Missing - James Brian Rowe

The bulk of the text for this post was taken from a recent blog entry by James' sister on his MySpace Page. This is how they introduced the story at Project Jason - Voice for the Missing, in an October 11, 2005 post entitled "A "Landmark" Decision" :

Laura Hebert is certain that she lost her brother, James Rowe, when he decided to attend a personal development seminar called “The Landmark Forum”. He’s been missing since July of 2004, after having gone to the seminar. In her own words, Laura tells us the story.

This is the text of the recent blog post by James Brian Rowe's sister :

I am glad Landmark Education is receiving attention for their questionable tactics. My brother would be here today if it wasn't for his attending a Landmark Forum two years ago. Read on...

James Rowe attended a Landmark Forum July 24-25th in Denver, Colorado. He was living in Crestone, CO at the time. He called my mother and me after the forum and sounded very strangely on the phone. He was first and foremost a believer of Landmark and all they stand for. He told me that he found "the answer" and urged me to attend a forum myself. He started laughing and told me that we create our own reality, and said, "do you know what this means?!". He then started crying and said he felt so connected to me. I immediately became suspect of the seminar he attended and asked him more about it. I told him to call me soon, to be in touch, because I was worried. This was the last time I heard my brother's voice. He disappeared July 30th, days later.

According to James' friends, they noticed a marked change in his demeanor after the forum. He had very strange behavior. He shaved his shoulder length hair and took out all of his jewelry (he has gauged ear disks and piercings). He abandoned his vehicle 20 miles outside of Crestone, with his camping and hiking gear inside, and hitch-hiked back to town. He asked a friend for a ride to the trailhead so he could go for a hike to clear his mind. His friend obliged. James showed up in his friend's backyard later that day, barefoot and confused. He said he was having a hard time telling reality from illusion. His friend asked him if he was okay, James said "no". He then walked into the woods. This was July 30th, the day of his disappearance.

A missing person's report was filed with local police, and the woods surrounding Crestone were searched via air and land. No trace was found. There were unconfirmed sitings in nearby towns shortly after his disappearance, it seems he (thankfully) left the woods. The next time he was supposedly seen was the day before Thanksgiving, in 2005. He was seen at a truckstop in Hainesville Georgia. We are fairly certain this was a true siting.

My family is extremely angry at Landmark Education. We received a call from one of the higher ups after James' disappearance, and he had no explanation for James' behavior, which was obviously related to the forum he attended. We feel strongly that James disappeared due to a mental breakdown he suffered because of the Landmark Forum.

For More Information:

"10/11/05 A "Landmark" Decision"
The post mentioned above from Project Jason - Voice for the Missing

"Landmark Education- the reason James is missing"
The blog post quoted above from James Brian Rowe's sister, at the James Brian Rowe MySpace page, as originally posted at the Cult Education Forum message boards.

Help Find James Rowe
The main website for information on how to help find James Rowe.

See also the Related Prior Posts section in the post Second EFF Interview on Landmark Education.