My condolonces go out to Mrs Bates with a heavy heart. I have lost a lot of friends to drugs and alcohol and each and every one died way too young. We really dont know what happened to Ronnie Bates. One thing is probable,speed was a contributing factor in his demise. From what I am told,he was last seen at the hotsprings. The Bowen ranch is two miles away. I was also told that his jawbone was found upstream from the hotsprings.

Methamphetamine abuse has been known to induce heart attacks and dysrhythmias which are lethal. I personaly knew three people who died instantly after injecting speed. Another close friend of mine died at the Bowen Ranch from pancreatitis brought on from years of drug and alcohol abuse. Addiction is a killer disease and it will strike in a number of ways.Anyone reading this who thinks they may have a problem with drugs or alcohol, there is help out there if you choose to seek it. Contact Alcoholics Annonymous or Narcotics Annonymous and connect with others who have been down the same road and are now living sober and free.

I strongly feel it is wrong to go around accusing people of murder. In this country,our justice system operates on the premise of "innocent until proven guilty". People are often tried and fried in the media regardless of guilt or innocence. Our friend Wizard had a scary experience with this last year while hiking with his kids. People jump to conclusions that are not true before looking at all of the facts. I am truly sorry that Ronnie Bates died,there but for the grace of God goes I. It could have easily been me.