https://screenrant.com/unsolved-mysteries-josh-guimond-murder-evidence-explained/

Josh Guimond vanished without a trace after leaving a college poker party. Unsolved Mysteries offers considerable evidence he was a victim of murder.

I believe this is the first episode of the Netflix series to feature the guilty party.

https://screenrant.com/unsolved-mysteries-josh-guimond-murder-evidence-explained/

Josh Guimond vanished without a trace after leaving a college poker party. Unsolved Mysteries offers considerable evidence he was a victim of murder.

My thought is that he got caught up in some weird LBGTQ situation (which he had to hide because of the hyper-conservative surroundings) and this put him in the sights of a killer.

Otherwise, I get a strong vibe that Nick knows much more than he's saying.

Who else had access to Josh's computer? Who would benefit from trying to erase Josh's online activities after the fact?

This is a rough case.

I wonder if there was more with the two roommates that was lead to believe. Maybe not a jealous love triangle, but maybe two people exploring their sexualities.

My thought is that he got caught up in some weird LBGTQ situation (which he had to hide because of the hyper-conservative surroundings) and this put him in the sights of a killer.

Otherwise, I get a strong vibe that Nick knows much more than he's saying.

Who else had access to Josh's computer? Who would benefit from trying to erase Josh's online activities after the fact?

This is a rough case.



Agree, Nick knows way more than he's letting on.

Since we posted threads at roughly the same time, posting here to consolidate the discussion:

"Based solely on the material in the episode and having done no outside reading the Yahoo Personals line seems the most likely outcome to me. He either met with a dangerous person through the site or possibly was the victim of a hate crime after his catfishing was exposed. But who tried to scrub the computer after his disappearance?"

My thought is that he got caught up in some weird LBGTQ situation (which he had to hide because of the hyper-conservative surroundings) and this put him in the sights of a killer.

Otherwise, I get a strong vibe that Nick knows much more than he's saying.

Who else had access to Josh's computer? Who would benefit from trying to erase Josh's online activities after the fact?

This is a rough case.


Maybe I missed something but wasn't the keycard swipe on his room? Or was it an overall swipe into the building?

The computer thing is interesting. I'm not sure if I believe, still just based on the show, if Nick was involved. Could he have done the computer though? Possibly. Or heck, even the family.

Ultra conservative environment and people with political aspirations. It's not much better now but even back in 2002 some people could see the inference of being gay as worse than the situation of the crime. Maybe someone was trying to "protect" his reputation.

I'd be interested in finding out if they finger printed his room or computer. It's sounding like all of this may have been an afterthought to the sensational college water serial killer absurdity.

College aged man seen leaving a party intoxicated, seen minutes later walking on a bridge by two eyewitnesses and within seconds/minutes these same two eyewitnesses say that the man was gone...does not scream foul play to me. He, like Amy Bradley, probably leaned over the bridge to vomit, and fell over. IMO, he unfortunately drowned. How was he supposed to meet someone for a hookup while attending a poker game? Cell phones were rare back in 2002, and it wasn't even mentioned as to whether or not he even owned one. And when you are drunk, you do stupid and impulsive things. The fact that he didn't say goodbye to anyone is meaningless.

As for evidence off of Josh's computer being wiped? Did you know that Josh and Nick were running a "fake ID business" together? Of course you didn't, because "Solved But In Denial" didn't mention it! I'm going to go out on a limb here, but maybe that is why Nick would have reason to access Josh's computer and delete things? Just a hunch.

College aged man seen leaving a party intoxicated, seen minutes later walking on a bridge by two eyewitnesses and within seconds/minutes these same two eyewitnesses say that the man was gone...does not scream foul play to me. He, like Amy Bradley, probably leaned over the bridge to vomit, and fell over. IMO, he unfortunately drowned. How was he supposed to meet someone for a hookup while attending a poker game? Cell phones were rare back in 2002, and it wasn't even mentioned as to whether or not he even owned one. And when you are drunk, you do stupid and impulsive things. The fact that he didn't say goodbye to anyone is meaningless.

As for evidence off of Josh's computer being wiped? Did you know that Josh and Nick were running a "fake ID business" together? Of course you didn't, because "Solved But In Denial" didn't mention it! I'm going to go out on a limb here, but maybe that is why Nick would have reason to access Josh's computer and delete things? Just a hunch.



Interesting. Was he charged?

As for a cell phone, I was in college in 2002. It wasn't that rare. If you had money, which it would seem he did to have been there, you had a cell phone.

I'd be more inclined to believe he accidentally drowned if he'd been found. It didn't seem like these were the types of waters that would hold their secrets. He just as easily could have gotten in the car of an arranged hookup on that bridge as he could have fallen over. And wouldn't the couple on the bridge have heard a splash?

I wish they'd led with this episode instead of the fraudulent suicide-is-murder episode. This story was much more in the vein of what Unsolved Mysteries has always been good at.

Interesting. Was he charged?

I don't think so.

As for a cell phone, I was in college in 2002. It wasn't that rare. If you had money, which it would seem he did to have been there, you had a cell phone.

An investigator was quoted (https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/josh-guimond-missing-person-cold-case/) as saying that they had "no security cameras, no cell phones".

I'd be more inclined to believe he accidentally drowned if he'd been found. It didn't seem like these were the types of waters that would hold their secrets. He just as easily could have gotten in the car of an arranged hookup on that bridge as he could have fallen over. And wouldn't the couple on the bridge have heard a splash?

The couple on the bridge never mentioned anything about a car. Arranging a hookup on the internet via chat room was not only reckless and dangerous, but it would have been absolutely moronic for a man posing as a woman to attract a straight man to meet up with them. The second this guy sees that the person he was chatting with was actually a man. This person wouldn't have picked up Josh from the bridge when he was looking for a woman. And Josh's personal yahoo page only had him trying to meet and interact with females. I think he was a straight male.

College aged man seen leaving a party intoxicated, seen minutes later walking on a bridge by two eyewitnesses and within seconds/minutes these same two eyewitnesses say that the man was gone...does not scream foul play to me. He, like Amy Bradley, probably leaned over the bridge to vomit, and fell over. IMO, he unfortunately drowned. How was he supposed to meet someone for a hookup while attending a poker game? Cell phones were rare back in 2002, and it wasn't even mentioned as to whether or not he even owned one. And when you are drunk, you do stupid and impulsive things. The fact that he didn't say goodbye to anyone is meaningless.

My only issues with the accidental drowning are that his body was never found and that the two people who saw him on the bridge did not see or hear anyone else or anything else. It stands to reason that if they didn't hear or see a car then they didn't hear his body falling into the nearby lake.

I do agree that the fact he didn't say goodbye is meaningless. People sneak out of parties/get togethers without being noticed a lot.

I think this is one of the better cases featured on the rebooted UM. I don't think his roommate had anything to do with his disappearance/death. The fake ID thing likely explains away his computer being wiped, but even the contents of the computer didn't seem like much to me at all. I think this one truly is a mystery.

I’m surprised so many people are such bad judges of character. Both the roommate and the ex came off as completely disingenuous. They know something, maybe even did something. At least this case doesn’t have a bunch of El Sickos handwaving it off as suicide.

Since we posted threads at roughly the same time, posting here to consolidate the discussion:

"Based solely on the material in the episode and having done no outside reading the Yahoo Personals line seems the most likely outcome to me. He either met with a dangerous person through the site or possibly was the victim of a hate crime after his catfishing was exposed. But who tried to scrub the computer after his disappearance?"

I've always believed - based on my personal observation of living in both big cities and small towns - that the small towns have the worst and most dangerous secrets.

Either the Yahoo Personals situation did him in - OR - there's a situation with Nick that hasn't been fully explored.

My only issues with the accidental drowning are that his body was never found and that the two people who saw him on the bridge did not see or hear anyone else or anything else. It stands to reason that if they didn't hear or see a car then they didn't hear his body falling into the nearby lake.

I do agree that the fact he didn't say goodbye is meaningless. People sneak out of parties/get togethers without being noticed a lot.

I think this is one of the better cases featured on the rebooted UM. I don't think his roommate had anything to do with his disappearance/death. The fake ID thing likely explains away his computer being wiped, but even the contents of the computer didn't seem like much to me at all. I think this one truly is a mystery.

The contents of the computer would be everything to someone wanting to be a republican governor/senator/representative/president though.

GwenGirlBigJugs and CoochieCoo just scream trolling. There's no way he was being serious when chatting with those guys with these screen names.

Interesting towards the end when the detective says there were a lot of pictures of different men on his computer. And then all of them are shown as the camera zooms out. Some of the men looked Josh's age and some looked like they could have been in their 30's. For some reason he saved their pics to his computer. I wonder what will come of this.

I wonder if someone was driving by and said, "Hey! Want a ride?" And then that was the end of him.

I don't think Nick or the old girlfriend had anything to do with it. Maybe she just didn't want to say they broke up because he was "confused" or wanted to "explore."

This case reminded me of Michale Negrete, who disappeared from UCLA a year before. In the middle of the night, he walked out of his dorm and, like Josh, was never seen again. Except his computer was never thoroughly searched and I've read it too has since disappeared.

Unless something more concrete turns up, I'm leaning to the accidental drunken falling into the river and drowning theory. The love triangle and yahoo personals angles just didn't feel solid enough to suggest murder to me. They act like there's no way nobody would notice Josh leaving, but at a party where everybody's tipsy, it's very possible to go unnoticed. The couple sees him at the bridge and then he's never seen again so I'm inclined to say he ended up in the river.

Unless something more concrete turns up, I'm leaning to the accidental drunken falling into the river and drowning theory. The love triangle and yahoo personals angles just didn't feel solid enough to suggest murder to me. They act like there's no way nobody would notice Josh leaving, but at a party where everybody's tipsy, it's very possible to go unnoticed. The couple sees him at the bridge and then he's never seen again so I'm inclined to say he ended up in the river.

I still think they'd be more inclined to hear an abnormal splash than they would be to not pay attention to the normal sound of a passing car on a road that maybe picked him up.

I still think they'd be more inclined to hear an abnormal splash than they would be to not pay attention to the normal sound of a passing car on a road that maybe picked him up.
I don't rule anything out, but the dogs lost his scent at the bridge and since it's dark outside, the couple would likely be paying attention to passing traffic. Also since it's winter, conditions may affect what you can hear as would proximity, flow of water, etc. I haven't been there personally, so I can't comment on such specifics. The other leads just didn't seem all that strong. If the computer had damning evidence and the culprit has access, why not steal it altogether? Not ruling out random attack though.

I still think they'd be more inclined to hear an abnormal splash than they would be to not pay attention to the normal sound of a passing car on a road that maybe picked him up.

Agreed. Which is why I don't buy that he was drunk, fell off the bridge, and then drowned. That splash into the water would have absolutely been heard by the two people who claim to have seen him walking that night. Plus, if he did fall into the river and drowned, where is his body?

FWIW, I'm going to be meeting with someone who knew Josh tomorrow and plan on asking him about his disappearance. He was featured (in photo only) in the episode. Will let you know what he says ASAP.

Agreed. Which is why I don't buy that he was drunk, fell off the bridge, and then drowned. That splash into the water would have absolutely been heard by the two people who claim to have seen him walking that night. Plus, if he did fall into the river and drowned, where is his body?
Quite possibly still in the river. Many who drown aren't recovered for years if ever at all.

I would be really shocked if Nick had anything to do with it. I think he still works in a county attorney's office in MN in the east Twin Cities metro.

I wonder if some of the people in personals were associated with some of the sex abuse cases with St. John's. Was Josh investigating on his own?

This happened really close to Jacob Wetterling's hometown; I doubt there's a connection, but until Josh is found, one never knows. I'm sure the JWRC has provided resources in this case. This week is the 20th anniversary.

After speaking with Josh's friend this weekend, he definitely does not believe Nick or Katie had anything to do with it because they were in each other's company until close to 1:00 a.m., and Nick was last seen leaving the poker party closer to midnight. The friend thinks this was an unfortunate accident and that the police just missed finding his body.

Here's a link to an analysis of the case.

https://youtu.be/6a-ElPzl42I

Did Josh live in the dorm? The segment made it seem like he had a single dorm. So nobody should have had access to his computer to wipe the history. If Nick was his roommate, then only he would have access to the computer.

I think I missed something in regards to the living arrangement.

Did Josh live in the dorm? The segment made it seem like he had a single dorm. So nobody should have had access to his computer to wipe the history. If Nick was his roommate, then only he would have access to the computer.

I think I missed something in regards to the living arrangement.

Nick was his roommate and he and Josh were apparently selling fake IDs. The cops were able to determine that the missing files were pertaining to their fake ID thing, so it makes sense that it was Nick who removed the files.

Nick was his roommate and he and Josh were apparently selling fake IDs. The cops were able to determine that the missing files were pertaining to their fake ID thing, so it makes sense that it was Nick who removed the files.

I wonder why this wasn't mentioned in the segment if the police were able to determine that it was directly related to that? As a matter of fact, why even bring it up in the segment if they already knew it was related to that? So strange.

I wonder why this wasn't mentioned in the segment if the police were able to determine that it was directly related to that? As a matter of fact, why even bring it up in the segment if they already knew it was related to that? So strange.

Because they aren't interested in clearing up the waters (no pun intended), there intent was to murky everything.

College aged man seen leaving a party intoxicated, seen minutes later walking on a bridge by two eyewitnesses and within seconds/minutes these same two eyewitnesses say that the man was gone...does not scream foul play to me. He, like Amy Bradley, probably leaned over the bridge to vomit, and fell over. IMO, he unfortunately drowned. How was he supposed to meet someone for a hookup while attending a poker game? Cell phones were rare back in 2002, and it wasn't even mentioned as to whether or not he even owned one. And when you are drunk, you do stupid and impulsive things. The fact that he didn't say goodbye to anyone is meaningless.

As for evidence off of Josh's computer being wiped? Did you know that Josh and Nick were running a "fake ID business" together? Of course you didn't, because "Solved But In Denial" didn't mention it! I'm going to go out on a limb here, but maybe that is why Nick would have reason to access Josh's computer and delete things? Just a hunch.

I agree completely.

Interesting article…..


COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. — When Brian Guimond viewed the Netflix "Unsolved Mysteries" episode on the case related to his missing son, Joshua Guimond, he was appalled.

"What a joke," Brian Guimond told Forum News Service, claiming Stearns County Sheriff's Office misrepresented its efforts to solve his son's case.

Days before the "Unsolved Mysteries" episode on Joshua Guimond aired, the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office released 28 images of individuals found on the computer, along with a plea to the public to help identify those pictured. The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office has had those images since — at least —2008. Joshua's father, Brian, lost a lawsuit this year to get his hands on investigative materials related to his son's case, which would have included those images, among other information provided to the Netflix series.

The episode, which was released Oct. 25 on Netflix , includes information provided by the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office that had previously been kept from the public, including images discovered on Joshua Guimond’s computer and details regarding his Yahoo Personals account.

Joshua Guimond went missing the evening of Nov. 9, 2002 after leaving a party at a neighboring dorm hall at St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota. While his friends assumed he had slipped out to the bathroom, Joshua Guimond never returned to the party — and has never been seen since.

Following his disappearance, the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office — led by Sheriff Jim Kostreba — focused entirely on a theory that Joshua Guimond fell into one of the campus lakes while making the three-minute walk back to his residence. The investigation didn’t consider foul play until years later.

Days before the "Unsolved Mysteries" episode aired, the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office released 28 images of individuals found on the computer, along with a plea to the public to help identify those pictured. The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office has had those images since — at least —2008.

"They have had these photos," Brian Guimond said. "This is new information? Give me a break. That is not correct."

'A strategic investigative decision'

Lieutenant Zach Sorenson with the Stearns County Sheriff's Office confirmed to Forum News Service he and his team have been working with "Unsolved Mysteries" for, at least, the last year, but would not give specific dates related to interviews the sheriff's office conducted.

Sorenson said the release of the photos just days before the release of the Unsolved Mysteries episode on Netflix was a deliberate move.

"It was a strategic investigative decision to release these at this time to see if we could get those people identified as we haven't been able to," he said.

Images of individuals discovered on Joshua Guimond's computer.
Nearly twenty years after Joshua Guimond's computer was apprehended by law enforcement, the Stearns County Sheriff's Office in October released these images. The sheriff's office asked the public for help in identifying the men. Joshua Guimond went missing in 2002 from St. John's campus in Minnesota. Image courtesy of Stearns County Sheriff's Office.
In a December interview with Forum News Service regarding the Joshua Guimond case, Stearns County Investigator Andrew Struffert had provided no new information related to the case.

When asked about Joshua Guimond’s computer, Struffert said it had been handed over to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Struffert did not mention the images on the computer, nor did he indicate that Joshua Guimond had been active on Yahoo Personals.

Filming for the "Unsolved Mysteries" episode on Joshua Guimond started in the summer of 2021. A film crew for the documentary series was also allegedly spotted in St. Cloud September 2021, according to WJON in St. Cloud.

During his interviews with Unsolved Mysteries, Struffert and his colleagues revealed much more information related to the case, including the 28 images and the Yahoo Personals accounts, which showed Joshua Guimond had been posing as a woman to engage in conversation with men.

The episode also revealed new information related to a vehicle seen on campus around the time of Joshua Guimond's disappearance. By the time investigators realized foul play was likely involved, that vehicle had been destroyed.

Since the episode aired, leads have been pouring in. Sorenson, with the Stearns County Sheriff's Office, would not comment as to whether the release of the photos years earlier could have been beneficial to the investigation.

“I can’t answer that," he said. "That’s something that nobody is able to answer.”

Sorenson would not comment as to whether the Stearns County Sheriff's Office attempted to subpoena Yahoo for the chat messages.

Family, sheriff feud over case file
The timing of the released photos seemed peculiar for Brian Guimond, who considered it to be a public relations move intended to shine a favorable light on the sheriff’s office.

He’s been trying to pry information out of Stearns County Sheriff’s Office for two decades.

"Anybody that really knows what’s been going on with Stearns County knows that they’ve put one roadblock up after another,” Brian Guimond told Forum News Service. “Give me a break. They don’t want this solved.”

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The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office previously came under fire in 2016 when once-interim Stearns County Sheriff Don Gudmundson publicly stated the 27-year investigation into the disappearance of Jacob Wetterling was "off the rails." The Wetterling case came to a close with a confession from Daniel Heinrich.

The case drew national attention, and along with it, critical eyes on the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office.

Brian Guimond lost a lawsuit this year filed against Stearns County Sheriff’s Office for the release of his son’s investigative file. Fueled by a lack of progress in the case for, at that time, nearly twenty years, Brian Guimond planned to hand over the file to a private investigator.

Brian Guimond has long criticized the sheriff's office for spending the first critical years of the investigation focused on the theory that he had drowned in the waters surrounding campus.

He's also questioned whether the Stearns County Sheriff's Office has thoroughly investigated the possible role of St. John's Abbey monks, particularly those who have a history of sexual abuse.

Brian Guimond is quick to point out that the dorm his son visited for the party was supervised by Rev. Tom Andert, a priest who faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct dating back three decades. According to the website, Find Joshua Guimond, Rev. Jerome Tupa was reportedly a resident advisor for Joshua Guimond's dorm.

In all, 18 St. Johns Abbey priests faced credible allegations of sexual abuse. The list, compiled through the Minnesota Transparency Initiative, did not include Andert, despite the allegations.

This month marks 20 years since the disappearance of Joshua Guimond. He would be 40 years old.

I was a student at St. Cloud State University (about 15-ish miles for St. Johns University) at the time Josh went missing. I remember that time well, mostly because of rumors about the priests at the Abby. I think that was the first big theory (rumor?) going around the area at the time.

Then the theory changed quickly because of all of the college age men who were disappearing and being found in rivers. In particular, Chris Jenkins going missing on Halloween in Minneapolis. I believe Josh went missing within a few weeks of Chris going missing. Chris was eventually found dead in the river and if I remember correctly, they believe he was attacked after getting kicked out of a bar and either killed that night or at a later point. But the missing college men in the river cases did spur a lot of rumors at the time.

I remember hearing that he was possibly seen walking home, although I remember hearing it as he was seen on a path...not the bridge. Knowing he was possibly seen on the bridge...it makes me wonder if a car hit him and whomever hit him got rid of his body to avoid getting into trouble...especially if alcohol or drugs were involved. St. Cloud and Collegeville were college towns, after all. That could explain why he hasn't been found. If he had slipped/tripped into the river the chances are high he would have eventually been found...even come the next spring when some of the ice cleared the rivers and lakes in the area.

As for the gay theory in the UM episode...I'm a gay man and being gay in that area was not easy. There were very few options when it came to dating or even meeting people at the time. So if he was questioning his sexuality I can see him having to sneak out to "hook-up." But my question is...why in the middle of a card game? Unless he had a set time to meet with someone. I guess the sexuality theory could be a possibility?!?!?!

My thoughts...my thoughts honestly mean nothing...is it was an accident either by someone else (possible car hitting him) or he did slip/fall and somehow ended up in the river or a ditch where he just has not been found yet. With that all said...I do wonder if the timeline is correct. I wonder if he made it back to his dorm and he either left again or if something happened there with the roommate. The UM episode leads you to believe that the roommate knows more than he is saying. But that could be just UM being UM. There are so many questions in this case. So many theories could fit and theories that might not quite fit. I do hope that they find him or the case is eventually solved in some way. After all, the Jacob Wetterling case was eventually solved, I hope this one is too.

Long time looker(been looking for years) rare poster(may be my first post)

So I decided to give the new season a chance and watched a few episodes. While I am still not a fan of it, this case caught my eye a bit as it actually had some intrigue.

Anyway, here is my thoughts on what happened that night:

- Left the party without saying bye - it was odd to me that this was made a big deal. They didn’t say he left anything behind right? So isn’t it likely he lost his money on a poker hand and left angry? I am a poker player and know I have had nights with friends where they play a terrible hand and outdraw me and I get so pissed I just walk out and drive home, fuming on how they could do that. This part wasn’t mysterious at all to me with poker involved.

- The Man and Woman saw him on the bridge, and turned around just like magic he was gone. - I didn’t like the way they played this. it was like he just disappeared!!!!! But my thoughts, when I’m passing someone, I will only turn around if I think they are still behind me or I heard some noise that catches my ears, as in rarely will I turn around to see if someone is still walking(unless I’m paranoid and they look suspicious). So depending how long it had been since they passed him, and the fact he was drunk and it was probably at least really cold if not slippery(bridges freeze first), that he slips and falls, they hear this, turn around at a sound, see nothing, including Josh, and because there is nothing suspicious just like ok, nothing to see here and keep walking? They just didn’t notice he has fallen to the ground.

- This leads to what happened to him. - Well the Yahoo personals seems like a reach for me, as stated earlier they seem like troll accounts(I graduated high school in 2004) but I did similar accounts to that at the time to troll people(not proud of it), and seems like an odd time and place to meet. So I lean 1-2 ways here
1. Drunk/cold falls off bridge and body not found - most likely, but again, depends how deep the body of water and how thorough it was able to be checked. I’m iffy but again, don’t know the area.
2. Let’s go with my slip theory above, he falls and concusses himself a bit. Now let’s say the guy and girl are now far away. He gets up and a car comes. He is hurt and drunk, and decides to flag down the car by jumping in front of it waving his arms. Let’s argue the car passengers are drunk/high and don’t stop in time, maybe some ice involved here, kill him. They don’t want to get arrested for drunk driving and the guy is clearly dead. So they go and bury him somewhere in the college on the skirts. Possibly around that building the public isn’t allowed at that the dogs picked up Josh's scent?

Anyway, I think overall, no matter what way you look at it, accident seems the most likely, be it alcohol/car/slipping/ etc.!

IMO, the "leaving without saying goodbye" is a red herring. The guy was drunk. I've done this multiple times in my younger years when hammered. Your brain just goes into partial shutdown...especially if he felt like he was going to throw up. The only thing on his mind would be to get outside and somewhere where he could throw up.