Betsy Shepard

And remember that abandoned mine searchers scoped out?

Well, it turns out they're everywhere.

And they're a prime location for body dumping.

And it wasn't just the mines.

Corpses turn up all over these parts.

It's a chilling image of the area's darker side.

Ajay would jog from the Devil's Punchbowl into the Angeles National Forest, which has been called the most dangerous national forest in America.

Around the time of Ajay's disappearance, it's estimated that two to three dozen corpses turned up in the forest every year.

And those were just the ones that were found.

So Rathbun understands the danger he faces, but pushes on in search of footprints.

Internal LASD reports claim that Ajay was distraught over his failing marriage and took his own life in the punch bowl.

That gunshot the area resident heard, that could have been the sound of Ajay just putting an end to it all.

But the sheriff's department makes that determination without a body.

They don't find any remains, blood, bullets, or a suicide note.

Nothing.

The only thing they think they may have found of Ajay's was an energy bar wrapper left on one of the trails.

From what we can tell, there's not a lot pointing to suicide.

So we reach out to Ajay's colleagues and friends to get their thoughts.

Sergeant Vince Burton is still on the fence.

On the one hand, Ajay did appear torn up over his marital problems.