The search for Joel Gove

Joel Gove has now been missing for 2 months. Last seen on a hiking trail in Saba on the 28th December 2006, Joel has not been seen since. Extensive searches by special dog teams brought in by Joel's family pinpointed a ravine where it seems human remains may lay. This was one month ago and Joel has still not been found or recovered.

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The problem is, Saba does not have the resources to carry out the final search and recovery from this ravine. Many Saban's and other searchers have tried but there are parts of the ravine that are extremely overgrown and extremely dangerous. The steep loose rock and cliffs of the ravine would be difficult for a professional team, and Saba just does not have the finances to pay for this.

In the comments of the previous Joel Gove Page, there are arguments about who is responsible for the recovery, some say the NA govt should do it, some say the family should do it. There are also many suggestions, including one which calls for the military of Holland or the US to provide a small professional mountaineering team to do it. I would like to give my own thoughts.

Before I start, I know some members of Joel's Family and his friends will read this, I would like them to know that I do understand their loss, anyone over the age of 25-30 most likely knows what the loss of a loved one feels like. That doesn't make it any easier I know, there's nothing that makes it easier or any less painful. But what I have to say below is 'matter of fact' and I do not want to seem to be cold or insensitive about it, far from it.

First of all, the handlers of the dogs seem pretty sure that human remains are in the ravine, with Joel being the only human missing, it seems likely it is Joel. Not 100%, but enough reason for the family to grieve and accept that this is the most likely truth. One can imagine Joel, an environmentalist and nature lover, perhaps creeping off the trail through bushes investigating some plant or bird call and then losing his footing in the very lush and wet Saba rainforest. As someone with a love of nature, I have put myself in some very dangerous situations over the years, we tend to be somewhat fearless and reckless at times.

So, with the assumption that the dogs have scented Joel's remains, we must consider that 2 months have now passed and that it is remains that will eventually be recovered, not a body. We have not heard directly from the family here so we do not know what, if anything has been said or is being worked on, but in many ways I would understand if the recovery was being delayed for this reason. Again, I do not want to appear to be insensitive, but recovery now is going to be alot easier and far less traumatic and dangerous for those doing it than it would have been a month ago.

I do think that Holland and/or the Netherlands Antillies should send a team of 3 or 4 specialists, or arrange and pay for them to come to make the recovery. It could be argued well that it's not their fault or responsibility, but it is clear Saba cannot afford to do this.

A suggestion in a comment about a 'hikers insurance' is a good one, which I would put forward slightly differently. I would propose a visitors tax of about $5 to the Saba Nature Park, which would use it to purchase insurance for incidents like these. This case is in fact extreme, the likelyhood of it happening like this again is very slim. The Saba Park could also use this money to improve safety on their trails, putting barriers, and perhaps finding a solution to the very slippery and dangerous steps on the trail to Mount Scenery. Which of course would also help to bring down the premiums for the insurance.

But that is something for the future, the reality right now is that Joel is possibly up this ravine and the family are unable to have a funeral, burial or closure to the tragedy. The NA and Holland should help make the recovery because it is a moral obligation, an act of humanity and compassion. If there is no insurance now then it is the fault of Holland and the Netherlands Antilles, perhaps this incident will put a rocket up their ass to put something in place.

How many of you reading this could afford to suddenly have to lay out $50,000 in a search for a loved one in a foreign country? What if it was your daughter, your son, your father? What if this person was missing in Holland? Wouldn't the government do the recovery? Isn't Saba part of that Kingdom, soon to become a municipality?

Seeing nothing in our local papers does not mean nothing is going on in this case, perhaps right now there are plans being made by the govt's involved to make the recovery. We do not know. Perhaps a member of Joel's family wil pay the us the honor of posting a comment and telling us what they know and have heard.

I will say this, the longer this situation goes on then the worse it will reflect upon both the NA and Holland, and unfortunately Saba too. Saba does not deserve the bad pr this story is starting to manifest, it is an island of warm, friendly, progressive and intelligent people, they just do not have the money to pay this.

Neither should they. The Government of the Netherlands Antilles is responsible for security, health and safety of all those within it's borders, it has many obligations towards Joel Gove's family in this respect. Holland is responsible for security, justice and foriegn relations, it also has responsiblities, including some UN treaties and conventions. Together they should put closure to this story by sending professionals to make the recovery.

At the same time, they must put in place a system, as suggested above, to cover any future problems such as this. Now that it is known the problem exists, they are obliged to find a solution.

Flipper

Flipper's blog

Submitted by Flipper on Wed, 2007-02-28 21:25.

The Associated Press is running the following, 11/2/07:

Hikers found a body Wednesday in an abandoned sulfur mine that was the focus of searches for a missing American tourist who vanished on the tiny Caribbean island.

A forensic pathologist has been summoned to Saba to determine if the body is that of Joel D. Gove, a 47-year-old environmental consultant from Trenton, N.J., Lt. Gov. Sydney Sorton said.

Gove was last seen on Dec. 28 as he hiked near the abandoned mine. Authorities and volunteers combed the island for more than 10 days after he vanished but did not find any trace of him.

Saba, a mountainous, 5-square-mile island that is popular with divers, is southwest of the island of Saint Maarten.

Separately, authorities were searching for Paul Valiulis, 42, of Shreveport, La., a student at the medical school in Saba who was reported missing Tuesday after he did not return from a swim.
##

I hope this helps.

Body may be that of lost traveler
BY KEVIN SHEA
Saturday, November 03, 2007

Hikers on the Caribbean island of Saba have located a body be lieved to be that of Joel D. Gove, the 47-year-old Trenton resident who disappeared last year while vacationing on the tiny Dutch island.

Gove's former wife, Amy Gonzales, who has been spearheading the search for him, said yesterday that she learned Wednesday of the body, which was discovered in the sulfur mine where Gove was last seen headed, not the steep rocky ravine where searchers believed he fell.

Gove, who lived in the Glen Afton section of Trenton and ran an environmental consulting business downtown, disappeared on the island Dec. 28, 2006.

Gonzales said she is scheduled to fly to the island today for the formal identification and an autopsy, scheduled for Monday. She and Gove's friend,Eileen Wilber, who has accompanied her to Saba be fore to look for Gove, also will meet with an American consular official and Saba authorities.

Then Gonzales will bring home the body of her former husband who was the father of their 15-year-old daughter, Georgia Gove.

Although presumed dead, Gon zales said she and her daughter and Gove's friends will now confront the final, sad realization that Joel is gone, she said.

"We've been very blessed with having a supportive group around us," Gonzales said. "For all of us, it's 'How did he die?' No one wants that kind of mystery," she said.

Gove traveled extensively, often with his daughter, taking her on trips to Africa, China, Madagascar and Italy during school vacations. Pictures from those trips lined Gove's office in his business, Habitat Management & Design on West State Street.

Gonzales said yesterday that the business was forced to close re cently. "Essentially, he was the business," she said.

Last December, with Georgia staying with her mother over the holiday break, Gove flew to Saba on Christmas morning and planned a week of hiking and reading.

Gonzales has said in the past that Gove was last seen heading to an abandoned sulfur mine Dec. 28, shortly after buying water along a trail. A hiker who had just come out of the mine recalled seeing Gove walking toward the entrance.

He seemed in good spirits and was not in distress, Gonzales has said.

But searches of the mine by Saba officials and firefighters never located Gove, although the farther one travels in the mine, the more oxygen is needed, Gonzales and others have said.

Gonzales organized subsequent privately funded searches of the island after holding several fundraisers for the efforts in the Tren ton area. Cadaver dogs on one of those searches, in January, signaled a body down a steep rocky ravine, leading to the theory that Gove fell, possibly while taking pictures which he liked doing when traveling.

Gonzales said yesterday the dogs could have been thrown off by the rugged terrain of the ravine.

Gonzales said yesterday she had been assembling another search team to scour the island later this month, and the Dutch military had expressed an interest in doing a training exercise on the island in hopes of finding her former husband.

On Wednesday, two hikers -- Gonzales was told they were from a Saba dive shop -- found a backpack in the mine, then a body nearby.

This weekend, Gonzales said she hopes to get one more answer about her former husband's apparent death. "How did the (Saba) firemen miss him?" she asked.

Thank you. It is so hard to figure out what is really going on. I really appreciate it.

Joel has been found by hickers as of yesterday morning. MSNBC has a release. Is there any news anyone can send us here in the states?

I worked with Joel in NJ - a former co-worker told me that he had disappeared - although her rendition was far from what I've read here..
I do hope his remains are found for the family's sake

Flipper ~
Thanks for keeping this sight open.
No one has written in eons. It's now been almost 7 months since Joel was last seen and, though no one has shared a public word with those of you on the islands, we in New Jersey are still very much holding Joel in our hearts. We are carrying on. His business is still running as if he is on an extended vacation. It is yet to be decided what the future of the business will be. His ex wife, Amy, has been amazing. She has funded efforts, held fund raisers, helped with the sale of his household goods, is preparing to rent out his delightful home, learned what it is like to raise their beautiful daughter without her loving father, and, well, just been an astounding supporter of family and friends. I, the girlfriend, can not say enough for she, the ex-wife. I am glad, even in this most horrible and unusual circumstance, to have become friends with this most remarkable and capable woman.

Still there are not enough funds to get the team down in the ravine to find what remains there may be if, indeed, that is where our dear Joel lies. Another fund raiser is afoot. Things have been sold off but mostly to help pay expenses. Neither the US or Dutch governments came through to help with the final search. It has been a dissappointment to us all. But, hey, what will is is and so go the lessons of life. We need closure. And his daughter, most of all, needs to have a final word on what happened to her most beloved father.
It will happen with patience and time. Let me tell you, if the Best Father Award were in existence Joel Gove would've won it. I've never met a more dedicated Dad. Never.

So, yes, life goes on. We have learned to laugh. I, for one, have taken stock in all the things this experience has taught me about myself, about the hearts of people, about how to carry on, about being grateful for every moment and every person who crosses my path. I am a better mother, a better ex wife, a better friend, a more motivated live-er of life. Not one moment goes by that I'm not conscious of every thing happening around me. I appreciate every breath. I accept every persons decision as their own. I feel blessed to be alive and have incredible children, my pretty little home, my animals, the people who cross my path and the gifts I have that I can share with the world. I share. I give. I had these qualities and gratitudes before Joel disappeared but this surreal experience has reinforced in me the desire to live my life not just right but REALLY right.

I miss him. He will always be heartlinked with me. I wonder everyday where he is. His energy is not dead because energy cannot cease. So I wonder what that energy is up to. It's doing something with a lot of humor. It's a little sarcastic. It's a little fun. And it's full of gifts for those who are still here.

God Bless Joel Gove and all of you who were touched by his life.
Continue. Life is for living with abundant joy, gratitude and giving.
Moongirl

I think it's disgraceful and shameful that neither the US nor Dutch govts can resolve this issue for you. Those in a position to get that help and recover Joels likely remains should be ashamed of themselves.

Dr. Voodoo

Is there any history of other missing people on this Island? This is a question that I don't think has been asked, or maybe it was and I missed it. Someones comment .....how many other people might be in that ravine..... brought up a good point. Is it possible, that if there is any history of this sort, that the dogs could pick up older remains....perhaps a few years old, or ten years old. How sensitive are these dogs and can they pick up reminents of an older situation?

The dogs can detect scents that are decades old. In one article it remarked on a couple of the dogs used to track Joel having been in a situation in the US where they had found buried slaves from the 1840s. So, though chances are this is Joel, this could also be the bones of someone from many decades ago whom people of the island today do not know the history of. Who knows ? That's the point. Who knows.
Yes, Saba would be a lovely resting place. I believe Joel would think that as well. But for closure for his family, especially for Georgia, and the rest of us who are waiting, there needs to be an identity made and a conclusion to this event.
If I had the money I'd send a private repelling/recovery team down there myself. I do not have that kind of money laying around or I would. I wish someone who can just will to get this done with. Joel would've done this for someone he loved if he could have. That is the kind of person he is.
Thanks, everyone, for your suggestions, thoughts, and well wishes.
M.

As far as I know, Joel is the only person who has gone missing on Saba in recent memory, in fact I have never heard of it happening before. You are talking about a very small (5sqm) island with a population of around 1500 or so, when someone goes missing, it gets noticed. From what I hear, the ravine is very steep, almost sheer with very loose rocks (like shale) and that the scent was picked up near the top, wind blows up the mountain. Climbing both up and down this ravine is not only extremely difficult, even for trained personel, but also highly dangerous for them too.
Saba people love the nature that surrounds them, but not so much that they have people who can do this. I am sure this trained dog team had very experienced climbers among them and if they couldn't get up there then it needs to go to the next level.

As a side personal thought, as someone who also loves nature, Saba isn't a bad final resting place, of course the rainforest would be nicer than a ravine, but if it was me, I would say leave me there. My feeling is that remains are just remains, obviously knowing that it is Joel up there would be closure for the family, but Joel, the person and man, lives on in the hearts and memories of those who knew him and loved him. Just my own thoughts, if it were me.

Caribdude

First, I want to thank those who post about Joel Gove and sharing parts of his life. It brings a live person perspective for us to know instead of a persons remains.

Saba may be a poor country but I feel they should speak to someone from NA/Holland and ask for help, if they have not done so already.

I agree that NA and Holland should step up and take over in the search. I too feel it is their obligation since it is their lands within the Kingdom. Saddly, through experiance with the Natalee Holloway case, they won't do anything.

On the other hand, yes, Saba would be a paradise resting place. Perhaps Joel Goves family could think about having someone go in and get enough evidence(DNA sample) to prove it is indeed Joel Gove and leave his remains there. But then again, the police would need to check if foul play was involved.(scratch that thought)

Out of respect for Joel Gove, IF this is Joel Gove in that ravine, perhaps Saba, out of suggestion, place an overly large white cross at the top of the ravine in memory of Joel Gove.

Assuming we all know that this is an 'open' issue until proven differently, I will offer what I see when I think of Joel. Some of my memories of Joel from when we were neighbors in Glen Afton: He gave my daughter her first bike, which was his daughter's first bike. He jogged through Glen Afton trim and fit, an inspiration to all. He re-landscaped his yard into a garden with winding paths for his daughter. My wife offering him a home made Irish Potato at a neighbor's party. Taking a small bite, he said with a chuckle "Does this contain coconut? You know, I am allergic to coconut" (we never knew if he was kidding us). Both being divorced fathers, long discussions in the street about the importance of fathers roles in our little girls' lives. Halloween.
Glen Afton is an old neighborhood in Trenton, N.J. - filled with the magic of wonderful people like Joel, beautiful houses and a wonderful presence of history, the Delaware River and Raritan Canal. I miss living there, as there are very few places left in this world where people live in such harmony. Joel will always be a part of that - in body or in spirit.
Closure is the only way, truth is the only way - there is no other option.
This site has been awesome. Thanks to those who make this possible.

What a terrific note of memories Dear Old Neighbor of Joel's.
I smiled. A lot.
Yes, he was allergic to coconut. And I love Thai food. So he took me out for Thai food and asked about coconut a lot. And he'd tell his tales of hazordous rendez vous with past bits o'coconut. I heard these stories once or twice or six times because Joel loved telling his stories. And I always smiled and laughed and enjoyed them even if I'd heard them a few times before because Joel was telling them. That was Joel. He spun his life into joyous storys. I miss him tremendously. Everyday. I have loads of his stories that he wrote down for me. I wish I could have them all.
Thanks for sharing a bit of Joel's humanity. That is what lives on in my heart and in every heart that loves him.
You're awesome, whoever you are. Thanks so much.
M.

Does anyone have an update please - I heard that repellers went into the ravine but were unable to find any trace of Joel...

There have been no repellers into the ravine to this point. Their have been people from Saba looking in the ravine with no trace, but no professional repellers yet.

The family has not given up at all, it is a matter of resources. It is also a matter of cooperation. There are still unanswered questions that the repellers can not get for them. They have been pushing goverments to cooperate with the information they are looking for and they have been raising money to pay for past expenses, as well as future expenses.

Saba may be a nice, friendly place, but it is also an expensive place. Some Sabans have been gratious and volunteering of their time and other Saban's have taken anything they could get from the unfortunate events of the family to make a dollar for themselves. The family has incurred expenses alone near the 50 thousand mark. The dog team volunteered their time to them, but had their expenses paid. To bring in the repelling team that can do the job will cost the family dearly.

The family deserves closure. The family deserves assistance and the family deserves any answers they can get.

What?!? Say it isn't so?!?!? Joel Goves remains are still down in the ravine?

It is so sad that a Government or Kingdom can't help in times like this. For crying out loud, this is a human being. His life means this much to not help or get the help? Is this what life means these days? If it is Joel Goves remains, yes, I know they aren't going any where, but the longer one waits the harder to reach and less of the remains to test for forensics. Not to mention just out right disrespectful of the deceased, his family, and a human. "sighs"

~Rest in peace Joel Gove~

Shameful that the Dutch and US have not got together to recover this mans body. Saba is financially unable to do this, nor does it have the skills and proffessionals to do so. I'm surprised the US govt hasn't put more pressure on the NA and Dutch.

Hady

Yes, it is a shame. I feel it's Saba's duty to contact the Dutch and NA for help, not the US Govt. The accident didn't happen on US soil. So, I feel it is Saba's responsibility to do the contacting for the help.
What's holding you up Saba Officials for making sure this deceased mans remains are brought up and out of your ravines? It's only the decent thing to do.

We feel for the man and everyone shudders still when we hear his name, he was a guest on our shores and we empathize with his family and sincerely wish'd we could have done more!

We, the people of Saba, Sabans, Sabiens and ex-pats alike, felt insulted by the knee jerk reaction from certain sites/bloggs/media etc about his disappearance that directly accused us of some bizarre misconduct that the accuser’s country is far guiltier of than our small Isle!

We’ve had world authorities on rock climbing and spelunking here because of our Sea and Learn project, if a Discovery Channel/’National Geographic regular says it can’t be done… It’s time to listen to them and not Greta or Heraldo folks!

My sympathies to all involved… It still remains a thorn in the side of all on island, as we need resolution too!

If you’ve ever been here... God bless Joel, may he rest in paradise without as much as a hint of the profane indignation that sullies his memory for us.

That comments by users or writers here DO NOT reflect the view of the whole site or all that use it, it is an individuals point of view, thats what blogs are. I don't put anything on Saba myself, I think it is down to the Dutch Govt, along with the US Govt, to make a serious study of the situation, until that is done we only have opinions.

Flipper

The remains of Joel Gove have been found in the Sulfur Mine recently, just to be sure a pathologist has been summoned to identify the remains and the cause of death. It was said that he probably got lost and ran out of oxygen because depending on how far into the sulfur Mine you go it is hard to breath. I am sorry that they didnt find him sooner seeing that he was right there in the Mine that happened to be the main search point because that where he was last seen.

Close them off, by dynamite, controlled cave in or locked iron bars. Doesn´t bring Joel back but it does ensure that curious and adventurous people don´t go into them.

This post is now closed, a new blog post about the discovery of Joel´s remains can be found here.

Flipper

St. Maarten Private Eye

The search for Joel Gove

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