Mysterious Stories Blog
Strange, disturbing and mysterious stories from the outdoors
The shocking disappearance of GPS Joe (Joe Domin) in the Mazatzal Mt. Wilderness
Joe Domin (GPS Joe), Disappeared November 8, 2010, Mount Peeley Trail to Sheep Mountain, Arizona
Revised April 2024
68-year-old Joseph “Joe” S. Domin, also known as “GPS Joe” on the various Arizona outdoor websites such as HikeArizona.com and ArizonaHikers.com that he regularly contributed to, was a keen hiker despite his advancing years.
He profiled the trails he explored on his website with pictures and descriptions, www.gpsjoe.net, which is now sadly defunct. He was last seen on Monday, November 8, 2010, before he headed out alone to the Mount Peeley trailhead to Sheep Mountain. This area was part of the Mazatzal Wilderness in Maricopa County, Arizona.
Joe had planned to hike there with his usual hiking group, but none of the other group members could attend, so he decided to go alone on a solo hike. Unfortunately, he left without leaving an itinerary with anyone, and as a result, no one realized that he was missing until a week later.
The Gila County Sheriff’s Office first received a call that Joe was overdue on Monday, November 15, at about 9 pm.
Joe’s car was found at the Mount Peeley trailhead, northeast of Phoenix and close to Payson. Friends said Joe was interested in finding an off-trail route to summit Sheep Mountain on the Mazatzal Divide. Since the late autumn of 2009, he had attempted to climb the rugged north-to-south ridge line that runs up and downhill to the summit of Sheep Mountain at 6996 feet three times. The area is rough for hiking as it is covered with thick vegetation once you leave the trail.
An extensive Search and Rescue effort was mounted to try and find Joe Domin. On November 16, the search and rescue responsibility was transferred from Gila County to the Maricopa County S&R team. The Maricopa Mountaineering team (10-15 highly qualified members) was deployed via helicopter drops to concentrate on the more rugged areas around, up, and down the slopes and cliffs of Sheep Mountain.
Mazatzal Mt. Wilderness
Even though the official Search and Rescue was called off after five days, the Arizona hiking community volunteered to check the area's rugged terrain and dense vegetation. These unofficial searchers were warned that the off-trail vegetation was thick, challenging, and dangerous for the unqualified and unprepared.
David Bremson of Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Mountain Rescue/ Central Arizona Mountain Rescue Association, the primary team involved in the search for Joe with assistance from Gila County/TRSAR, warned that:
It seems as though many of you would like to venture into the area to search for Joe. Although we can not restrict you from doing so, please be aware of the following issues:
-As untrained searchers, it is likely that you could destroy any evidence of his presence by being in the area.
-The area is very challenging, do not go somewhere that is hazardous. We don't want anyone to get injured as this will delay the on-going search.
-If you do decide to search for him and you find him, please do not approach him or touch him or his equipment in any way. This will inhibit our ability to conduct an investigation into the incident.
-If you do find him, contact the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office immediately and mark the location with your gps. Return to the trailhead and wait for a responding Deputy.
-I recommend that you wait until after the weekend as we will have many resources in the area and need access to the trailhead, which is very small and has limited parking. We also may need it to land our helicopter. If your vehicle is in the parking lot, we will not be able to use it.
It is great to see how close knit this community is and how you want to support a fellow hiker and his family. This would be a better place if everyone cared as much.
David Bremson Mountain Rescue
The area around Mount Peeley trailhead to Sheep Mountain can be treacherous. However, given Joe's significant off-trail experience, it was surprising he vanished that week in November 2010, despite his age. A huge official search and then an unofficial search by Arizona hikers failed to find any sign of GPS Joe, and nothing has ever been found—no clothing, gear, or body. What happened to Joe Domin?
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Sources
http://www.arizonahikers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8814
https://hikearizona.com/dex2/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5664
https://charleyproject.org/case/joseph-s-domin
https://vanished.us/cases/gps-joe-joe-domin-vanished-off-the-face-of-the-earth/
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