WEBVTT - Justin Alexander Shetler 0:00:08.245 --> 0:00:15.605 School of Humans. A warning. This episode of Astray contains 0:00:15.685 --> 0:00:22.205 graphic subject matter, so please be aware. Solitude makes me 0:00:22.245 --> 0:00:26.445 appreciate human connection all the more. This is a quote 0:00:26.445 --> 0:00:31.165 from the nomad an adventurer Justin Alexander Schetler's August twentieth, 0:00:31.165 --> 0:00:38.165 twenty sixteen Instagram post. His last Instagram post. Justin, like 0:00:38.325 --> 0:00:42.365 many seekers called the India, was in search of something more, 0:00:43.245 --> 0:00:48.525 a higher meaning, deeper connection, a sense of purpose, enlightenment. 0:00:49.925 --> 0:00:52.645 But we don't know if he ever found it, because 0:00:52.725 --> 0:00:58.525 Justin vanished, swallowed by the Privati Valley, nicknamed the Valley 0:00:58.565 --> 0:01:02.805 of Death, that had taken many before him. For over 0:01:02.925 --> 0:01:07.205 two decades, around twenty one, foreigners drawn to the valley's lush, 0:01:07.325 --> 0:01:12.045 mountainous landscape in northern India have gone missing, some in 0:01:12.085 --> 0:01:14.805 search of a thrilling trek through the beautiful but at 0:01:14.845 --> 0:01:19.445 times volatile Himalayas, and seekers drawn to the valley where 0:01:19.445 --> 0:01:22.805 the Hindu god Shiva, with the power to destroy and 0:01:22.965 --> 0:01:29.205 restore worlds, meditated for three thousand years. This majestic valley 0:01:29.325 --> 0:01:32.725 is a shangri law for Westerners, not only because the 0:01:32.805 --> 0:01:36.445 hash runs deep here, literally growing wild along the rivers 0:01:36.485 --> 0:01:40.045 and roads, but It's also the home of the Rainbow Gathering, 0:01:40.285 --> 0:01:44.285 where hippies seek peace, harmony, love, light, and freedom, away 0:01:44.365 --> 0:01:50.645 from civilization and surrounded by nature. This sounds idyllic, magical even, 0:01:51.565 --> 0:01:56.245 but the valley also holds dark secrets and missing foreigners 0:01:56.325 --> 0:02:00.965 like Justin Alexander Schettler. But was Justin's last adventure meant 0:02:01.005 --> 0:02:05.165 to be a spiritual one? What was he seeking and more? 0:02:05.565 --> 0:02:14.125 Or was it worth the sacrifice? It's August twentieth, twenty sixteen. 0:02:14.965 --> 0:02:19.045 Justin's packing his weathered backpack. His chiseled frame is thinner 0:02:19.045 --> 0:02:21.285 than usual, and his back aches from an injury he 0:02:21.365 --> 0:02:24.645 got at nineteen that's been stressed from his high altitude 0:02:24.685 --> 0:02:27.845 cave dwelling. The past few weeks, he's been living in 0:02:27.965 --> 0:02:32.485 idealized life of a nomad, drinking Himalayan mountain water from rivers, 0:02:32.965 --> 0:02:36.885 scavenging edible plants, writing his journal by candlelight in a 0:02:36.965 --> 0:02:40.885 damp but sheltering cave. He's been traveling with little food. 0:02:41.245 --> 0:02:43.965 His only precious possessions are a bullhorn he found in 0:02:43.965 --> 0:02:48.485 the forest, which is a symbol of Shiva, a long 0:02:48.565 --> 0:02:51.405 and elegant griffin feather that looks like it was plucked 0:02:51.445 --> 0:02:55.285 from a mythical animal and an Indian ben surrey, a 0:02:55.405 --> 0:02:59.485 bamboo flute carved with intricate detail that he uses as 0:02:59.485 --> 0:03:04.125 a walking stick on his meandering tracks. Justin can live 0:03:04.325 --> 0:03:06.965 off of almost enough thing. That's something he used to 0:03:06.965 --> 0:03:10.325 impress Frenzy went camping with back in the States. He's 0:03:10.325 --> 0:03:14.765 a survivalist, even admits the at times severe conditions, so 0:03:14.925 --> 0:03:19.405 the Pravadi Valley two days before he found an abandoned 0:03:19.485 --> 0:03:23.005 black and brown speckled puppy in Kiera Gunga, an hour 0:03:23.085 --> 0:03:25.685 trek from his cave where he soaks his back in 0:03:25.725 --> 0:03:29.045 the hot springs that are thought to have sacred healing properties. 0:03:29.605 --> 0:03:32.925 The puppy was wet and shivering, so Justa nestled him 0:03:33.005 --> 0:03:35.285 under his shirt to keep him warm and took care 0:03:35.325 --> 0:03:38.885 of the teething pop until he found him a home. Now, 0:03:39.405 --> 0:03:43.445 Justin pack's oats, nuts, raisins, a sleeping pad and bag, 0:03:43.925 --> 0:03:48.285 some clothing, a wool blanket, rain cover, metal cup, machette, 0:03:48.285 --> 0:03:51.245 cameras and power banks. This is what he'll need for 0:03:51.245 --> 0:03:54.165 the next few days, which will consist of a strenuous 0:03:54.205 --> 0:03:58.005 three day track, then ten days meditating in spiritual retreat 0:03:58.285 --> 0:04:01.765 at Montalai Lake, a holy site that at thirteen thousand 0:04:01.845 --> 0:04:07.245 feet provides other worldly views with its barren all rock terrain. 0:04:07.925 --> 0:04:10.405 There's no vegetation or wood to burn at the lake, 0:04:10.565 --> 0:04:15.325 so like all of Justin's adventures, it's extreme. After the 0:04:15.365 --> 0:04:17.565 ten days, the trip will close with a three day 0:04:17.645 --> 0:04:21.285 trek back to civilization. This is not an easy journey. 0:04:21.565 --> 0:04:24.885 You have to earn the breathtaking views in spiritual magnitude 0:04:24.885 --> 0:04:27.765 of Montalai Lake, and though Justin is primed for a 0:04:27.885 --> 0:04:31.165 track like this, it's not one he'll do alone. A 0:04:31.285 --> 0:04:37.565 kilo of rice, sugar flower, some tea, tarp, tin, boxes 0:04:37.605 --> 0:04:42.645 of cigarettes, and matches all for him. Joining Justin on 0:04:42.725 --> 0:04:47.525 his holy pilgrimage will be sut Nayan Rawat. He's a Sadu, 0:04:47.805 --> 0:04:50.365 which is a Hindu holy man who has devoted his 0:04:50.445 --> 0:04:54.165 life to Lord Shiva and his spiritual practice even to 0:04:54.205 --> 0:04:58.565 the extreme. According to Justin, this sadu has cut his 0:04:58.685 --> 0:05:03.365 penis off in full renunciation of lust. I don't know 0:05:03.365 --> 0:05:06.365 how to casually drop that bomb, but I find it 0:05:06.405 --> 0:05:12.045 both unsettling and impressively dedicated. Okay, I'm out of my 0:05:12.125 --> 0:05:14.965 depth with this one, so I'm going to get Keta's expertise, 0:05:15.245 --> 0:05:17.405 What are your thoughts on that particular Sadu and his 0:05:17.525 --> 0:05:21.285 extreme behavior. I mean, that's crazy. He cut off his penis. 0:05:21.645 --> 0:05:25.725 I mean my first reaction would be how it's I mean, 0:05:25.725 --> 0:05:29.285 it sounds bloody, it sounds gory, and I'm just wondering 0:05:29.325 --> 0:05:33.765 how someone can manage to perform this medical operation upon himself. 0:05:33.845 --> 0:05:37.405 That's just my journalistic mind speaking. That's totally not where 0:05:37.405 --> 0:05:44.085 my head went. Wow, that's dedication. And then as a feminist, 0:05:44.125 --> 0:05:47.245 I would say, well, you know, he's taking responsibility for 0:05:47.365 --> 0:05:52.365 his feelings instead of blaming women for seducing or tempting men. 0:05:52.885 --> 0:05:55.525 If you look at Hindu my authology, there is this 0:05:55.605 --> 0:06:01.645 tale where sad or rishi called Vishwa Mitro was a 0:06:01.725 --> 0:06:05.405 great Sadu and he was praying and meditating so well 0:06:05.525 --> 0:06:08.805 and with such devotion that one of the gods up 0:06:08.845 --> 0:06:12.325 there called Indra. He got insecure and he felt like 0:06:12.445 --> 0:06:16.245 if he meditates so much, he would gain a lot 0:06:16.365 --> 0:06:20.165 in power. So this god gets insecure and he sends 0:06:20.165 --> 0:06:24.325 the celestial maiden called Menka down to us to seduce 0:06:24.445 --> 0:06:28.925 this Sadu. Menka, the celestial maiden sent down to earth 0:06:29.005 --> 0:06:32.565 by the god Indra does his bidding and seduces the 0:06:32.605 --> 0:06:37.245 Sadu Veshuamitra. But then she's cursed and caught in the 0:06:37.285 --> 0:06:41.885 middle of this envious god and now cursed Sado. Like 0:06:42.005 --> 0:06:45.125 most of these mythical tales, the woman is a casualty, 0:06:45.805 --> 0:06:48.085 which is why Ankita has some respect for a man 0:06:48.165 --> 0:06:52.725 who's taking control over his Colonel urges she will just 0:06:52.765 --> 0:06:55.085 assign the stars that she had to do, and you know, 0:06:55.165 --> 0:06:57.085 she was ordered by the Scott to do it, so 0:06:57.205 --> 0:06:59.645 she had to do it. But she gets cursed and 0:06:59.685 --> 0:07:02.245 she gets caught in the middle. So when I hear 0:07:02.365 --> 0:07:05.765 this story, I feel like, Okay, at least now men 0:07:05.805 --> 0:07:09.725 are taking responsibility for their own feelings and their own actions. 0:07:11.045 --> 0:07:14.925 Sadu is a general term for all holy men in India, 0:07:15.045 --> 0:07:17.885 but you'll also hear baba and naga used to describe 0:07:18.005 --> 0:07:22.125 rawat the Sadu justin befriended. Baba is a common term 0:07:22.125 --> 0:07:26.245 of address for Sadus, but Naga is more specific. So 0:07:26.365 --> 0:07:31.725 Nagas are seen as these warriors Sadus who would often 0:07:31.765 --> 0:07:36.285 be seen in these kummelas or fairs, and they're often naked, 0:07:37.005 --> 0:07:39.725 oh though sometimes when they are dealing with the public. 0:07:39.765 --> 0:07:42.965 They do wear some kind of clothes around their private paths, 0:07:43.685 --> 0:07:47.925 and they would often have ash smeared on their bodies 0:07:48.085 --> 0:07:51.285 or have breadlock. So this is just kind of a 0:07:51.325 --> 0:07:55.805 physical identification of Naga sados. There is a black and 0:07:55.845 --> 0:07:59.765 white photo of Satan Aayan Rawat posted on Justin's Instagram 0:07:59.845 --> 0:08:04.125 from August sixteenth. He wears a turban and baggy pants. 0:08:04.125 --> 0:08:07.405 His lanky frame is punk shuated with lemon sized growths 0:08:07.405 --> 0:08:12.285 on his elbows, wrists, ankles, and knees. The swelling lumps 0:08:12.325 --> 0:08:15.445 are unsettling to look at in the photo. I've heard 0:08:15.485 --> 0:08:19.165 stories about the magical powers of these bobbas. They can 0:08:19.205 --> 0:08:22.605 see into your soul and know your past and future. 0:08:23.445 --> 0:08:28.165 They can bless or curse. He spends his life sitting 0:08:28.205 --> 0:08:31.605 by a fire that never goes out. People visit and 0:08:31.645 --> 0:08:35.805 ask for blessings and often bring tobacco mal what he 0:08:35.925 --> 0:08:41.605 calls charis hashish, marijuana resin, and yes, sometimes a monetary donation. 0:08:42.645 --> 0:08:45.525 Some of these bobbas are reported to go months without food, 0:08:46.005 --> 0:08:51.245 living on pure life energy and hashish, and the photo 0:08:51.565 --> 0:08:54.885 Rowat smokes a pipe filled with chillum, a mix of 0:08:54.965 --> 0:08:58.565 hashish and tobacco. Since Lord Shivo is a big fan 0:08:58.605 --> 0:09:01.805 of marijuana. The drug is a dietary staple for some Sadus. 0:09:02.365 --> 0:09:06.645 Rowat shares his chillum with Justin, among others. He fed 0:09:06.645 --> 0:09:09.285 me once a day, which was often my only meal, 0:09:09.885 --> 0:09:14.765 milk tea chapati or cure, a delicious rice pudding made 0:09:14.765 --> 0:09:18.365 with fresh buffalo milk. They met when Justin was living 0:09:18.365 --> 0:09:21.205 in seclusion in the caves, and by all accounts, there 0:09:21.285 --> 0:09:25.165 was a friendly, almost nurturing relationship between them. But when 0:09:25.165 --> 0:09:28.245 the Sadu asked Justin to join him in a spiritual pilgrimage, 0:09:28.925 --> 0:09:34.045 Justin had some reservations. He speaks no English besides good 0:09:34.365 --> 0:09:38.285 and yoga, and I'm not totally sure why I was invited. 0:09:39.205 --> 0:09:42.045 Without words, he can't teach me any ancient doctrine or 0:09:42.085 --> 0:09:46.685 explain anything intellectual, but from what I understand, he wants 0:09:46.685 --> 0:09:49.645 to mentor me in the ways of the Sadu of Shiva, 0:09:49.685 --> 0:09:54.285 the first Yogi. He follows a strict spiritual routine that 0:09:54.365 --> 0:09:58.445 I know nothing about, and I am intensely curious. These 0:09:58.485 --> 0:10:01.365 babbas are said to have magical powers from decades of 0:10:01.405 --> 0:10:06.565 ancient yoga practice, but I don't know what to expect. 0:10:08.125 --> 0:10:12.045 Even with that small inkling of doubt, Justin stayed the course. 0:10:12.725 --> 0:10:15.605 But what he wrote on Instagram beside the black and 0:10:15.605 --> 0:10:19.245 white photo for what is what got me. They are 0:10:19.365 --> 0:10:22.685 holy men but wild and are even above the law 0:10:22.685 --> 0:10:27.485 in India police won't arrest them even for murder. To me, 0:10:27.845 --> 0:10:32.405 this shouted danger, but it was awarding. Justin didn't listen 0:10:32.445 --> 0:10:36.445 to or want to listen to. I asked Ikeata about this. 0:10:37.125 --> 0:10:41.405 Are all sados holy or their scam artists dotting those 0:10:41.405 --> 0:10:45.685 saffron robes? Yeah? I would definitely say that they're sadus 0:10:45.765 --> 0:10:50.325 who are shotstas and are duping people for their own benefit, 0:10:51.245 --> 0:10:53.925 either to get money out of them or to get 0:10:54.005 --> 0:10:58.325 access to places that they would otherwise not be allowed in. 0:10:59.325 --> 0:11:02.485 Do you think these people can be dangerous? Ultimately? Yeah, 0:11:02.525 --> 0:11:07.365 they can, especially if they're trusted completely and immediately without 0:11:07.405 --> 0:11:12.565 any kind of background checks. Justin's final blog entry from 0:11:12.565 --> 0:11:18.245 August nineteenth, twenty sixteen, is cryptic. I should return mid September, 0:11:18.365 --> 0:11:22.245 so if I'm not back by then, don't look for me. 0:11:23.165 --> 0:11:27.325 He signs off with a winking, smiling emoji, which makes 0:11:27.325 --> 0:11:30.165 me wonder did he know what he was getting himself 0:11:30.165 --> 0:11:33.965 into seeking a spiritual edge, or as someone who pushed 0:11:34.005 --> 0:11:38.765 his physical edge as a survivalist, accomplished adventurer and ninja 0:11:38.885 --> 0:11:42.965 who scales seven hundred foot structures. Did his quest for 0:11:43.005 --> 0:11:48.485 a spiritual extreme lead to the ultimate sacrifice his life? 0:11:52.125 --> 0:11:55.405 Above Justin's final blog post, there is a haunting video 0:11:55.525 --> 0:11:58.165 that doesn't match the rest of his entries. This is 0:11:58.165 --> 0:12:02.885 not one of the daring adventures Justin once captured. It's reflective. 0:12:03.725 --> 0:12:07.125 In the video, Justin is a solitary man, monk like 0:12:07.845 --> 0:12:11.685 walking barefoot through the mossy, dense forest, setting up camp 0:12:11.725 --> 0:12:15.925 in his cave, meditating. The spread wings of the hawkish 0:12:15.925 --> 0:12:19.805 bird tattooed on his chest looked like a symbol of freedom, 0:12:20.445 --> 0:12:25.725 the freedom Justin continuously sought out in his life. The 0:12:25.885 --> 0:12:30.125 music in the video matches the mood. It's eerie and rawat. 0:12:30.205 --> 0:12:34.965 The Sadu makes an appearance surrounded by billowing smoke. His 0:12:35.085 --> 0:12:40.525 shrewd gaze slowly meets the camera, then the video fades 0:12:40.565 --> 0:12:47.525 to black. On August twenty second, twenty sixteen, Justin Rawat 0:12:47.805 --> 0:12:51.445 an a porter the sadou hired, embarked on the strenuous 0:12:51.525 --> 0:12:56.005 track to Montalai Lake. The trio reached their destination, and 0:12:56.085 --> 0:13:00.085 on September third, three Indian hikers reported seeing them at 0:13:00.085 --> 0:13:03.845 the lake. When they approached them, Justin and the Sadou 0:13:03.925 --> 0:13:08.685 were arguing. Justin was exhausted and hungry. He said he 0:13:08.725 --> 0:13:11.885 wanted to descend, but he didn't leave with the hikers. 0:13:13.005 --> 0:13:16.085 By the end of September, Justin hadn't returned from his track, 0:13:16.805 --> 0:13:19.165 and because of his close relationship to his mother in 0:13:19.205 --> 0:13:26.205 a social media presence, people noticed upon hearing about Justin's disappearance. 0:13:26.605 --> 0:13:29.285 One of the last people to see him, a Russian 0:13:29.325 --> 0:13:32.245 man who had taken Justin's picture at the trailhead before 0:13:32.245 --> 0:13:36.205 he embarked on his spiritual track, messaged a French traveler, 0:13:36.325 --> 0:13:39.205 Christopher Lee, who was still in the valley and whom 0:13:39.285 --> 0:13:42.925 Justin had connected with online a year earlier. He asked 0:13:43.045 --> 0:13:46.085 Lee to check on the Sadu Rowatt, who Justin had 0:13:46.125 --> 0:13:50.165 embarked on his spiritual crusade with. Lee hiked to kier 0:13:50.285 --> 0:13:56.365 Gunga and found Rowatt sitting alone in his hut. India's 0:13:56.525 --> 0:13:59.605 famous for criminal sadis. And this isn't just now. This 0:13:59.725 --> 0:14:02.205 goes back and you can read about in eighteen hundreds, 0:14:02.405 --> 0:14:03.925 I mean, many of the old books that I've read 0:14:03.925 --> 0:14:05.325 on the India, they're like, oh, on the other the 0:14:05.485 --> 0:14:07.805 criminal sidos and they caught that's when I executed him, 0:14:07.845 --> 0:14:09.565 you know what I mean. And this is like Costa 0:14:09.765 --> 0:14:14.365 Terminals dressing EPISODEOS. This is Michael Yon, a former Greenbrey 0:14:14.485 --> 0:14:18.605 and current combat correspondent with a thorough knowledge of India's 0:14:18.605 --> 0:14:22.725 topography and hidden dangers. He's often called on to navigate 0:14:22.725 --> 0:14:28.365 disappearances like Justin's. Oh, and this is his hobby. I'm 0:14:28.405 --> 0:14:33.845 the world's greatest cannibal hunter. That's my modest opinion. This 0:14:33.885 --> 0:14:36.365 is one of the most interesting things about jan which 0:14:36.405 --> 0:14:39.405 we'll get into later, But what we're talking about now 0:14:39.725 --> 0:14:44.005 is his proficiency for man hunting with Justin. First of all, 0:14:44.525 --> 0:14:48.365 people contacted me about him. You know, his mother and 0:14:48.405 --> 0:14:51.965 his best friend were looking for him, and so other 0:14:52.005 --> 0:14:54.605 people notice that. They're like, hey, Mike, you know they 0:14:54.685 --> 0:14:58.125 know me from my work correspondent work, right, and they're like, hey, 0:14:58.165 --> 0:15:01.765 you've talked sometimes about tracking people in India. So that 0:15:02.405 --> 0:15:05.165 some people sent it to me that checked it out 0:15:05.165 --> 0:15:09.245 and put that on his online diary. That started reading 0:15:09.325 --> 0:15:10.925 part of it, and I was like, he sounds like 0:15:10.965 --> 0:15:14.165 actually a cool guy actually, except he's got a weakness. 0:15:14.285 --> 0:15:18.325 He's seeking. While I relate to being a seeker, Yan 0:15:18.525 --> 0:15:21.525 sees it as a liability. And I get this. I mean, 0:15:21.605 --> 0:15:23.925 someone like Jan who has been forced to trust his 0:15:24.045 --> 0:15:27.845 instincts in combat a life or death situation, doesn't have 0:15:27.885 --> 0:15:31.685 the luxury of curiosity or trust for that matter. But 0:15:31.965 --> 0:15:36.525 like me, He also noticed Justin's hesitancy about joining Rowatt 0:15:36.965 --> 0:15:40.205 on this spiritual track. You could tell in the back 0:15:40.245 --> 0:15:43.365 of his mind that something didn't sit right with him. 0:15:43.405 --> 0:15:45.285 It's just like one sentence in there somewhere. I don't 0:15:45.285 --> 0:15:47.285 remember what it said, but I was like, you just 0:15:47.645 --> 0:15:51.045 set it to yourself. You didn't listen to it, and 0:15:51.165 --> 0:15:55.245 that little voice says, don't do it, and you're in India. 0:15:55.445 --> 0:15:58.525 You don't do it, You back off, you know what 0:15:58.565 --> 0:16:01.525 I mean. But he didn't. He pressed forward. And now 0:16:02.285 --> 0:16:05.725 Rowatt's that alone in his stone walled hut rome. A 0:16:05.725 --> 0:16:09.405 month ago, Justin had shot that eerie video of the Sadu. 0:16:10.245 --> 0:16:12.965 The French trekker Lee, who was sent to confront Rawat, 0:16:13.445 --> 0:16:18.125 asked him about Justin, to which Rawat replied, Justin is crazy. 0:16:18.885 --> 0:16:21.445 Then he ranted about Justin leaving him. After meeting some 0:16:21.525 --> 0:16:24.125 trekkers at the lake who he headed up the valley with. 0:16:25.325 --> 0:16:28.125 Lee didn't believe the Sadu, who he knew many were 0:16:28.125 --> 0:16:31.045 referred to as a business baba who was only out 0:16:31.085 --> 0:16:35.765 for money, not enlightenment. Lee immediately filed a police report. 0:16:36.605 --> 0:16:40.485 After studying Justin's blog and social media entries, Michael John 0:16:40.605 --> 0:16:43.205 came to the same conclusion, you need to go to 0:16:43.205 --> 0:16:46.845 that naga. Based on everything I'm reading, I would track 0:16:46.845 --> 0:16:49.925 his ass down. That's your guy. I don't know, obviously, 0:16:50.005 --> 0:16:53.245 I've never met him. It's just it's written right there 0:16:53.405 --> 0:16:56.165 in plain view, right, I mean, it's not in play. 0:16:56.205 --> 0:16:58.805 It's written for me in plain view. And they wanted 0:16:58.805 --> 0:17:01.685 to hire me. I'm like, I'm busy on some stuff, 0:17:01.685 --> 0:17:04.485 but I'll advise you as you're over there. So they 0:17:04.485 --> 0:17:07.405 went over there, and they rented a helicopter and got 0:17:07.405 --> 0:17:09.765 a bunch of men together and had it brought it 0:17:09.885 --> 0:17:12.725 drone out all kinds of stuff, and then they found 0:17:12.725 --> 0:17:17.045 his flute, the Indian ben surrey or bamboo flute that 0:17:17.125 --> 0:17:20.405 Justin had been using as a walking stick. I assume 0:17:20.645 --> 0:17:22.805 if he was as weak as those who saw him 0:17:22.845 --> 0:17:25.885 said he was, that he would be somewhat dependent on 0:17:25.925 --> 0:17:28.565 that walking stick to navigate the strenuous track to the 0:17:28.645 --> 0:17:32.085 lake or from it. So when the flute was found 0:17:32.805 --> 0:17:36.845 and he wasn't, that said something. I got a message 0:17:37.045 --> 0:17:38.965 like we found this, we found his flute and some 0:17:39.005 --> 0:17:41.365 other stuff. I was like, bag it up, man, and 0:17:41.485 --> 0:17:43.085 treat it like a crime scene. I know you're not 0:17:43.285 --> 0:17:46.605 FBI or something, but you haven't solved it yet, you 0:17:46.645 --> 0:17:48.525 know what I mean. You haven't solved it until you've 0:17:48.565 --> 0:17:52.205 got a body or something. And they got a little 0:17:52.205 --> 0:17:56.045 overconfident in that. Now. I was like, you're making a mistake. 0:17:56.205 --> 0:18:00.405 You need to gather all information at all times. Vacuum 0:18:00.485 --> 0:18:05.245 up everything and preserve everything. Photograph everything from ten different 0:18:05.285 --> 0:18:08.205 as this right when people are talking, get the recorder 0:18:08.205 --> 0:18:10.845 going because there's little clues. They're flying around here and 0:18:10.885 --> 0:18:12.605 you're not going to be able to figure a mountain tea. 0:18:12.725 --> 0:18:16.205 Listen to the recording ten times right, and long story short, 0:18:16.365 --> 0:18:20.325 the Indian government got involved because it started getting more 0:18:20.365 --> 0:18:24.805 pressed that Naga got arrested. At the valley's small police station, 0:18:25.325 --> 0:18:28.925 Rowatt sat in front of Susie Reebe, Justin's mom, who 0:18:28.925 --> 0:18:31.925 had flown to India October ninth to look for her son, 0:18:31.925 --> 0:18:35.205 who had been missing for over a month. Rowatt told 0:18:35.285 --> 0:18:38.165 Reebe a different story than he had told Lee the 0:18:38.205 --> 0:18:42.165 Frenchman who had reported him to the authorities. Rowatt was 0:18:42.205 --> 0:18:45.605 not a reliable source, which made him look guilty for 0:18:45.685 --> 0:18:48.565 either knowing more about Justin's disappearance than he let on 0:18:49.805 --> 0:18:55.645 or for murdering him. You may have read the story right. 0:18:55.725 --> 0:18:58.805 He ended up being hanged, so wow, that was the 0:18:58.845 --> 0:19:02.045 guy who called him to go get Jana speaking about Rowatt, 0:19:02.365 --> 0:19:05.165 but his account is different from other reports where Rowatt 0:19:05.205 --> 0:19:08.565 press umably hung himself with his doughtie the loose pants 0:19:08.565 --> 0:19:12.725 he wore. Media outlets paint Rowatt's death two different ways 0:19:13.125 --> 0:19:16.165 as a confession to his guilt or as a response 0:19:16.205 --> 0:19:18.885 to the immense shame he felt at being penned for 0:19:18.925 --> 0:19:24.725 Justin's murder. Either way, this tragedy is heartbreaking because, like 0:19:25.005 --> 0:19:28.365 Ryan chambers parents, Reeb doesn't have any answers round her 0:19:28.405 --> 0:19:34.565 son's disappearance. As we've seen, Justin's skated this line between 0:19:34.565 --> 0:19:39.525 adventure and harm effortlessly in his life. He conquered dangerous 0:19:39.565 --> 0:19:42.645 situations with an ease that's envious to many of us 0:19:43.045 --> 0:19:46.645 who only wish we could dare so greatly. But Justin 0:19:46.805 --> 0:19:51.005 is still human and susceptible to danger, which is something 0:19:51.085 --> 0:19:56.445 that unfortunately found him in India. Michael John, the Manhunter 0:19:56.805 --> 0:20:00.565 who helped with the investigation of Justin's disappearance, had a 0:20:00.605 --> 0:20:04.605 respect for Justin because he too is drawn to danger 0:20:05.085 --> 0:20:09.565 and as and tracking people who deeply understand what enlightenment 0:20:10.045 --> 0:20:24.085 means to them. What's the cost eating another human? Once 0:20:24.085 --> 0:20:27.485 you've tracked enough album, that's the easiest spotting a Catholic priest, 0:20:27.525 --> 0:20:29.725 you know what I mean. Michael Johan is talking about 0:20:29.765 --> 0:20:32.485 his ability to spot and a gory or his fond 0:20:32.565 --> 0:20:37.165 nickname for them cannibals. He's not wrong the agory or 0:20:37.205 --> 0:20:41.885 sadus that engage in post mortem rituals, which includes cannibalism. 0:20:42.045 --> 0:20:43.885 Jan told me about a time when he was helping 0:20:43.925 --> 0:20:47.925 a former Israeli special Forces officer Egal Zor find a 0:20:48.045 --> 0:20:51.685 missing Israeli who had presumably drowned in the Ganges. But 0:20:51.845 --> 0:20:55.845 they came across a different body and someone who had 0:20:55.885 --> 0:20:58.725 their sights on it. Trigger warning. This is where it 0:20:58.725 --> 0:21:02.845 gets graphic. He had found this body and it's naked. 0:21:03.205 --> 0:21:05.685 Out of all the hundreds of bodies I've seen there. 0:21:05.725 --> 0:21:08.685 None were naked, and the ones that were close to naked, 0:21:09.125 --> 0:21:12.085 they were clearly in the river for a very long time, 0:21:12.445 --> 0:21:14.645 like there was almost like their hands would be missing. 0:21:15.005 --> 0:21:17.045 Always you would see hands and feet would first to 0:21:17.085 --> 0:21:18.925 be missing because the dogs would get the hands in 0:21:19.005 --> 0:21:22.965 the feet, and sometimes they would be headless. But this 0:21:23.005 --> 0:21:27.085 one looked really fresh, and it had no pubic hair. 0:21:27.685 --> 0:21:31.845 It was a male. It had no armpit hair, and 0:21:32.245 --> 0:21:35.005 it looked like the head was shaved partially, and it 0:21:35.045 --> 0:21:38.805 had a wire saw in the head right like somebody 0:21:38.885 --> 0:21:41.805 was cutting into the head with the wire saw. It 0:21:41.805 --> 0:21:44.925 looks like somebody has hacked out. It's abdomin. It's like 0:21:45.485 --> 0:21:50.005 really eviscerated. Like something's wrong here, I said, the goall 0:21:50.325 --> 0:21:54.765 that looks like a human sacrifice. The police are right there. 0:21:55.325 --> 0:21:58.005 The body's there. It looks like it's been murdered. It's 0:21:58.045 --> 0:22:01.525 got what appears to be confusions. I didn't see any 0:22:01.605 --> 0:22:04.205 knife marks on the forearms or anything like that. No 0:22:04.325 --> 0:22:08.085 bullet wounds. And this agory comes out now the gory's 0:22:08.125 --> 0:22:10.885 feet are in the river. They actually think that they 0:22:10.925 --> 0:22:13.885 can meditate beside the Godgas River and make a body 0:22:13.965 --> 0:22:16.725 come to them, So think how this plays into his 0:22:16.885 --> 0:22:22.445 potential psyche. He sees white Israeli dude swim out into 0:22:22.485 --> 0:22:25.365 the river and come back with a body. It's like, well, 0:22:25.405 --> 0:22:27.805 I'm praying for a body to come and there it is, right, 0:22:28.125 --> 0:22:31.805 and it's like, you know, pizza delivery here almost right, 0:22:32.245 --> 0:22:35.125 And the agory reaches down into the river. This body 0:22:35.245 --> 0:22:40.405 is naked, The guts are hanging out, intestines are hanging out. 0:22:41.005 --> 0:22:44.045 It looks like it's been hacked open, and not just slit, 0:22:44.365 --> 0:22:47.045 but like missing part of the ribs and stuff like 0:22:47.365 --> 0:22:49.525 a jack o lantern top is taken off, you know 0:22:49.565 --> 0:22:52.125 what I mean. And the top is missing and all 0:22:52.125 --> 0:22:55.085 the guts are exposed. You know, flies are landing on 0:22:55.085 --> 0:22:57.085 a body because you can see him in the photos. 0:22:57.245 --> 0:22:59.445 And he picks a stone from the river, from the 0:22:59.445 --> 0:23:01.845 gongs and he puts it on the pubic bone of 0:23:01.965 --> 0:23:06.605 the body, just above the penis right, and then he 0:23:06.645 --> 0:23:08.725 reaches down and he picks part of the force get 0:23:08.765 --> 0:23:11.005 off and eats it right in front of the police 0:23:11.365 --> 0:23:14.405 and gods, who are this? You know, former Special Forces 0:23:14.445 --> 0:23:18.845 officer in the IDF. He's like, then my adrenaline just went. 0:23:19.485 --> 0:23:22.325 You know, I've been in India many many times for 0:23:22.485 --> 0:23:25.125 many years, and I've never seen something like this. What 0:23:25.365 --> 0:23:27.805 was this man? What is he doing? And I was like, well, 0:23:27.845 --> 0:23:31.205 that's clearly an a gory. It doesn't take five months 0:23:31.205 --> 0:23:33.325 of study or six months of study the spot one 0:23:33.365 --> 0:23:35.765 I can teach you in like you two hours, right, 0:23:36.245 --> 0:23:39.405 and then the agory picked up a stick and everything, 0:23:39.445 --> 0:23:42.885 and he disappeared into the jungle. This story is so 0:23:43.085 --> 0:23:45.485 out there. When Yon first told it to me, I 0:23:45.525 --> 0:23:48.565 didn't believe him. But when he broke down the beliefs 0:23:48.645 --> 0:23:51.645 of the agory why they do what they do, it 0:23:51.765 --> 0:23:55.005 made more sense. They believe a God or the gods 0:23:55.045 --> 0:23:59.325 created everything, and God or the gods is perfect. Therefore 0:23:59.445 --> 0:24:02.805 everything is perfect in the world. Therefore, if you're disgusted 0:24:02.845 --> 0:24:05.725 by anything, you're disgusted by God, and you should seek 0:24:05.765 --> 0:24:09.005 to overcome everything that disgusted you, seek to overcome the 0:24:09.045 --> 0:24:12.645 emotion of disgust. You can see how seeking to overcome 0:24:12.685 --> 0:24:16.765 the emotion of disgust would lead to some pretty vile behavior, which, 0:24:16.805 --> 0:24:21.685 according to Jan it definitely does. I mean, they'll literally 0:24:21.725 --> 0:24:24.285 sleep with a dead dog for until the as a 0:24:24.325 --> 0:24:27.605 pillow as it rots day after day, week after week 0:24:27.685 --> 0:24:30.405 until it's gone maggots and everything, right, carrying it on 0:24:30.405 --> 0:24:32.965 their shoulder walking down the road, dead dog, right, you know, 0:24:33.165 --> 0:24:35.285 set it beside them whether they're eating. You know, they 0:24:35.525 --> 0:24:40.605 believe that, for instance, prostitutes and menstrual blood are bad, right, 0:24:40.645 --> 0:24:44.405 And so they don't like have sex with a menstruating 0:24:44.445 --> 0:24:48.525 prostitute on a corpse in a burning place or in 0:24:48.565 --> 0:24:53.445 a cemetery, right, like stacking disgust on top of disgust. 0:24:53.805 --> 0:24:55.685 And just so you know how to spot in the gory, 0:24:55.965 --> 0:24:58.285 they always carry a human skull to drink from or 0:24:58.325 --> 0:25:01.085 eat from, or they use it for begging for alms. 0:25:01.485 --> 0:25:04.445 They use a human femur as a horn beeB right, 0:25:04.885 --> 0:25:08.005 and and they use baby stalls and baby skins for 0:25:08.045 --> 0:25:11.125 a damaru drum. A damaru is those sorts of drums 0:25:11.165 --> 0:25:12.645 where it's got you know, you hold it in your 0:25:12.765 --> 0:25:14.925 hand and you can twist your wrist bing bing bing 0:25:14.965 --> 0:25:16.565 bing bing bing bing bing, you know what I mean. 0:25:17.245 --> 0:25:21.365 Often they'll be wearing black. They'll have you know, dreadlocks typically, 0:25:21.965 --> 0:25:24.845 which a lot of people do, but they'll often be 0:25:25.125 --> 0:25:29.885 wearing a garland of bones, human bones. They've got a 0:25:29.925 --> 0:25:35.045 certain look. I know, all of this sounds pretty outrageous. 0:25:35.285 --> 0:25:39.005 And I'm sure, like I did, you're questioning it. I mean, 0:25:39.245 --> 0:25:43.965 rationalizing cannibalism isn't easy. But these Agory consider their post 0:25:44.045 --> 0:25:48.325 mortem rituals holy. They live among India's cremation sites, where 0:25:48.365 --> 0:25:51.605