Climber Found Crucified on Cliff Face — 4 Years After Vanishing in Yosemite

 

When two young rock climbers were ascending the sheer wall of Indian Canyon in October 2018, they noticed a strange figure on a narrow ledge. The silhouette protruded from the rock at an unnatural angle, as if someone had deliberately secured a mannequin more than 400 m above the ground. When they got closer, both of their hearts stopped. It wasn’t a mannequin.

 It was the body of a man crucified on the rock with metal carabiners and rods. Someone had scratched the words, “He lied to us all.” on the skeleton’s chest. 2 days later, DNA analysis confirmed what seemed impossible. This man had disappeared 4 years ago. His name was Thomas Roland. Thomas Roland was born in Denver, Colorado in the late 1970s.

From childhood, he spent all his free time in the Rocky Mountains, where his father worked as a forest ranger. By the age of 20, Tom had already made more than a 100 climbs of varying difficulty, obtained a professional mountain guide certificate, and began working as an instructor at the elite mountaineering club, Ascent Peak Adventures, in the suburbs of Denver.

 The club’s clients were wealthy people who wanted to experience the thrill of conquering peaks but did not have enough experience for independent expeditions. Tom led groups to Pikes Peak, Longs Peak, and other iconic peaks in Colorado, earning good money and a reputation as a reliable professional. In 2008, Roland made a solo ascent of Mount Denali in Alaska, which added to his authority in the mountaineering community.

 He began publishing articles in specialized magazines and blogging about mountain roots and safety techniques. He gained sponsors among equipment manufacturers. It seemed that his career was going perfectly. However, those who knew Tom closely noted one of his characteristics. He was always looking for a way to stand out, to find something unique that would bring him not only the respect of his colleagues but also real fame.

 He often said that he dreamed of having his own TV show in the spirit of the programs shown on the Discovery Channel. In 2011, an event occurred in Roland’s life that would ultimately determine his fate. At a corporate event where he was working as a guide for a group of businessmen, Tom met several investors from Los Angeles.

Over dinner after the climb, the conversation turned to historical tourism and the search for artifacts. One of the investors, Mark Delano, a former marine officer turned entrepreneur, talked about his interest in the history of the Civil War of the 19th century. Tom, wanting to impress, mentioned a legend he had heard from old guides in the Colorado Mountains.

 The legend said that during the gold rush of the 19th century, a group of Confederate soldiers who had fled the battlefield allegedly hid looted golden officers personal belongings, including sabers, metals, and documents in mountain caves. According to Tom, one of his colleagues had once shown him an old map with marks indicating possible hiding places.

 The investors were intrigued. Delano offered to finance the expedition if Roland could provide evidence of the existence of these artifacts. He saw potential for a documentary project and a possible business organizing historical tours. Over the next 2 years, Tom gathered information, created maps, and studied archives.

He received the first trunch of funding from Delano and his partners, amounting to about $50,000. The money was to be used for equipment, permits for research in national parks, and salaries for assistance. Roland organized three expeditions to the San Juan Mountains and the Aspen area, but nothing significant was found.

Each time he returned with vague reports about promising locations that required further study and accordingly, additional funding. By the spring of 2013, investors patience was running out. Delano demanded concrete results or a refund. Tom found himself in a difficult situation. Most of the funds had been spent.

 There were no artifacts and his professional reputation was at stake. That’s when he made a fatal mistake. Instead of admitting failure, Roland bought several old items from antique dealers, aged them slightly, and presented them to investors as fines from the first expedition, which he had allegedly kept secret for security reasons.

 Among the items were an old officer’s flask with engraved initials and fragments of what looked like part of a wooden document case. The expert Delano consulted to evaluate the finds, quickly determined that the items could not be connected to the Civil War. The flask was made in the early 20th century and the wood did not match the age.

 When Delano confronted Tom with these findings, a heated conversation ensued. Roland tried to explain the situation as a mistake, a mixup with the items, but trust had been lost. The investors demanded their money back and threatened legal action for fraud. Tom promised to return the funds within 6 months, but did not have the money.

 In the months that followed, relations between Roland and the group of investors became extremely tense. Delano, a man with a military background and a tough personality, traveled to Denver several times to meet with Tom in person. Roland’s colleagues recalled that he looked worried and often received threatening phone calls.

 In the summer of 2013, he sold his apartment, but the money was still not enough to pay off his debts in full. In addition, a lawsuit had already been filed, and Tom understood that his career as a climber and guide would be over if the story became public. In early September 2014, Thomas Roland announced to his friends and colleagues that he was planning to go to Yusede National Park in California for a solo climb.

 He said he wanted to take a break from his problems, clear his head, and climb several difficult routes that he had been planning for a long time. He chose Arrowhead Spur, a littleknown and technically difficult route on the steep cliffs of North Dome. This route was not popular with tourists because of its difficulty and remoteness from the main tourist trails.

 On September 19th, 2014, Tom registered at the park entrance, indicating that he planned to spend 3 days in the mountains. He took standard climbing equipment with him, ropes, carabiners, blay systems, a tent, food, and water supplies. The rangers who checked his documents did not notice anything unusual in his behavior.

 Roland looked calm and confident, like an experienced climber before another ascent. On September 22nd, when Tom did not show up at the checkpoint at the appointed time, the park service began to show concern. By the evening of the next day, a search operation was organized. A group of rescuers and volunteers combed the area along the North Dome Trail and in the Arrowhead Spur area.

 On September 24th, Roland’s backpack was found at the foot of one of the rocks. Inside were his personal belongings, a change of clothes, and some food. Next to it lay a neatly rolled up safety rope, which had clearly not been used. No signs of a struggle, blood, or damage to equipment were found. The search continued for a week. Helicopters flew over the area.

Experienced climbers checked hard-to-reach ledges and crevices, and dog handlers worked with dogs. But no trace of Thomas Roland was found. Investigators considered several possibilities. A fall from a great height with the body landing in an inaccessible place. unauthorized departure from the park via unregistered trails or an accident followed by the body being hidden by wild animals.

Suicide was also not ruled out given the financial and legal problems Roland was facing. Tom’s family insisted on continuing the search, but after 3 weeks, the operation was officially called off. The case was classified as a disappearance under unclear circumstances. Thomas Roland was added to the Yoseite National Park database of missing persons, which has accumulated several dozen cases over the past decade.

 Some of these people have never been found. In the months that followed, Tom’s friends and relatives tried to conduct their own investigation. They placed advertisements, approached local residents, and hired private detectives. There was even an attempt to organize an independent search expedition with the help of experienced climbers.

 However, all efforts were unsuccessful. Gradually, activity slowed down and by the end of 2015, the search had effectively ended. Roland’s family held a memorial service without a body to bury. Mark Delano and other investors with whom Tom had conflicts were questioned by the police as part of standard procedure.

 Delano confirmed the existence of a financial dispute, but provided an alibi for the time of Roland’s disappearance. He was in Los Angeles, as confirmed by CCTV footage from his office and testimony from colleagues. There were no other suspects in the investigation, and the crime theory gradually faded into the background. On October 3rd, 2018, two young climbers, Jason Coopermanman and Eric Lewis, decided to tackle a difficult route in Indian Canyon, one of Yusede’s picturesque gorges.

 It was their third day in the park, and they had already successfully completed several routes of medium difficulty. Indian Canyon attracted their attention because of its sheer walls over 500 meters high and the presence of several technically interesting sections with overhanging cornises. Around noon, while climbing the eastern wall of the gorge, Cooperman noticed something unusual about 50 m above him diagonally.

 On a narrow ledge no more than a meter wide, he saw a figure that at first looked like a statue or some kind of art object. Art installations sometimes appeared in Yoseite, although this was officially prohibited by park rules. Jason pointed out the object to his partner. Eric took his binoculars and stared silently at the ledge for several minutes.

 What he saw made his blood run cold. It was not a statue. It was a human body, or more precisely, a skeleton in rags fixed to the stone wall in a crucifixion pose. The arms were spread out to the sides and fixed at shoulder level, and the legs were also fixed. Even from a distance, it was clear that metal elements had been used, glistening in the sun.

 Eric handed the binoculars to Jason, who confirmed what he had seen. The young men immediately climbed down and contacted the park ranger service by radio. They accurately described the location of the find using GPS coordinates. 2 hours later, a group of rescuers and representatives of the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office, which had jurisdiction over part of the park, arrived at the scene.

 It was decided to immediately organize a climb to the ledge despite the approaching twilight. A group of four experienced rescuers climbed to the site of the discovery and confirmed the worst fears. There was indeed a human skeleton on the ledge. The body was secured to the rock in the following manner. Metal rods resembling climbing hooks were threaded through the wrists and ankles and then driven into crevices in the rock.

 Carabiners were also used to connect parts of the safety system to the attachment points. The entire structure was professionally constructed using mountaineering equipment. The body still had some sports clothes on it, a dark blue synthetic jacket, trekking pants, and climbing boots. In the jacket pockets, they found a waterproof case with a driver’s license in the name of Thomas Roland and a credit card.

 The photo on the license matched the age and description of the missing climber. Scratches forming words were visible on the skeleton’s chest in the sternum area. Experts later determined that the inscription had been made with a sharp object, possibly a hunting knife or a special engraving tool.

 The inscription read, “He lied to us all.” The letters were uneven, some deeper than others, indicating that the inscription was made with force, possibly on living tissue or immediately after death. A forensic expert who arrived at the scene the next day noted that such damage to bone tissue could only have been caused by exposure to living or recently deceased tissue followed by degeneration of the soft tissues.

 The body was carefully removed from its mountings and lowered down for a full forensic examination. Rescuers found additional evidence on the ledge. Several carabiners and metal rods that did not belong to the body’s fastenings. remnants of a rope partially damaged by sun and moisture and a small flat stone with bloodlike stains.

A plastic water bottle and a piece of fabric that did not match the clothing on the skeleton were found in a crevice near the ledge. Mariposa County Sheriff Thomas Clark personally led the investigation. The discovery of the skeleton in such circumstances left no doubt. This was a murder committed with particular cruelty and careful preparation.

 The first step was to confirm the identity of the deceased. DNA analysis conducted at a California state laboratory confirmed what was already evident from the documents. The skeleton belonged to Thomas Roland, who had been missing for 4 years. Medical examiner Jennifer Ortiz conducted a detailed examination of the remains. Her conclusions were clear.

Death was not caused by a fall or other injuries typical of accidents in the mountains. Multiple injuries were found on the bones indicating trauma sustained while the victim was still alive. In particular, there were marks on the wrists and ankles from severe compression and friction consistent with prolonged restraint in a bound state.

Two fractures were found on the left side of the ribs which had healed incorrectly indicating that after sustaining them the person had lived for some time without medical attention. The most important discovery was the damage to the forearm bones. There were deep cuts on the radius bones of both arms consistent with the opening of veins.

The expert concluded that the victim died from blood loss combined with dehydration and possibly shock. Given the location of the body on an exposed ledge with no access to water or food and considering the injuries, death was slow and painful, it is estimated that it could have taken 2 to 4 days from the moment the victim was secured to the rock until death.

 The angle of the body and the method of attachment ruled out the possibility of the victim getting there on their own. To secure a person in such a position at a height of more than 400 meters above the ground, professional climbing equipment, experience working at heights, and physical strength were required. Investigators concluded that the perpetrator or perpetrators must have had at least average rock climbing skills, access to specialized equipment, and spent several hours on the ledge to complete all the actions. Additional

evidence collected at the scene was sent for examination. The stains on the rock were indeed blood, and DNA analysis confirmed that it was Thomas Roland’s blood. However, hair not belonging to the victim was found on a piece of fabric found in the crevice. The DNA from this hair was entered into a database, but an initial search did not yield any matches with known criminals.

This meant that the killer had no criminal record or had never been in the justice system. The rope found on the ledge was examined by experts. It turned out to be a professional climbing rope manufactured by Black Diamond, one of the industry’s leading companies. Such ropes are sold in thousands of stores across the country, making it virtually impossible to trace a specific purchase.

However, experts noted that the rope showed signs of specific wear and tear characteristic of a particular descent technique known as dulfits, which was preferred by climbers with military or tactical experience. Investigators began to piece together the events leading up to Roland’s disappearance. Everyone who knew him personally or had dealt with him in the last years of his life was reintered.

Particular attention was paid to the conflict with investors and in particular Mark Delano. Upon closer inspection, interesting details emerged. Delano’s alibi for the time of Roland’s disappearance in September 2014 was not as reliable as it initially appeared. Delano did appear on CCTV footage at his Los Angeles office on September 19th and 23, but his whereabouts on September 20th, 21, and 22 were not documented.

When asked directly 4 years ago, Delano said he had been working from home and communicating with colleagues by phone, which was standard practice. However, upon further investigation, his phone showed activity in an area that included both Los Angeles and central California, where Yusede is located. Detectives requested details of all Delano’s phone calls for the period from August to October 2014.

Analysis showed several calls to numbers registered in the Yoseite National Park area, including a local motel in the town of Mariposa, located a few miles from the park entrance. When investigators contacted the motel owners and looked up old records, they discovered that a man named Mark D had stayed there from September 19th to 24, 2014.

 His full name was not in the registration book as the guest paid in cash and presented documents that the motel clerk glanced at superficially. When detectives showed the clerk a photo of Mark Delano, she could not definitively confirm or deny that it was the same guest. Too much time had passed and she couldn’t remember his face. However, she recalled that the guest was a physically fit, middle-aged man who left early in the morning in hiking clothes and returned in the evening tired and dusty.

 This matched the profile of someone who spent their days in the mountains. The question of direct evidence remained. The hair found on the cornice was the key to solving the case. Investigators obtained a warrant to collect DNA samples from Mark Delano. In November 2018, when Delano was summoned to the sheriff’s office for further questioning, a swab was taken from the inside of his mouth.

 The results of the analysis came back 2 weeks later. Mark Delano’s DNA matched perfectly with the DNA extracted from the hair found at the crime scene. On December 12th, 2018, Mark Delano was arrested on charges of firstdegree murder. The arrest took place at his home in the suburbs of Los Angeles early in the morning.

 During a search of the house and garage, investigators seized climbing equipment, including ropes, carabiners, blay devices, and other gear. Forensic analysis later showed that some of the carabiners were identical in type and manufacturer to those used to secure Roland’s body to the rock. A box of personal belongings was also found in the garage, including an old notebook with notes and calculations relating to a financial dispute with Thomas Roland.

The notes contained phrases such as, “He thinks he can fool everyone,” and “We’ll have to solve the problem another way.” Although these notes were not a direct confession, they clearly indicated Delano’s degree of resentment and his willingness to take radical action. Delano initially refused to testify following the advice of his lawyer.

However, after he was presented with a body of evidence, DNA, his presence in Yusede at the time of Roland’s disappearance, the presence of equipment, and the notes in his notebook, his position began to change. During the third interrogation, which took place in January 2019, Delano partially confessed to the crime.

According to his version of events, in September 2014, he learned that Roland was planning a trip to Yoseite. He received the information from a mutual acquaintance in the mountaineering community. Delano decided that this was his chance to get what he considered justice. He did not plan to kill him, he claimed, but only wanted to scare Tom and force him to return the money, or at least publicly admit to the fraud.

Delano drove to Yoseite, stayed at a motel in Mariposa, and tracked Roland down, following him at a distance along mountain trails. On September 21st, he approached Tom as he was setting up camp in a secluded spot. A conflict ensued between them. According to Delano, Roland began to mock him, saying that the money had long been spent and there would be no return.

 Delano claimed that in a rage he struck Tom, breaking several of his ribs. Then, realizing he had gone too far, he tied up the semi-conscious Roland and dragged him to a cliff. According to Delano, he spent the next few hours thinking about what to do next. He couldn’t just let Tom go as he would immediately report it to the police.

 He also claimed that he couldn’t kill him in cold blood. In the end, he made a decision that, in his opinion, was both a punishment and a way to avoid direct responsibility for the murder. He lifted Roland onto a ledge in Indian Canyon, a place he knew from previous expeditions, and secured him there using climbing equipment.

 He cut the veins on his victim’s arms, leaving him with a choice. To die quickly from blood loss or slowly from dehydration. Delano carved the inscription on his chest with a knife, which he then threw into the ravine. He wanted everyone to understand, if the body was ever found, that Roland was a liar and had received his just punishment.

Delano then climbed down, gathered Tom’s belongings, left his backpack at the foot of the cliff to make it look like an accident, and neatly rolled up the safety rope, and threw it nearby. He hoped that the body would never be found, or that it would be found many years later, when the traces had long since disappeared.

 The investigation did not fully believe Delano’s version of the crime’s spontaneity. Everything pointed to careful preparation. He took equipment with him, tracked down his victim, and chose a hard-to-reach place. It was a premeditated murder with particular cruelty. A psychological examination conducted at the request of the court showed that Delano had narcissistic personality traits with a pronounced need to control and punish those who, in his opinion, broke the rules or deceived him.

 In May 2019, Mark Delano’s case went to trial. The prosecution sought a life sentence without the possibility of parole. The defense attempted to prove that the murder was committed in the heat of passion caused by Roland’s actions and requested a lenient sentence. However, the evidence, including the planning of the trip, the preparation of equipment, and the particular brutality of the murder, spoke against the defense’s version.

 The Mariposa County jury deliberated for 3 weeks. More than 30 witnesses were heard, including experts, relatives of both sides, colleagues, and acquaintances. The Roland family gave emotional testimony about how Tom’s disappearance had devastated their lives and how the four years of uncertainty had been agonizing.

 They demanded justice and the maximum punishment for the killer. On June 6th, 2019, the jury returned a verdict of guilty on all counts. Judge Elizabeth Marquez sentenced Mark Delano to life in prison without the possibility of parole. In her closing statement, she noted that the crime was particularly brutal and showed complete disregard for human life.

Delano was immediately taken into custody and sent to a maximum security prison in California where he remains to this day. The story of Thomas Roland and his murder caused a widespread reaction in the climbing community and among visitors to national parks. Yoseite National Park, known for its rugged beauty and dangerous cliffs, gained another dark legend.

 The ledge in Indian Canyon, where the body was found, has become an unofficial pilgrimage site for some climbers. Although the park service does not officially encourage such visits, Roland’s family held a proper funeral only after the trial was over. Thomas’s ashes were scattered in the mountains of Colorado, where he spent the best years of his life.

 His story serves as a warning about how financial disputes and ambition can lead to tragic consequences. The Ascent Peak Adventures mountaineering club, where Tom worked, erected a memorial plaque in his memory. Although the story of fraud and investors remains a painful topic, Mark Delano appealed the sentence, claiming that his rights had been violated during the investigation and that the sentence was excessively harsh.

 However, in 2220, the California Court of Appeals upheld the sentence, finding all procedures to be lawful and the punishment appropriate for the severity of the crime. Delano has not filed any further appeals and according to prison officials is behaving calmly but refuses to discuss the details of the crime or express remorse.