Tumbleweed Teddy disappeared on February, 29th 2004 and no one thought twice about it. After all, for years Teddy always said, "First good wind to come along will take me with it."
First, let me tell you how I heard about his strange disappearance because to tell the truth I never heard anything about it on the news or in the paper about the missing cab driver. And then I'll tell you how he got his nickname.
It's not unusual for me to receive e-mails from taxi-drivers; I get e-mails from drivers all the time and from all around the globe. This e-mail came from a guy who works with NICAP. (The National Investigative Committee of Aerial Phenomena) and where he obtained so much information about a cab driver is beyond me. His letter asked me to review the case and reply with my findings.
Now let me tell you how Theodore Napoles became known as Tumbleweed Teddy.
It was an arid day back on March 2cd 1984 when the howling wind blew through the cracks of sparse space of the casinos, hotels and out into the streets of Las Vegas. Usually hot for a March day, the wind felt like that of a hot-air blow dryer and as Theodore drove South on Las Vegas Boulevard, he witnessed a usually large dust devil in the distance. It was headed in a Western direction and curious of the anomaly, he raced his taxi towards it. Almost as though he was being drawn to it and as he approached nearer to the twister, he noticed many tumbleweeds floating inside.
He pulled off the road where it ended and drove up a dirt path chasing the enormous whirlwind. The dust devil resembled a tornado with its counter clockwise spinning and whirling motion. Dust devils can reach speeds up to 70 knots at their core; this one was much faster maybe over 100+. Theodore sat in his taxi, hypnotized, watching the tumbleweeds spinning round and round, faster and faster as they reached the center of the dust devil. Suddenly and unexpectedly, the dust devil dissipated into the air with a big explosion causing the tumbleweeds to fly in every direction. As they fell to the ground in and around Theodore's taxi, he laughed and said to himself, "I wonder if anyone else saw this?" But there was no one around except for him and the tumbleweeds. He counted them as they tumbled passed his cab and when the final one tumbled by, he'd counted 20 tumbleweeds total.
The tumbleweeds were gone and he sat there in his cab thinking and thinking … "What could it mean?"
Teddy looked at the event and believed it to be a sign of something good and he told all the drivers back at the cab yard his amazing story. And after that day everyone would say, "Here comes Tumbleweed Teddy," or "There goes Tumbleweed Teddy." Teddy didn't mind his new nickname and just laughed when they teased.
But there was something else that was peculiar that happened that day, for when it was time to go home and Teddy punched his timecard it read February 29th 1984.
"What's this?" said Teddy, "the clock punched the wrong date. Today is March 2cd."
The Supervisor looked over at Teddy with a strange look in his eyes and with a concerned voice said, "I think you've been in the Sun too long chasing tumbleweeds and you lost track of time and space. Today is February 29th; you know leap year day. We had to set those clocks special for you guys."
But Teddy didn't understand what was going on and everyone began to laugh him as he stood there with a puzzled look on his face.
"Better get home Teddy before giant tumbleweed gets you," one driver yelled.
The day was February 29 1984 and not March 2cd, yet Teddy couldn't figure out what had happened to the 48 hours that he'd known had already passed and for the years that followed the mystery haunted him.
Present Day; the Investigation, and Marla
Included in the e-mail from NICAP was a Taxicab Authority report as well as a report from Metro Police. Also xeroxed copies from a diary or journal, which were hand written by Tumbleweed Teddy and one of special interest was dated February 28th 2004 and it stated…
Tomorrow is the 29th and I have a strange feeling that something is about to happen, a sense of Déjà vu and I can't shake it. I also dreamt of Marla last night and in my dream she was still alive, somewhere. I saw her face with her beautiful green eyes in the distance, but couldn't reach her. I walked on a beach and came upon her name written in the sand, which she left for me to find, maybe as hope, I don't know. I prayed and prayed to her for help with my loneliness all these years and she has sent me kind dreams as a sign of her love in return.
Whatever lies ahead for me, I'll welcome and accept….
Marla was Teddy's girlfriend who died in an automobile accident before Teddy had the chance to ask her to marry him. Her death had caused Teddy to become reclusive and despondent like so many who have lost someone they loved. He drove his taxi with no expression on his face, just picking up passengers and taking them from point A to point B.
Another couple of items in the investigation were several eyewitness statements from drivers who had seen Teddy the day he disappeared. This one came from a driver named Vern who saw Teddy at the airport; "Yeah I saw Tumbleweed Teddy talking to this Chinese couple for awhile before they got into his cab. He'd opened his trunk but he then slammed when the couple had no luggage. Did I mention the couple was Mexicans?"
And this statement came from Jose from Desert Cab, "I saw Tumbleweed Freddy...uh I mean Teddy going through the connector tunnel heading West on the I-215. I was using the tunnel as a shortcut because my passengers had asked to be taken the fast way."
Teddy's trip sheet was stamped February 29th 2004. He had done eight rides that morning with the final at 11:50 am for 31.20. Two passengers from McCarran Airport to Anasazi, wait a minute, um Anasazi, the ancient ones!
"Some will come and some will go and we shall surely pass,
When the one that left us here returns for us at last." Dino Valentis
Metropolitan Police found Tumbleweed Teddy's taxi parked West of the 215 highway on a dirt road near the foothills just outside of Red Rock Canyon. There was no sign of Teddy or any type of foul play. Inside the taxi they found all of his book money, some $92.00 and his trip sheet, which seemed all accounted for. He had also written the word, "Good-bye" on the trip sheet, which led Metro to believe he had left town of his own free will. The last trip listed on his sheet was Anasazi Drive. The area where they found the taxi clearly confirmed he was in the area.
That street, Anasazi got its name from the Anasazi Indians whose entire tribe vanished in Southern Utah around the year 1300 A.D. without a trace. The Indians originally inhabited the Grand Canyon but after 1100 years, they went East into Utah for 200 more years and then disappeared. The entire group of skilled architects, potters and celestial monitors vanished leaving all their belongings behind.
Legend has it, that a small group of them had left Utah and made their way into Nevada. Maybe an attempt to escape the tribe's untimely fate, But it is believed they made it as far as the area now known as Summerlin. It is also believed they were trying to reach the foothills of Red Rock Canyon when the separatist tribe suffered the same fate of the tribe still in Utah.
According to CUFON (Computer UFO Network) Anasazi means ancient one or if you will ancient aliens and the areas where they disappeared were known as lighthouses. (Areas concentrated with Extraterrestrial activity including abductions.)
CUFON also states that numerous unexplained incidents have occurred but have been covered up in order to keep the tourist coming into the Las Vegas Valley or more importantly, their money.
I received this e-mail from MUFON (Mutual UFO Network):
Dear Mr. Lucero,
Your request for information concerning UFO activity has sparked new interest for our group locally. There was one incident reported on March 1st 2004. Involved was an Asian couple leaving the Las Vegas area along Interstate 15 between Stateline Nevada and Baker California.
The couple, Ralph and Cynthia Chen said they witnessed a UFO flying near the highway. As they watched the UFO dance around the sky, it suddenly flew down upon them and hovered over their speeding car. The terrified couple swerved off to the shoulder as their vehicle lost power and as the car coasted to a stop. The UFO disappeared into what they described as a huge dust twister, which then dissipated into thin air.
A few days after the report had reached us, a group of our members canvassed the area near Nipton Road and all the area into Baker California. There was no one who could substantiate the sighting or incident. And although this incident took place about midnight on March 1st, 2004, the episode began at 11:30pm on February, the same day as your missing cabby, except 12 hours apart.
Signed MUFON Las Vegas.
The Cab Files conclusion:
Teddy's passengers, the Chen's which he'd picked up at McCarran Airport both worked for JANET (Joint Astronautical Nexus Employee Transport)
They had been recently fired for unknown reasons(source withheld) from JANET which transport employees to Groom Lake(Area 51)
JANET is a guarded terminal owned by EG and G and located in the North West side of McCarran near the Holy Redeemer Church and near Mandalay Bay Way. It's fleet consists of unmarked 737-200s airplanes and are white with a red banner strip down the side.
This couple had described to Tumbleweed Teddy the operations and events they've witnessed while working for JANET. From dropping off at Area 2(Nellis Base) which once housed 200 nukes in the late 80, early 90s, to the non-commissioned officer who became hysterical and had to be restrained on board. The officer described seeing a 7 foot tall alien in a hangar dressed in army attire while working at Groom Lake. Teddy listened to their experiences and absorbed it all in, but found no comfort in their words.
He didn't tell them about his own incident from 20 years ago and about the missing time or about the death of his Marla.
This was the final document found at Tumbleweed Teddy's apartment and a page from his journal dated March 2cd 2004. It reads:
Once again I awoke disoriented. My thoughts are clouded by what I just know has already happened. How could it be real? I ask myself over and over again, but it's not important now, but I know what I feel. I had dropped off the Chen's in Summerlin near Anasazi. They said they were leaving town in a hurry, fearing something unknown. After that I drove out West on Charleston and I suddenly felt sleepy and had to pull over. I drove off the road and my thoughts became too much for me and I fell asleep. When I awoke, it was dark out. I sat in my cab for about an hour staring out the window. I got of the cab to stretch my legs and walked a bit into the silent night.
A small rustling sound came from beyond the darkness and soon became louder and louder. It was the wind blowing forcefully, twirling dust in every direction. Tumbleweeds were tossed about 100 feet in front of me faster and faster becoming part of the giant dust devil. The tumbleweeds became motionless as they entered the core. The dust had blinded me, yet I stood there and listened as the wind howled and screamed at a high pitch as if calling. I could barely see the figure through the dust, but I knew it was Marla. I didn't know how it was possible but I didn't care and she called for me to follow her into the whirlwind. She reached out for my hand and as I touched her soft hand I knew she was alive.
Is this a dream? It's now gone with yesterday….
Tumbleweed Teddy had disappeared as did the Anasazi Indians did hundreds of years ago. Maybe the dust devils were some type of electromagnetic vortex or wormhole or some type of rogue black hole. Hundreds of thousands of people have disappeared throughout history without any traces.
I'd like to believe Tumbleweed Teddy is still alive somewhere with Marla, maybe even driving a cab in another time, another place.