Anyone remember a case where a young man either disappeared or committed suicide or ? and somehow they discovered his little economy car had been leaking carbon monoxide which they chalked his strange behavior up to. I cant recall if he ended up dead or with amnesia? HELP?? Thanks...

Yes, one of the most interesting UM cases in my opinion. His name was Dan Wilson, he acted strangely for a few weeks and then got in his car and disappeared. His car was found abandoned I believe far from where he lived. When his mother and aunt drove the car back to where he came from, they started experiencing symptoms like sore throats so they had a mechanic check it out and he said there was a carbon monoxide leak. There was an update that said they found his remains a few miles from where his car was found. I think they said he had died from exposure but I always wondered if they had an autopsy done to see what the carbon monoxide levels were in his system.

Wow, thanks for the info! UM fans never cease to amaze me with their knack for recalling details. The update is very odd, dying from exposure, etc. I feel like UM left out details. Im not sure wether carbon monoxide could make a person "act unusual" if too much was injested. I thought that it just made you go to sleep? I think im gonna have to go google "carbon monoxide."!!

I searched and found this description:

Carbon monoxide interferes with the distribution of oxygen in the blood to the rest of the body. Depending on the amount inhaled, this gas can impede coordination, worsen cardiovascular conditions, and produce fatigue, headache, weakness, confusion, disorientation, nausea, and dizziness. Very high levels can cause death.

So...I guess Dan definitly could have been acting oddly b/c of the car problems. Scary!

Yes, I remember the bizzare case of Dan Wilson. What made his dissapearance even more strange was that he was just getting over a depression and nervous breakdown. I believe that that the scenerio that makes the most sense is the carbon monoxide theory since all the symptoms matched what he was going through.

Yeah but I am curious, too, about how I have heard here and there that amnesia can be self-induced if one is suffering extreme stress. The whole thing of amnesia is puzzeling.

Well Dan had been driving that car for about a year. His breakdown had happened in 1987. Personally, I dont think the breakdown was from the break up his marriage although that is what he thought because he didnt know he had a carbon monoxide leak in his car. Obviously he was breathing enough carbon monoxide to affect him but not enough to kill him. All the cm altered his brain chemistry and with that altered his personality and caused physical symptoms as well. This was one of the most sad cases I have heard. I bet he experience physical symptoms when he first got the car. Symptoms like the sore throat and burning eyes but he probably just dismissed them and eventually after breathing in enough of that stuff he didnt notice it anymore. It said in the update that his body was found about 5 miles from where his car was found. This tells me the sheriff's department didnt really do an extensive search. They probably searched for two or three miles away from his car and that was it. I think had they searched further they would have found him. It is interesting that Sheriff Harbaugh is still the sheriff of Custer County, Montana. He didnt look very old at that time though, he was maybe in his mid to late 30's at the time of the UM segment. This was just such a sad case.

Plus a homeless shelter had confirmed Dan had stayed there, he asshe made it back within a few miles to his car after going into town. One of the more shocking updates to a case.

Yeah but I am curious, too, about how I have heard here and there that amnesia can be self-induced if one is suffering extreme stress. The whole thing of amnesia is puzzeling.

I realize this question is old, but I thought I'd try and answer it for you anyway. It is possible for amnesia to be triggered by extreme stress, but it's rare. It's not necessarily self-induced in that the person doesn't make a conscious effort to get amnesia, it's the brain's way of shielding the person from horribly stressful experiences.

I would lean more towards altered brain chemistry due to prolonged cm exposure on this one, but I'm not an ME, just a psychologist.