12 May 2024 , 06:37
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Concerns surrounding the disappearance of a geography teacher grew deeper when a handwritten note was discovered on a barren mountain.
Ren Tiesheng, 61, known for leading student expeditions up Mount Miaofeng near Beijing, China vanished on September 30, 2008. Taking with him a backpack containing a packed lunch, water, a newspaper, and scraps of paper serving as his makeshift diary, Ren assured his wife he'd return the same day. With Ren's expertise in hiking and his familiarity with Mount Miaofeng, his family had no reason to sound the alarm until the following morning.
Podcaster Mr Ballen explained: “On this particular day, Ren knew an overnight stay was not possible because he had to be back home by the next day because it was his mother's 90th birthday and he was very close with his mother and he was not going to miss that.” Ren devised a clever method to mark his path using torn-up newspaper strips, making sure he stayed on track.
Ren went for a hike on Mount Miaofeng, but never returned (Future Publishing via Getty Images)Despite search efforts focusing on locating these markers, none were discovered. However, there was soon a breakthrough from examining Ren's mobile phone records, revealing key points in his expedition. “He received a phone call at 4 pm and the service provider was able to see that when this phone call came in Ren's phone was not where they thought it would be, high on Mount Miaofeng, it was actually near the base of the mountain”, Mr Ballen revealed.
The recent phone call traced to a friend of Ren's, shed light on his whereabouts. Though it didn't align with what his wife had been told, it ruled out him still being on the mountain. Another witness, a local shopkeeper, recounted an encounter with Ren that took a strange turn as he seemed to transform, fixated on finding the best-quality nuts until abruptly leaving.
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There was soon a breakthrough from examining Ren's mobile phone records (Supplied)He told police: “It was as if everything had changed for him; his expression changed, his tone changed, it’s as if he had been given information that changed his life. He said to the villager ‘OK I'm going to go there okay I'm going to go there right now,’ and without saying anything he just turned and began quickly walking away.”
The new evidence led police to Tietuo Mountain, about 30 miles away. There, they found strips of newspaper tied around trees, matching what Ren had carried. It baffled police why the experienced hiker would change his plans but the mystery took another twist when a searcher made a chilling find. Sweatpants were found tied to a tree filled with human bones. Forensic tests revealed they weren't Ren's, leaving a haunting mystery. Nearby, a camp believed to be Ren's was found, with a note in his teacher's handwriting but written using strange language.
They found strips of newspaper tied around trees, matching what Ren had carried (Supplied)It read: "Ren Tiesheng, a retired teacher from No. 5 Middle School, climbed the Tietuo Mountain on September 30, lost his way on the way back, and stayed on the mountain for one night. At 12:00 on October 1, he began to follow the mountain ridge to the northeast to Shichidao Village. Just in case he left this note, love to everyone who passes by.”
Ren's wife confirmed his handwriting, puzzled by his self-description. Nearby, a campsite yielded human remains, still unrelated to Ren but belonging to a man and woman who had died two years previously. Further odd findings emerged on the mountain like encounters with an axe-wielding man and a cave full of human bones.
On January 17, 2016, two more sets of remains were discovered in another nearby cave. One of the remains was very old and belonged to someone who had likely died in the 1930s while the other belonged to a person who had died around 2008 - yet Ren remains unfound. Despite the case being officially closed, loved ones continue annual searches on the mountain, hoping for answers.