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Hi everyone! Charlie here. Sheila and I boxed up the giveaway books and sent them off to loads of happy readers. 🙂 Back home, I settled in to watch the news and caught the story about the search for a missing person in the Bahamas. Not all the facts are in, but the story involves boats, water, and a couple on vacation.
It’s really no secret that I’m a sucker for a great murder mystery and have been known to geek out on tricky cases with conflicting details and points of view like the one in the Bahamas. Plus, during travel season it seems that murder by vacation is a favorite subject of the newscasters, so I did a little research.
Murder trials in Hawaii and Austria popped onto my radar, with convictions in both places.
Hawaii: After a rough patch in their marriage involving an affair, a doctor and his wife decided to take a hiking trip to work things out. According to the court records, the doctor tried to inject her and push her over a cliff. When she fought back, he beat her with a rock. Photos show the injuries. The jury didn’t buy his self-defense pleas and his emotional distress over her affair, and found him guilty of attempted manslaughter. He might serve 20 years.
Austria: An Austrian mountaineer was convicted of grossly negligent manslaughter after  the January 2025 death of his girlfriend. He had left her behind near the summit of the Grossglockner in terrible winter conditions, supposedly in order to seek help, after having turned down earlier offers as the weather deteriorated. Previous acquaintances testified that he had also left them behind in other climbs, but in this case the woman died of hypothermia. He received a suspended jail sentence and a fine of about $10,000. He has appealed.
Thanks to social media, we found that there’s a name for this kind of behavior: “Alpine Divorce,” which experienced guides and climbers around the world say has been going on for years. According to Wikipedia, the phrase refers to the “act of abandoning a romantic partner in out-of-the-way mountain or forest settings.”
What in the world could be the motivation behind these questionable actions? Here are some thoughts from experienced law enforcement pals:
- If murder is the goal, it’s cheaper than a long, drawn-out divorce, especially when one of the couple is wealthy.
- If cutting the partner out of his/her life, it’s less messy when a large family with many opinions gets in the way of ending a relationship easily.
- If the evildoer has no patience or empathy, perhaps this is a logical step to get rid of a person standing in the way of having a great climb. (Seriously, one reason given in an interview after the person left behind was rescued: “I paid a lot of money for the trip and she ruined the whole thing.”)
How often does this happen? Lots more often than it should, but right now, there is no official, centralized record being kept that documents the incidents.
How do you protect yourself from this extreme date dump?
1- Discuss goals before setting foot on a remote trail, especially if your skill levels differ.
2- Check the weather report before setting sail. Bad weather can hide murderous intent.
3- Carry a satellite phone if heading into the wild.
4- Carry your own water and first aid kit, plus your own food.
5- Assess the relationship before getting into a truly challenging situation; your life may depend on it, whether on the water or in the woods.
