What is evidence?

[The Grand Nudger]

Not the same question, is it, subtleties matter.  That something is evident, or in parlance -is- evidence..is one thing..what it's evidence -of- is another.  Copuldn;t answer that one for you from where I sit.  You seem to have offered at least one reason why it might not be.

What kind of asshole builds a house next to trees that need to come down?  Clearing the forest is step one in the human playbook. 

But what I found was lack of evidence of something that "should" have been there.

Or not, as you yourself noted...but notice that this evidence is not -of- what you hope to answer with it....why he died.  That;s where people usually go wrong, the point of origin for many a "what constitutes evidence" question. Not speaking specifically of you, here, just in general, lol.

But in the same hand without the "should" I also did not find giant round tracks with 4 toenails so it was evident he was not using an elephant to trim the tree....which also would have been safer.

If I could clear trees with an elephant in this country I'd be in the clearcutting business.  

I know right? Freaking hippies..."I want to save the tree and build a courtyard around it!"..."Now I need to cut it down because it's cracking the foundation and destroying the roof!"

Me: "Great, now you can pay me all the extra money it will take to gently lower everything onto your roof and deck.....call me when you do it again."

Rgr that, I make my nut bilking hippies too.