WEBVTT - Russell in Rishikesh 0:00:08.245 --> 0:00:14.725 School of humans. There are many unsolved mysteries circling the 0:00:14.805 --> 0:00:21.205 Holy City of Rishakesh, Foreigners who vanish, unforeseen spiritual awakenings, 0:00:22.005 --> 0:00:25.605 the healing powers of the Ganges, a river where both 0:00:25.685 --> 0:00:30.925 salvation and death flow, and the unexplainable energy that draws 0:00:31.005 --> 0:00:34.565 seekers who believe the holy city is a fast track 0:00:34.885 --> 0:00:40.885 to enlightenment. One of those seekers was Russell, a Sri 0:00:41.005 --> 0:00:44.605 Lankan living in Melbourne who had his sights set on 0:00:44.805 --> 0:00:53.485 visiting Rishikesh. It's November twenty eighteen. Russell, a Sri Lankan 0:00:53.565 --> 0:00:56.845 living in Melbourne, is at the airport in Melbourne waiting 0:00:56.845 --> 0:00:59.485 for his flight to board. Though he's eventually going to 0:00:59.525 --> 0:01:01.645 meet up with his family in Sri Lanka for his 0:01:01.725 --> 0:01:06.845 cousin's wedding, he's traveling light materials. Things aren't important to 0:01:06.925 --> 0:01:10.565 Russell these days. He lives minimally and stopped buying stuff 0:01:10.605 --> 0:01:12.405 for the sake of buying it for a while now. 0:01:13.005 --> 0:01:16.005 But as he's gotten more dedicated to his spiritual journey, 0:01:16.445 --> 0:01:19.285 his family has noticed that he's detaching from the things 0:01:19.325 --> 0:01:22.205 that used to meet a lot to him, like cricket. 0:01:22.765 --> 0:01:25.085 One day, he gave his bats away and stopped playing 0:01:25.085 --> 0:01:29.245 a sport he used to love. Not long ago, he 0:01:29.325 --> 0:01:32.245 had a breakdown after he was scammed by a girlfriend. 0:01:32.565 --> 0:01:36.925 It left him financially ruined and tested his faith in humanity. 0:01:37.565 --> 0:01:40.485 He couldn't believe that someone he had loved, dated and 0:01:40.565 --> 0:01:43.845 lived with for a handful of years could be so deceitful. 0:01:45.485 --> 0:01:49.485 After hitting this breaking point, Russell's family noticed his deeper 0:01:49.525 --> 0:01:53.965 commitment to spiritual growth. But Russell was born a seeker, 0:01:54.685 --> 0:01:58.885 driven by curiosity, an interested in human connection. He spent 0:01:58.965 --> 0:02:03.165 nine months in Peru with Shaman's, studied multiple religions, and 0:02:03.285 --> 0:02:07.805 experimented with ayahuasca, and though he was raised Catholic, he's 0:02:07.885 --> 0:02:11.325 drawn Hinduism, which is why his sister Rosita is not 0:02:11.445 --> 0:02:14.805 surprised he's decided to take a quick detour to India 0:02:14.885 --> 0:02:19.365 before meeting up with his family at the wedding. Unlike Rosita, 0:02:19.645 --> 0:02:22.645 Russell isn't married and doesn't have kids, so he's thrown 0:02:22.765 --> 0:02:26.405 himself into self discovery and his quest for the next 0:02:26.565 --> 0:02:31.405 level of spirituality. This is what drew Russell to Rishikesh, 0:02:31.525 --> 0:02:35.965 a seeker with one intention for traveling there, but that 0:02:36.485 --> 0:02:42.565 is what might have killed him. An announcement echoes through 0:02:42.565 --> 0:02:46.645 the airport. The flight to Derroduna, India is boarding. When 0:02:46.725 --> 0:02:49.765 Russell lands in Derradun, he'll hop either a bus or 0:02:49.845 --> 0:02:54.645 taxi that will take him to his final destination, Rishikesh. 0:02:54.885 --> 0:02:58.485 As Russell steps into the line of passengers, he overhears 0:02:58.485 --> 0:03:02.125 someone talking about Vicisht Goufa, a cave carved into a 0:03:02.165 --> 0:03:05.005 steep cliff on the banks of the Ganges an hour 0:03:05.085 --> 0:03:09.325 from shiksh It's also known as the Jesus Cave, a 0:03:09.485 --> 0:03:12.525 name derived from lore that Jesus spent some of his 0:03:12.645 --> 0:03:17.685 lost years in India. The lost years refer to an 0:03:17.725 --> 0:03:21.525 eighteen year period of Jesus's life from ages twelve to 0:03:21.525 --> 0:03:24.645 twenty nine that are not documented in the New Testament. 0:03:25.365 --> 0:03:29.925 Various Swamis, male Hindu spiritual teachers in India claim that 0:03:30.085 --> 0:03:33.685 during these lost years, Jesus sought solitude and the cavern 0:03:33.805 --> 0:03:38.085 of Vishisht Gufa, and in the last century, two swamis 0:03:38.085 --> 0:03:41.405 with no knowledge of Jesus's connection to the cave said 0:03:41.445 --> 0:03:46.685 when visiting they had visions of Jesus meditating there. Russell 0:03:46.725 --> 0:03:50.165 plans to visit the sacred cave and cleanse himself in 0:03:50.205 --> 0:03:54.245 the river Ganges flowing through the center of Rishikesh. Ever 0:03:54.285 --> 0:03:58.725 since he's been practicing Hinduism, he's felt called to Mother Ganga. 0:03:59.045 --> 0:04:02.125 Like the Hindus, he believes she will wash away bad 0:04:02.245 --> 0:04:05.885 karma and evil spirits and provide a clean saying that 0:04:05.925 --> 0:04:10.805 will reawaken him. His phone vibrates. It's a WhatsApp message 0:04:10.805 --> 0:04:13.765 from his sister, Rosita, checking in on him. He lets 0:04:13.765 --> 0:04:16.125 her know he's boarding and he'll text her when he lands. 0:04:16.605 --> 0:04:19.005 He shuts off his phone in preparation for the thirteen 0:04:19.045 --> 0:04:22.005 hour flight, hands his ticket to the flight attendant, who 0:04:22.045 --> 0:04:25.965 scans it, then enters the dimly lit jet bridge, boarding 0:04:25.965 --> 0:04:28.405 a plane that will take him to a city he'll 0:04:28.445 --> 0:04:36.205 never return from. Unlike Jonathan and Ryan's stories, which were 0:04:36.205 --> 0:04:40.005 publicized by the media, this is the first time Russell's 0:04:40.045 --> 0:04:44.445 story has ever been told. I try to go through 0:04:44.445 --> 0:04:47.405 the emails, and it was just too hard, just emotionally. 0:04:47.645 --> 0:04:50.565 So I'll just tell you the story. That's how how 0:04:50.605 --> 0:04:53.285 I recall it, because I have blocked some of it out. 0:04:53.765 --> 0:04:57.045 This is Rosita, Russell's older sister. She's asked that I 0:04:57.125 --> 0:05:00.445 not use their surnames to keep anonymity. This is a 0:05:00.485 --> 0:05:04.005 deeply personal story to Rosita, but She also has controversial 0:05:04.085 --> 0:05:06.925 views about Rishi Cash and what happened to her brother there, 0:05:07.245 --> 0:05:11.845 so there is a security in remaining unknown. Rosita describes 0:05:11.885 --> 0:05:15.125 what Russell was seeking at that time. He was more 0:05:15.285 --> 0:05:20.885 interested in seeking for the next level of spirituality, basically 0:05:20.965 --> 0:05:24.605 not being born into a human form again, learning all 0:05:24.605 --> 0:05:27.325 the lessons you have to in these human form so 0:05:27.365 --> 0:05:29.485 you can move on to the next realm, move on 0:05:29.485 --> 0:05:33.085 to the next level. That's what I think Russell was doing. 0:05:33.765 --> 0:05:37.125 Rosita had a deep bond with her younger brother. I 0:05:37.205 --> 0:05:39.965 recognize this bond because I have it with my siblings. 0:05:40.405 --> 0:05:44.525 She's protective, devoted, and today, nearly two years after the 0:05:44.605 --> 0:05:48.965 loss of her brother, she's still heartbroken. As soon as 0:05:48.965 --> 0:05:53.245 he landed, he sent a message saying, hey, I arrived 0:05:53.245 --> 0:05:56.965 in Rishikesh. I'll see you guys in four days. This 0:05:57.005 --> 0:05:59.365 is the text Rosie I've been waiting for from her brother. 0:06:00.165 --> 0:06:03.325 But when she didn't hear from Russell on November twenty ninth, 0:06:03.445 --> 0:06:05.365 the night he was supposed to land and tree lunk, 0:06:06.085 --> 0:06:08.605 she started to worry, and when there was still no 0:06:08.725 --> 0:06:11.685 word on the morning of November thirty if, she called 0:06:11.725 --> 0:06:13.525 the front desk of his hotel to see if he 0:06:13.525 --> 0:06:15.885 had checked in, and I said, can you please put 0:06:15.925 --> 0:06:19.365 me for the root Russell was staying. They put me 0:06:19.405 --> 0:06:21.725 on hold and they come back and said he never 0:06:21.965 --> 0:06:26.605 checked in. Straight away I knew something was wrong. Her 0:06:26.685 --> 0:06:29.485 husband and cousins told her she was being paranoid. He 0:06:29.605 --> 0:06:32.605 must have dismissed his flight. But when it was confirmed 0:06:32.605 --> 0:06:34.925 by the airline that Russell never boarded his flight to 0:06:34.925 --> 0:06:38.725 Sri Lanka, Rosita's older brother Trevor, who didn't attend the 0:06:38.765 --> 0:06:41.445 wedding and was still in Australia, went to the local 0:06:41.485 --> 0:06:44.285 police station to file a missing person's report and was 0:06:44.365 --> 0:06:48.405 directed to the Australian Embassy in India, but the embassy 0:06:48.565 --> 0:06:52.685 wasn't exactly helpful. They kept dismissing Trevor, saying a lot 0:06:52.685 --> 0:06:56.645 of people decide to stay in India. They just decided 0:06:56.685 --> 0:06:59.205 to hang around and they decide not to contact family. 0:06:59.245 --> 0:07:01.765 And we're like, you don't understand. We don't do that. 0:07:02.205 --> 0:07:04.565 No matter where we go, we know exactly you know 0:07:04.565 --> 0:07:08.045 where our family may bizarre, but Rosita didn't know where 0:07:08.085 --> 0:07:11.605 Russell was, so paperwork was filed with the Australian Embassy 0:07:11.605 --> 0:07:15.165 in India and on December first, Russell was declared a 0:07:15.205 --> 0:07:19.085 missing person. It was official, which sent Rosita and her 0:07:19.125 --> 0:07:22.325 family down a rabbit hole of what fs Did he 0:07:22.365 --> 0:07:24.765 get beaten up? Has he been robbed? Is he lying 0:07:24.805 --> 0:07:28.445 in the hosspital? You know, all these horrible thoughts go through, 0:07:28.765 --> 0:07:31.965 but there's always hope that he's alive. And there was 0:07:32.005 --> 0:07:35.605 a huge thought that went through our mind. Has he 0:07:35.765 --> 0:07:39.565 decided to go into an Ushran? And only after he 0:07:39.685 --> 0:07:43.325 went missing we started doing some research on Rishikesh and 0:07:43.365 --> 0:07:46.525 then we just found out, oh gosh, we did not 0:07:46.645 --> 0:07:49.445 know about Rishikesh, the background, how there's so many people 0:07:49.485 --> 0:07:52.485 gone missing and have people decide just to let go 0:07:52.525 --> 0:07:54.965 of everything and you know, go into an USh Ran 0:07:55.045 --> 0:07:59.205 for thirty days or sixty days and just live this lifestyle. 0:07:59.845 --> 0:08:07.285 So that was a hope. This was twenty eighteen, so 0:08:07.445 --> 0:08:11.285 if Rosita googled Rishikesh, she'd obviously seen headlines for the 0:08:11.325 --> 0:08:14.725 disappearances of Ryan Chambers in two thousand and five and 0:08:14.885 --> 0:08:18.005 Jonathan Spallen in two thousand and twelve. Her hope that 0:08:18.125 --> 0:08:20.965 Russell hadn't met the same feat but would be found 0:08:21.005 --> 0:08:23.685 meditating in an ash room somewhere in Rishikesh was the 0:08:23.765 --> 0:08:28.765 preferable outcome, but what happened on December fifteenth, fourteen days 0:08:28.805 --> 0:08:32.565 after Russell was declared missing, made for a bleaker reality. 0:08:33.205 --> 0:08:37.125 Trevor got an email from the embassy's It stated that 0:08:37.245 --> 0:08:41.925 his suitcase and his belongings were found and they named 0:08:41.965 --> 0:08:44.205 the place and it was sort of for me, googled it. 0:08:44.365 --> 0:08:46.925 It was sort of under this bridge, and you know, 0:08:47.085 --> 0:08:50.205 horrible thoughts come in, like why under a bitch? You know, 0:08:50.325 --> 0:08:53.685 why he's suitcase and why his belonging said where is he? 0:08:54.005 --> 0:08:57.165 And that particular night, Trevor called me and said, Rasia, 0:08:57.205 --> 0:09:00.405 it's fifty to fifty fifty percent he's alive, fifty percent 0:09:00.485 --> 0:09:02.725 he's gone. And I sort of like refused to believe it. 0:09:02.805 --> 0:09:06.685 I'm like, don't say that. But things got weirder. The 0:09:06.765 --> 0:09:09.725 embassy was able to track the simcard that Russell purchased 0:09:09.805 --> 0:09:12.645 for his phone when he landed in India. They emailed 0:09:12.645 --> 0:09:15.565 the simcard information to Russell's family and there was only 0:09:15.685 --> 0:09:18.365 one thing left to do. Trevor found a friend who 0:09:18.405 --> 0:09:23.845 spoke Hendie and they dialed Indian person answered the phone 0:09:24.165 --> 0:09:26.965 and said, I knew someone was going to call. I 0:09:27.085 --> 0:09:31.445 found his wallet and the phone, but I actually handed 0:09:31.525 --> 0:09:35.005 the wallet into the Australian Embassy in India, but I 0:09:35.165 --> 0:09:37.365 kept the phone because I knew someone would call for 0:09:37.525 --> 0:09:42.245 him a clue, someone who might lead them to Russell. 0:09:42.885 --> 0:09:45.885 But when they contacted the embassy, no wallet had been 0:09:45.925 --> 0:09:49.125 turned in, which means there was no additional information about 0:09:49.165 --> 0:09:52.605 this unidentified source they had just spoken to. So they 0:09:52.685 --> 0:09:55.805 tried russell sim number again. The second phone call was 0:09:55.925 --> 0:09:59.125 made to that same number and the person picked up 0:09:59.165 --> 0:10:02.845 the phone again, and when the question was asked, where 0:10:02.965 --> 0:10:05.885 exactly did you find it? The person got very nervous 0:10:06.485 --> 0:10:10.525 and start hesitating to talk and was not comfortable at 0:10:10.565 --> 0:10:13.405 all too even as a way he found it, and 0:10:13.605 --> 0:10:17.245 then he hung up the phone and several other attempts 0:10:17.285 --> 0:10:20.885 were made to contact him, but that phone was switched off. 0:10:23.205 --> 0:10:26.605 Rosita said something was off. Either this guy was spooked 0:10:26.765 --> 0:10:28.525 and thought he might get into some sort of trouble 0:10:28.605 --> 0:10:31.845 speaking to them, or he had something to do with 0:10:31.925 --> 0:10:35.885 her brother's disappearance. Either way, it was another dead end 0:10:36.485 --> 0:10:40.325 until Rosita and her husband got the call they've been 0:10:40.365 --> 0:10:44.725 waiting for. Trevor called my husband and said, I'm going 0:10:44.765 --> 0:10:46.325 to send you a link. I want you to have 0:10:46.405 --> 0:10:50.285 a look at it, I think I found Russell. Trevor 0:10:50.525 --> 0:10:54.325 had found Russell, but not in the way anyone, especially 0:10:54.405 --> 0:11:03.325 his family, could ever have imagined. Like Crying Chambers and 0:11:03.525 --> 0:11:07.885 Jonathan's Ballen Russell was another missing Westerner in Rashia Cash 0:11:08.405 --> 0:11:11.765 and Tell. Rosita's husband, Sean, clicked on that link her 0:11:11.805 --> 0:11:14.765 brother Trevor sent Sean had a look at the link, 0:11:15.405 --> 0:11:18.645 and sure enough, it was a picture of Russell's dead 0:11:18.685 --> 0:11:23.005 body on that website. The website is a database that's 0:11:23.045 --> 0:11:27.485 run by the Indian Police called Unidentified Dead Bodies. It 0:11:27.605 --> 0:11:31.685 consists of close to ninety thousand bodies. It's disturbing to 0:11:31.765 --> 0:11:35.005 look through. But for Rosita, the database gave her access 0:11:35.005 --> 0:11:37.805 to her brother. So even though her husband and older 0:11:37.845 --> 0:11:41.405 brother persuaded her not to, she knew. In order to 0:11:41.525 --> 0:11:45.085 believe Russell was really gone, she had to identify her 0:11:45.125 --> 0:11:50.805 brother's dead body. He was just sort of lying on 0:11:50.885 --> 0:11:54.765 the ground. He's either washed up or pulled out. You 0:11:54.805 --> 0:11:57.605 could see he's bloated, you know. He was just wearing 0:11:57.685 --> 0:12:01.045 a white T shirt which looked turned into like a 0:12:01.485 --> 0:12:04.845 muddy color obviously from the dirty border. And it was 0:12:04.965 --> 0:12:08.365 in Depans, So for him to be in his underpans, 0:12:08.405 --> 0:12:12.525 that he was wearing a sarong, which he does when 0:12:12.605 --> 0:12:15.285 he goes to ritual you know, and like spiritual retreats 0:12:15.485 --> 0:12:17.925 or if he goes to Sri Lanka. And I could 0:12:18.205 --> 0:12:21.045 definitely picture him in India just wearing underpans and a 0:12:21.125 --> 0:12:23.645 sarong and a T shirt and his thongs or whatever, 0:12:23.805 --> 0:12:26.525 just walking around. You know, I don't know what you 0:12:26.645 --> 0:12:30.685 call it, but on his wrist, you know, in Hinduism 0:12:30.965 --> 0:12:35.205 or Buddhism, like they wear these cotton threads. It's spiritual. 0:12:36.125 --> 0:12:38.445 So he had some of that, but that was all. 0:12:39.125 --> 0:12:42.925 In Southeast Asia, locals and many visiting Westerners like Russell, 0:12:43.165 --> 0:12:46.405 wears ranks, which is a fabric draped around the body 0:12:46.645 --> 0:12:49.205 and tugged at the waist or under the arms. The 0:12:49.325 --> 0:12:52.245 cotton thread or threads on his wrist could have been 0:12:52.285 --> 0:12:56.525 a katuk, usually read it's a ritual protection thread tied 0:12:56.565 --> 0:12:59.485 by a priest or guru on the wrist of a devotee. 0:13:00.965 --> 0:13:04.005 Russell's body was dragged from the Ganges on December third, 0:13:04.125 --> 0:13:08.085 twenty eighteen, five days after he was supposed to fly 0:13:08.205 --> 0:13:12.085 to Sri Lanka. The Unidentified dead Body's database did not 0:13:12.245 --> 0:13:15.045 mention a cause of death. But before the family could 0:13:15.085 --> 0:13:17.965 even think of investigating, there was something they had to 0:13:18.045 --> 0:13:21.005 do first. My mom and I would you said, oh 0:13:21.085 --> 0:13:23.245 my god, we need to bring him home. They found 0:13:23.325 --> 0:13:26.245 him on the third of December. Now we're on the nineteenth. 0:13:27.045 --> 0:13:29.605 Russell's body had most likely been in the Ganges for 0:13:29.685 --> 0:13:32.285 those five days he was missing, which is why he 0:13:32.405 --> 0:13:35.125 was bloated when he was pulled from the river, and 0:13:35.285 --> 0:13:38.125 for the past seventeen days his body had been sitting 0:13:38.165 --> 0:13:41.125 in a morgue in India, but his family wanted him 0:13:41.165 --> 0:13:44.005 home so they could say their goodbyes properly with a 0:13:44.085 --> 0:13:47.925 Catholic funeral. When Trevor called the police station listed on 0:13:48.005 --> 0:13:52.005 Russell's profile to claim his body, they ran for another shock. 0:13:52.965 --> 0:13:56.685 Police told him that within three days of the body 0:13:56.765 --> 0:14:00.405 being found, that they cremated Russell and threw the ashes 0:14:00.445 --> 0:14:05.125 into the Gangi River. And we were absolutely devastated, you know, 0:14:05.645 --> 0:14:08.805 because it's where you used to burying our death. That's 0:14:08.845 --> 0:14:13.725 the way we say a goodbye. Now this is just 0:14:14.005 --> 0:14:17.605 heartbreaking to imagine. They had found Russell's body and all 0:14:17.685 --> 0:14:19.925 they wanted to do was bring him home and mourn 0:14:20.045 --> 0:14:21.685 him in the way they were accustomed to. With an 0:14:21.725 --> 0:14:26.045 open casket and burial, but he was cremated and in 0:14:26.165 --> 0:14:30.645 a way taken from them again. Additionally, because Russell's body 0:14:30.685 --> 0:14:33.845 had been cremated, there was no evidence to determine his 0:14:33.965 --> 0:14:39.925 cause of death until they received the coroner's report. So 0:14:40.325 --> 0:14:43.885 on the coroner's report, number one cause of death for 0:14:44.445 --> 0:14:48.525 Russell is death by drowning. Number two cause of death 0:14:48.765 --> 0:14:52.285 is blunt trauma to the head. Hearing about this blunt 0:14:52.365 --> 0:14:55.445 force trauma made Rosita think back to the first time 0:14:55.485 --> 0:14:58.325 she had seen Russell's picture on the database. Now, when 0:14:58.365 --> 0:15:00.765 I saw the picture of Russell, I could see this 0:15:00.925 --> 0:15:04.485 big bump on his forehead. Could be a possibility that 0:15:04.645 --> 0:15:06.845 someone hit him on the ahead and then he fell 0:15:06.885 --> 0:15:09.525 into the river or was pushed into the river. There 0:15:09.565 --> 0:15:14.005 are so many scenarios. But one scenario she wasn't expecting 0:15:14.525 --> 0:15:17.405 was how invested the Indian police suddenly were now that 0:15:17.525 --> 0:15:20.245 Russell's body had been identified on the database as an 0:15:20.245 --> 0:15:24.285 Australian citizen. She was also surprised by the new information 0:15:24.405 --> 0:15:27.965 they shared. Indian police sent the email saying that his 0:15:28.765 --> 0:15:32.725 suitcase and his passport was found in the hotel. Now 0:15:33.245 --> 0:15:35.365 you don't have to be a genius to work out 0:15:35.445 --> 0:15:38.485 that hold on the stories that you guys are sending us, 0:15:38.525 --> 0:15:41.205 it is not matching up. First, you said, when Russell 0:15:41.285 --> 0:15:44.165 was still missing, you said the suitcase and his belongings 0:15:44.205 --> 0:15:47.845 were found under a bridge. Well no, now that Russell 0:15:48.005 --> 0:15:50.605 has been found on the internet, now you're saying his 0:15:50.765 --> 0:15:54.605 suitcase and his passport and belonging in the hotel. And 0:15:54.765 --> 0:15:59.485 also there was another email stating that Russell was very 0:15:59.645 --> 0:16:04.805 aggressive and abusive towards the hotel's staff. So this is 0:16:04.885 --> 0:16:07.725 the hotel and Risha Cash where Russell stayed and where 0:16:07.765 --> 0:16:11.325 police were now saying they had found his suitcase and belongings, 0:16:11.805 --> 0:16:14.445 and according to the police, it's also where Russell was 0:16:14.525 --> 0:16:18.125 publicly aggressive to hotel staff, which was captured on hotel 0:16:18.205 --> 0:16:21.685 cameras November twenty eighth, two days before he was supposed 0:16:21.685 --> 0:16:24.605 to leave Risha Cash. So we requested for the video 0:16:25.045 --> 0:16:28.485 because now you know, now they're saying he was aggressive 0:16:28.565 --> 0:16:32.245 and abusive, chose the hotel staff and the guests, So 0:16:32.405 --> 0:16:35.245 I wanted to see the video to see what's going on. 0:16:35.925 --> 0:16:38.885 My thing was that's not Russell. If he was, then 0:16:39.085 --> 0:16:43.365 something's not right. The police never sent that footage to 0:16:43.485 --> 0:16:47.965 Rosie and her family. So you can imagine receiving this new, 0:16:48.245 --> 0:16:52.845 unsubstantiated information from the Indian police led to their suspicions 0:16:53.005 --> 0:16:56.565 towards not only the police, but institutions like the Australian 0:16:56.605 --> 0:16:59.725 Embassy in India that are supposed to advocate for their 0:16:59.765 --> 0:17:04.005 country citizens and protect them. But I've also learned from 0:17:04.045 --> 0:17:07.485 this experience that they Astralian Embassy in India have no 0:17:07.685 --> 0:17:11.285 power over what happens in India. This is something we 0:17:11.405 --> 0:17:13.645 followed up on. We'll get into that in a bed 0:17:13.765 --> 0:17:17.805 But first, if Russell's aggression was out of character, and 0:17:17.925 --> 0:17:20.805 his outburst at the hotel wasn't something fabricated by the 0:17:20.885 --> 0:17:25.605 police or embassy, then what happened. There is a huge 0:17:25.725 --> 0:17:29.285 possibility that Russell would have whatever they drink, that the 0:17:29.405 --> 0:17:32.365 Sadu's drink. You know, if there was an opportunity and 0:17:32.445 --> 0:17:35.525 it was presented to him, he could yet he would 0:17:35.565 --> 0:17:38.765 have taken it. This drink Rosida is talking about, that 0:17:38.885 --> 0:17:42.805 Sadu's or holy Men drink is infused with bang and 0:17:42.965 --> 0:17:46.245 intoxicant made from the leaves of the female cannabis plant. 0:17:46.965 --> 0:17:50.645 Bang is used by Hindus for spiritual purposes. They drink 0:17:50.685 --> 0:17:53.725 it to honor Shiva, the god of destruction, who is 0:17:53.805 --> 0:17:57.205 believed to have used the intoxicant to focus inward and 0:17:57.365 --> 0:18:00.045 harness his divine powers for the good of the world. 0:18:01.165 --> 0:18:05.125 Many Westerners who travel through India seek this extreme high 0:18:05.525 --> 0:18:08.365 that some say brings them closer to this elusive idea 0:18:08.645 --> 0:18:12.885 of enlightenment and can result in either a happy haze, paranoia, 0:18:13.365 --> 0:18:16.605 or just getting racked like one Western I read about 0:18:16.965 --> 0:18:19.405 who after drinking bang was bound to his bad and 0:18:19.565 --> 0:18:24.405 toilet viciously vomiting for three days strade. So it's pretty 0:18:24.485 --> 0:18:29.965 powerful stuff, which might explain Russell's behavior. Well, that makes sense. 0:18:30.205 --> 0:18:32.245 If he'd taken it, maybe then he would have had 0:18:32.325 --> 0:18:34.805 some sort of an episode, and maybe that's why he 0:18:34.965 --> 0:18:39.445 was aggressive or abusive if that email is correct. Rosita 0:18:39.525 --> 0:18:42.885 also has speculations about the Sadus, who, in her opinion, 0:18:43.445 --> 0:18:48.645 tempt foreigners with these intoxicants. So, having spoken to Indian 0:18:48.725 --> 0:18:52.405 born Australians, you know, one person mentioned that it's common 0:18:52.525 --> 0:18:55.405 knowledge that there's a lot of Sadus that are not 0:18:55.605 --> 0:18:59.325 doing the right thing. You know, they're just scammers who 0:19:00.165 --> 0:19:03.005 encourage the Westerners. You know, they think they're better off 0:19:03.245 --> 0:19:07.645 moving on to the next journey of spiritualism, meaning leaving 0:19:07.765 --> 0:19:11.485 the body that you know we're in. Apparently they encourage 0:19:11.525 --> 0:19:14.565 them to walk into the into the river. One person 0:19:14.685 --> 0:19:18.605 mentioned that it's common knowledge around Rishikesh for those people 0:19:18.645 --> 0:19:22.365 who live there that the Westerners come there to die. 0:19:23.245 --> 0:19:26.085 Like Rosita said, these theories were shared with her by 0:19:26.165 --> 0:19:29.925 Indian born Australians, So I don't know how much of 0:19:30.045 --> 0:19:34.125 this is true. It's just was told to me. We've 0:19:34.205 --> 0:19:37.765 dug into the veracity of these claims before and will again, 0:19:38.645 --> 0:19:41.125 but right now I want to focus on the effect 0:19:41.285 --> 0:19:45.685 these stories had on Rosita. When considering what happened to Russell, 0:19:46.125 --> 0:19:50.645 a seeker who traveled to Rishikesh specifically for a spiritual awakening, 0:19:51.125 --> 0:19:53.965 but was then found drowned and the same river he 0:19:54.045 --> 0:19:56.725 came to cleanse himself in, you can see how for 0:19:56.885 --> 0:20:00.365 Rosita these theories could start to feel more like truth. 0:20:02.205 --> 0:20:05.005 There was one theory that haunted her, and it's not 0:20:05.085 --> 0:20:08.365 about how Russell died, but what happened to him after 0:20:08.525 --> 0:20:11.885 he was found. This was something she felt she needed 0:20:11.925 --> 0:20:16.005 to share with another Australian family who would also experienced tragedy. 0:20:16.165 --> 0:20:20.485 In Rasha Cash, I don't know for what reason during 0:20:20.565 --> 0:20:25.605 that traumatic time that his name just came into my head. 0:20:26.085 --> 0:20:28.245 I just thought of him, and I just thought of 0:20:28.405 --> 0:20:32.565 Dyan Jock. She's speaking about Ryan Chambers, whose story we 0:20:32.685 --> 0:20:36.165 told in episode one and two, and whose disappearance she 0:20:36.245 --> 0:20:39.285 read about while researching Risha Cash after Russell went missing. 0:20:39.365 --> 0:20:43.845 There the Ryan's family deny his seeking anything spiritual in India, 0:20:44.405 --> 0:20:47.925 Rosita recognized her brother's language and Ryan's last journal entry, 0:20:48.565 --> 0:20:51.725 if I'm not gone, don't worry, I'm not dead. I'm 0:20:51.805 --> 0:20:54.965 just freeing minds. And to do that, I had to 0:20:55.005 --> 0:20:58.445 free my own. Ryan went missing in two thousand and five, 0:20:58.525 --> 0:21:01.645 and ten years later, there's my brother, who's you know, 0:21:01.725 --> 0:21:05.845 and he's full of breath Higgs saying the same words. 0:21:05.925 --> 0:21:09.045 So I thought that was quite interesting. Two people of 0:21:09.165 --> 0:21:13.285 two different generations, you know, two different backgrounds, talk in 0:21:13.365 --> 0:21:17.125 the same language. This and some darts. She'd started to 0:21:17.165 --> 0:21:20.525 connect around what happened to her brother in India compelled 0:21:20.565 --> 0:21:23.605 her to reach out to Ryan's parents, Jack and Diane. 0:21:24.405 --> 0:21:26.325 I wanted to reach out, but it took me a 0:21:26.405 --> 0:21:29.125 long time because you know, I was very traumatized, like 0:21:29.245 --> 0:21:32.005 the whole thing. So when I finally did reach out. 0:21:32.045 --> 0:21:36.685 I wanted to tell them my story, and she did. 0:21:37.445 --> 0:21:39.805 That's why I met Rosita. I was introduced to her 0:21:39.845 --> 0:21:42.925 by Jack after our interview as someone else who had 0:21:42.965 --> 0:21:45.525 lost a loved one and reach the cash. But what 0:21:45.645 --> 0:21:49.285 I didn't know is why she initially contacted Jack and Diane. 0:21:49.645 --> 0:21:51.525 You know, it was very hard for me to tell them, 0:21:51.645 --> 0:21:54.285 and obviously it's not very easy for them to hear it. 0:21:54.365 --> 0:21:56.845 But I did tell them. You know, I'm so sorry 0:21:56.925 --> 0:22:00.325 to tell you, but Ry Ryan's gone. They would have 0:22:00.405 --> 0:22:02.685 done exactly what they would have done to Russell. They 0:22:02.725 --> 0:22:05.325 would have cremated his body, got rid of the ash. 0:22:05.845 --> 0:22:09.405 Because there's no evidence, Rosita believes that what happened to 0:22:09.525 --> 0:22:12.845 Russell most likely happened to Ryan. The only difference is 0:22:13.325 --> 0:22:17.605 Russell's photo was taken and posted on the Unidentified Dead 0:22:17.645 --> 0:22:23.045 Bodies database, but Rosita thinks that was a mistake. He 0:22:23.205 --> 0:22:27.445 looked like a local where Trlanken born. So of course 0:22:27.525 --> 0:22:30.605 our skin color is dark and we do look like Indians. 0:22:30.725 --> 0:22:33.485 You know, people would mistake us. There was nothing that 0:22:33.645 --> 0:22:36.765 anyone would think, oh he's a Westerner or he's a foreigner, 0:22:37.045 --> 0:22:40.645 you know, And this is why Rosita believes Russell's body 0:22:40.805 --> 0:22:44.765 was posted under the Unidentified Dead Body's database, and other 0:22:44.885 --> 0:22:48.645 foreigners who blatantly stand out as Westerners are not featured 0:22:48.725 --> 0:22:51.805 on the site. I truly feel this is just my 0:22:51.965 --> 0:22:55.205 opinion that there is something going on there. We were 0:22:55.285 --> 0:22:59.085 just lucky that we found Russell's picture on the Internet 0:22:59.245 --> 0:23:02.605 and they made a mistake in uploading an Australian citizen 0:23:02.685 --> 0:23:06.205 onto that website. To my knowledge, haven't looked at it. 0:23:06.325 --> 0:23:08.245 I asked my brother because I'm not willing to go 0:23:08.325 --> 0:23:11.965 on that website. There is no white people's dead bodies 0:23:12.005 --> 0:23:15.765 on that Unidentified Dead Bodies in India website. I think 0:23:15.805 --> 0:23:20.445 it's just local Indians that they're upload So when you know, 0:23:20.685 --> 0:23:23.925 they find the foreigner's body, they're not going to upload 0:23:23.965 --> 0:23:27.445 that onto that Internet. I think they've done exactly what 0:23:27.525 --> 0:23:30.005 they've done to Russell. They've promated the body, got rid 0:23:30.045 --> 0:23:32.645 of the evidence, so the person is missing. It's better 0:23:32.685 --> 0:23:35.565 to have missing people so that the foreigners still come 0:23:35.925 --> 0:23:38.485 to retrication and spend their money and you know, do 0:23:38.725 --> 0:23:42.925 their journey there, than to have them are dead, dead 0:23:42.965 --> 0:23:47.325 foreigners and that's not good for business. This is an 0:23:47.365 --> 0:23:51.125 extreme theory, but if you consider the ordeal Rosita and 0:23:51.205 --> 0:23:54.765 her family went through with the Indian authorities. Her reaction 0:23:54.925 --> 0:23:58.005 makes sense to me. I asked in Kite if she 0:23:58.085 --> 0:24:01.565 thought Rosida's reaction was justified and if others experienced this 0:24:01.765 --> 0:24:06.525 kind of mismanagement with authorities. Yes, it's uncommon to be 0:24:06.725 --> 0:24:12.605 frustrated with administrative processes in India. It's quite common. So 0:24:12.725 --> 0:24:15.405 when I hear Rosita talk about how tough it was 0:24:15.525 --> 0:24:19.005 for her to get information about her brother from the authorities, 0:24:19.245 --> 0:24:22.045 it is not hard for me to imagine. Even the 0:24:22.205 --> 0:24:25.725 part about not admitting the truth for fear of bad 0:24:25.845 --> 0:24:29.205 press is relatable. Every now and then we see some 0:24:29.405 --> 0:24:34.125 journalistic report with solid facts and evidence that gets dismissed 0:24:34.165 --> 0:24:36.445 by the government because they say it is some sort 0:24:36.485 --> 0:24:40.565 of conspiracy to defame the country. So that obviously creates 0:24:40.645 --> 0:24:44.485 mistrust in Indians and foreigners alike about the integrity of 0:24:44.605 --> 0:24:49.125