorm. Too many risk factors.
Also, how would someone get in if they did not have a keycard? I would think most students would NOT let in a strange man into their secure dorm building but if they did, certainly someone would have said so.
A final thing to consider is that there were no more unexplainable cases of young males like Michael going missing before or afterwards his disappearances. It was an isolated incident.
I think Michael went to meet someone and something happened during that meeting that led to his death, probably an accidental drug overdose. The person he was meeting panicked and got rid of his body. I was even thinking that this person could be from the northside of Los Angeles ie Hollywood Hills where it would be quite easy to hide a body.
This person would have a lot to lose if the public found out that a college kid died from an overdose in his car during a gay tryst which explains why they took the body with them instead of dumping it.

[UCLABruin]

Originally Posted by DrDoom1981

I think that Michael probably went for some kind of gay hookup with a male that he did not know. That is why he didn't tell anyone where he was going. He wanted to keep it to himself. I think the hookup was going to be a fast and quick deal but something went bad. Maybe Michael took some drugs and died.

I initially thought this (or drugs). In general it makes sense, but the fact that he didn't take shoes, ID, keys, anything wouldn't seem to fit... unless he expected to be dropped off in the morning (but he would still need a room key).

The gay hookup could be another student, which may fill in those holes..

I feel like his family and the University have some inkling as to what happened to him and it isn't being shared. His mother wants to contact people that lived on his floor though.

Originally Posted by DrDoom1981

It's highly unlikely that Michael was kidnapped or was a targeted murder victim. It just doesn't make sense to target a male student in a crowded dorm. Too many risk factors.
Also, how would someone get in if they did not have a keycard? I would think most students would NOT let in a strange man into their secure dorm building but if they did, certainly someone would have said so.
A final thing to consider is that there were no more unexplainable cases of young males like Michael going missing before or afterwards his disappearances. It was an isolated incident.

The dorm is likely desolate at 4:15am, but someone would have to know this. I do not think the doors required key cards back then, but I could be wrong. Either it required a key, or the door was unlocked with a desk attendant next to it. Cameras show Mike leaving the dorm on his own, however, some witness claims an older man was on the floor.

The fact that no other young men have gone missing makes me feel like it was either a accident by himself (construction related), or opportunistic (died and hid, or was killed spontaneously).

[DrDoom1981]

About the shoes: He could have been wearing another pair of shoes. For example, I've always had two pairs of shoes- flip-flops and shoes that I wear to work. Just because they found shoes in his dorm doesn't mean that he wasn't wearing any when he disappeared. If he was walking around the dorms with no shoes then it could be within the norm for Michael to go outside while shoeless. Another example is that I don't wear shoes when I go outside to get the newspaper early in the morning.
Another theory that I have is that maybe he went to go visit another friend and he accidentally overdosed on drugs. Some students probably panicked and dumped his body somewhere. I believe there was a lot of partying going on. The students probably weren't going to risk being expelled from UCLA and compromising their futures over it. It'd be interesting to know if any of the students who lived near Michael had dropped out/transferred to another school after his disappearance.
Regardless, I do believe that the police and the Negrete family knows what happened and that is why it's not being actively investigated. When you compound the fact the investigation was botched from the start, it wouldn't be surprising if the police decided to write off the case as a lost cause because they know they will never get a conviction unless someone confesses.