Month: February 2025

by Travis Mateer

I’m confused.

If Danit Ehrlich drowned, which is what we are being told almost definitely happened to her, then WHY is a Detective like Guy Baker getting in front of the camera? This alleged drowning is considered to be an accident, right? Then WHY have a Detective spend valuable time talking to the media about an ACCIDENT? Don’t you have some criminals to be catching, Guy Baker?

I’ll tell you why I think Baker is involved, and it’s pretty simple: narrative control.

Right now the family of Danit Ehrlich is being handled by the professionals into accepting the narrative of accidental drowning, a scenario that sounds like the likely scenario for what happened.

But what if Danit DIDN’T drown?

If something else happened, the most critical time to be effective, for the professionals, is the first 48 hours of a disappearance. That timeframe has already passed. Now we have Guy Baker, the Detective who STILL can’t find Jermain Charlo, telling us about the “best time” to find Danit’s body in the river.

Missoula Detective Guy Baker was also on scene and said there would be a large number of resources being used in the search efforts throughout the rest of Wednesday.

“This is the best time to find Danit, as the ice has receded,” Baker said. “But water levels will keep rising this week. We are expending a lot of resources today.”

Baker said in addition to search and rescue divers, submersible sonar, K-9 units and drones were being used. The Missoula Police Department, Missoula County Sheriff’s Office, Missoula County Search and Rescue, and Lewis and Clark County Search and Rescue were involved in the effort.

See all the professionals involved? And yet they haven’t found the body yet. At least the family seems satisfied with how they’ve been handled thus far (emphasis mine):

Members of Ehrlich’s family were present during search and rescue efforts on Wednesday. Bunny Ehrlich, Danit Ehrlich’s mother, thanked law enforcement officers Missoulians for their support during the search.

“The whole force, and including the people in Missoula, have been so kind to us,” Bunny Ehrlich said. “Everywhere we go they have heard of our daughter, Danit, and what’s happened, and they have been incredible to us. Just want people to know we are very thankful for the (City of Missoula.)”

I don’t doubt the point of emphasis in this quote because Missoula is filled with young women and their fur babies. On Reddit it’s clear that’s why some are so immediately invested, emotionally, in confirming what everything assumes happened to her.

This whole scenario reminds me A LOT of Rebekah Barsotti’s case, the young woman who ALSO, we are told, died in an accidental drowning related to her dog, Cerberus. While the body of the dog was found in just 10 days, Rebekah’s body wasn’t found until 10 MONTHS later, and questions persist TO THIS DAY about what really happened to her.

When Danit first when missing, I agreed with the assessment that accidental drowning appeared to be the likely scenario, but now that Guy Baker is involved, my agreeable position is no longer agreeable. I’ll be watching a little more closely now, along with everyone else, the professionals do their work, and if this shallow stretch of river doesn’t turn up a body soon, I’m going to start wondering if we have ANOTHER inconvenient death for the narrative controllers to manage.

Stay tuned.

And, if you appreciate the work I’m doing, please consider donating to Travis’ Impact Fund (TIF). Any little bit helps, like Mr. Warrens recent donations–thank you!

And, as always, thanks for reading!

by Travis Mateer

Like I needed another reminder of my failure to monetize my content, I have apparently let my Vimeo business account lapse, which means no more storage to host my documentary, Engen’s Missoula. Even IF I come up with $600 extra dollars that I don’t have, the actual file I uploaded might not be accessible.

Is the slander/defamation/lawfare campaign against me working? It sure is. I still have court regularly, everything I do is being combed over and reported, I could face new charges at any moment, but what should I have expected?

Now would be a great time to donate to Travis’ Impact Fund (TIF), or stay tuned for a physical location to drop some dirty dollars at.

When I checked this morning, I counted FOUR posts that I have published since The Pulp put out their last article. They have multiple writers, they have paychecks, and they can’t maintain the frequency of content I put out for free. But, as we all know, NOTHING is free. Consider that and act accordingly.

Thanks for reading.

by Travis Mateer

When I saw Jermain Charlo’s name pop up as a Reddit notification, I went to take a look, since the anonymous crowd-sourcing capabilities of Reddit are capabilities I have given credit to in the past. I’ve also been the SUBJECT of Reddit speculation myself, which I still find pretty funny.

I don’t normally comment on Reddit threads, but when I saw Detective Baker getting roasted, I had to offer the Reddit crowd this link that features my text exchange with Guy Baker. Here are three curated comments–none of which, I will add, are mine:

The commenters were reacting to the mention of a podcast called Stolen, which I’ve referenced in critical posts like this one. Why critical? Because, as I’m about to lay out, Jermain Charlo has increasing value, but this value relies on her NOT becoming a solved case. Ever.

For the sake of this speculative value scale, let us say that Jermain Charlo enjoyed letting loose with MORE than just alcohol. As a consumer of drugs, she would have value to those selling drugs and, before her disappearance, her family would be incentivized to help stop any illicit drug use.

While the conventional thinking about the night of Jermain’s disappearance still focuses on the boyfriend, darker lines of thinking could imagine drug debts being settled, or sex trafficking scenarios developing. As the Chaplain of the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office crassly put it in the podcast, Jermain really knew how to apply makeup, meaning her natural beauty really got attention when amplified. Right, Lowell?

The value of Jermain Charlo, though, really gets into serious numbers when you understand state appropriations and narrative control. That’s why it’s important to track things like “task forces”. Not because of their ability to actually improve situations for missing and murdered indigenous people, but because of their ability to CONTROL the questions and community outrage.

Here’s what’s being proposed during THIS legislative session (emphasis mine):

Supporters of a bill that would create a special revenue account to fund the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Task Force say it is necessary to keep the program going.

The task force was created in 2019 and the 2023 Legislature extended its authorization for ten years. According to the Montana Department of Justice, the group’s mission is to identify barriers to jurisdiction on tribal land and increase reporting and investigation into cases of missing and murdered indigenous people. Now, some lawmakers are advocating for creating a way for the task force to raise the money it needs.

Those of us concerned about homeless camps in 2021 didn’t wait around for someone to give us money, we did the work necessary because if not us, then who? And back then, four years ago now, I explicitly made the connection between camps and missing people. Since then my concerns have only expanded.

On a larger narrative control level I’ll end today’s post with a link to this fascinating video casting some curious suspicion on Joe Rogan. I may have more to say in a later post about this.

If you’d like to support my local citizen journalism, Travis’ Impact Fund (TIF) is one way to do it.

Thanks for reading!

by Travis Mateer

Yesterday I was evicted from sitting on the sidewalk by a homeless woman. 

There I was, in the middle of discussing the power of Montana Sheriffs to kill people with zero accountability with two documentary film makers, when the woman interrupted to inform me that I was in her spot.

“You can’t be there,” she informed me, “because that spot’s mine.”

Having already met my extroverted social needs by filling the attentive ears of visiting film makers with local intrigue, I happily validated the woman’s delusion about her sidewalk ownership. While I packed up my stuff, including a cardboard sign that said $ TO MAKE DOCUMENTARY, I chatted with her while her “old man” hovered by their grocery cart.

The woman told me that her and the old man couldn’t stay at the Johnson Street Shelter anymore after being kicked out for theft. The theft was retaliatory, she explained, and it was all so very unfair that THEY got put out by staff for a limited time, but not really. 

“Not really?” I asked, confused. 

“When our time is up,” she explained, “cops say my old man’s still trespassed, so we can’t go back.”

Before this insightful interaction with the homeless woman and chat with filmmakers, a local business woman from the other side of the river (Hip Strip) took a picture of me, my antique fireman’s helmet, and my sign. After laughing and asking permission, of course. 

This local business woman is a success case in a growing sea of FOR LEASE signs. Did Donald Trump and DOGE create this trend of FOR LEASE signs? No, but they will DEFINITELY solidify the trend of political dominance if Uncle Sam cuts $5,000 dollar checks to poor bastards like me.

If those checks arrive, and you’d like to make me a slightly LESS poor bastard, I’m hoping to have a few more options soon than just my TIF (Travis’ Impact Fund).

Why support a citizen journalist like me? 

No one else writing publicly in this state can claim the combination of factors I’m bringing, factors that include 10 years in the non-profit sector with 7 at the local homeless shelter, then 5 years creating content, including a long-form documentary that started me down the long road of becoming, for lack of a better term, targeted. 

Want to talk about gangs? Ok, let’s talk about gangs (part I and part II). Or maybe we can talk about Chinese Nationals giving happy endings in nasty little sheds on your way south, to Lolo. Or maybe we should talk about those nice Venezuelan visitors recently arrested by Homeland Security in Bozeman (emphasis mine):

Federal officials say they arrested six Venezuelan gang members in Gallatin County this week.

According to a post on X from the Denver Homeland Security Investigation Office, officers with Homeland Security and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement arrested Tren de Aragua members in Bozeman and Belgrade on Wednesday.

Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer said the Missouri River Drug Task Force and ICE worked closely together over the years to identify gang members, and ICE is currently in the process of deporting the individuals.

Springer said while the county does not currently have a major problem with gangs, it is crucial to recognize and remove gang members before they’re able to gain a foothold in the community.

“I think it’s important to recognize that this is not a political issue,” said Springer. “This is a public safety issue, and our goal is to make sure that we continue the public safety message and make sure that we are getting criminal elements out of this community and making sure that our kids, our families and our friends are safe.”

First, why should the citizens of Bozeman believe Dan Springer? Appointed in February of 2021, here’s a breakdown of the many hats someone like Springer wears on his way to the Sheriff’s Office, including the duties of CORONER (emphasis mine):

Sheriff Springer has been with the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office since 1996. During that time he has served as a patrol deputy, K9 officer, school resource officer, sergeant of the patrol and detective divisions, member and commander of the Special Response Team, commander of the Detention Center and the Missouri River Drug Task Force, chief deputy coroner, undersheriff, and, most recently, interim sheriff.

“I thank the commission for trusting me this with responsibility,” Sheriff Springer said. “This office means a lot to me. It makes me proud to even be considered for this position. I make a promise to this community that we will continue to provide the exceptional service they expect of us.”

Sheriff Springer told commissioners during a public interview last week that the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office is highly regarded around the state, but maintains a responsibility to the citizens to continue improving. He looks forward to continuing to improve many of the current initiatives and projects of the sheriff’s office – such as the Community Crisis Co-Responder program, school resource deputy program, Crisis Intervention Team Montana program, the Public Safety Academy, and others.

With Sheriffs like Jesse Slaughter in Cascade County, and Ryan Funke in Mineral, I don’t doubt Springer is well-regarded for dealing with the REALLY deep pockets that play in Montana. That said, I still think something very curious is afoot with Montana Sheriffs, their political ambitions, and our Attorney Generals excitement over building a stupid fucking gun range.

Attorney General Austin Knudsen recently asked the Montana Legislature to provide funding for an essential training facility.

NBC Montana traveled to Helena to meet with Knudsen to learn more about the need.

“The biggest responsibility we give law enforcement officers not just in Montana, but everywhere, is they have the authority to carry a gun, and if necessary deploy deadly force, so it is incumbent on us to give them the best training we can,” Knudsen said.

It’s nice of the “reporter” to wait until something like paragraph 6 to drop the price tag of this legislative ask, which is $10 million dollars. Is this really an ESSENTIAL expenditure for regular Montanans and the law men tasked with keeping them safe from threats, like gangs, or is it essential for a politician who wants to be Governor, and needs to head off simmering opposition with a gun range bribe?

I think long-time readers of this blog know what I’m inclined to think, so stay tuned for more documentation of data-points that point to my instincts being correct.

Thanks for reading!

by Travis Mateer

When I spoke with Cyril Wecht on the phone in 2023 I already knew the answer to the question I was about to ask him. You don’t have to be a famous medical examiner to know that a rear-naked chokehold isn’t the kind of physical maneuver that results in bruises all over a man’s body. To do that, additional physical contact would be necessary—like, say, a beat-down involving SEVERAL people.

Stories always contain truths but they’re not always obvious truths. To find where the truth is hiding in a story there’s an important factor to be aware of, and that’s money, which can be tricky. Money often acts like a kaleidoscope lens distorting the truth into complex patterns, morphing and changing colors as you rotate the glass. The Amityville ghost story is a great example of this.

I’m not going to spend a lot of time breaking down the hoax, but that’s what Amityville turned out to be, a hoax. What was the motivation? The narrative conspiracy to contrive a ghost story had two purposes. The first was to provide a paranormal rationale for a brutal set of murders in order to get the perpetrator out of prison, and the second was to write a book in order to make money.

Once you write a book to make money, like William Ramsey did with the Smiley Face Killers theory, truth doesn’t just become a potential inconvenience, it becomes a potential threat. Even worse, especially for those who REALLY WANT truth (like family members of victims), information that is the OPPOSITE of the truth can become valuable to those invested in the money-making ability of a story, and that transforms those people into narrative grifters. Like William Ramsey.

I recently caught Ramsey making an insinuation that Garth Brooks could be involved in the death of Riley Gaines, a young man found dead in the river a few weeks after a night out drinking with friends in Nashville. Since I wasn’t familiar with this case I watched a true crime Youtube video about it that studiously sticks to the known facts and, after watching this video, I’m much more interested in the role of homeless encampments along the river than I am in the data point that Garth Brooks owns the bar where Gaines was drinking before he went missing.

Comedians are storytellers who tell funny stories and, if you’re good enough at telling funny stories, people pay money to come and see you. When Sam Tripoli isn’t on stage, performing comedy, he’s creating content on a very popular podcast called Tin Foil Hat. On a recent episode Sam’s sidekick, Johnny, told the audience about the first movie he remembers seeing in the theater, a movie based on a short story by Norman Maclean, called A River Runs Through It.

While Norman managed to penetrate Johnny’s consciousness deeply with his Missoula story, brought to the big screen for big money, the Missoula story I’m trying to tell isn’t doing nearly as well, from a money perspective. Luckily I have people in my life who are much better at moving on from inconvenient dead black men than I’ve been, so I’m trying to learn from them the secrets of truth-suppression.

Without the studious indifference of narrative grifters I might be thrust into some kind of lucrative spotlight where I’m able to tell more than polite baristas about the possibility I’m involved in a Masonic plot involving dark occultists and a curse tied to Jesus’ blankie (Shroud of Turin), so, really, I should be more appreciative of the protective obscurity I’ve successfully maintained, not to mention the heap of legal consequences for thinking funny shit like THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE! 

When I did my stint in jail last April the uselessness of truth really set in, and I took any story I could find, like a junky in withdrawal grateful for a fix. While truth still slinks around these restrictive spaces, no matter what we humans do to it, the need for narrative, I realized, is so essential, of course immense resources are deployed to control them. Duh.

Philip K. Dick died working on a story called THE OWL IN DAYLIGHT. In another Dick narrative, Radio Free Albemuth, it’s the kernel of song that carries the seed of truth beyond the walls of the prison camp. While controllers work to control, and grifters work to grift, truth moves with a force independent of human manipulation. 

Here’s a song. I hope you enjoy it. And, if you can, I’m definitely still accepting donations. You know, for truth, which doesn’t pay.

Thanks for reading!