Additionally, heavy forestry clothing, which could have provided warmth, remained untouched in its storage location. While a dozen C-ration cans from an external storage shed had been opened and their contents consumed, a locker within the same shed, containing a far greater variety of dehydrated foods sufficient to sustain all five men for an entire year if needed, had not been disturbed. Furthermore, another nearby shed contained a butane tank with a valve that, if opened, could have supplied fuel to the trailer's heating system.

Weiher's relatives indicated that his mental disability resulted in a lack of common sense. For instance, he frequently questioned the necessity of stopping at a stop sign. On one occasion, during a house fire, he had to be forcibly removed from his bed while the ceiling of his bedroom was ablaze, as he feared that getting up would cause him to miss work.

Additionally, it became evident that Weiher was not alone in the trailer; Mathias and possibly Huett were also present. Mathias's tennis shoes were found inside the trailer, and the C-rations had been opened using a P-38 can opener, an item familiar only to Mathias or Madruga from their military experience.