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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT BLACKBERRY EDITION Thursday, May 18, 2006 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS Blue Ridge Parkway Search for Missing Person Blowing Rock PD officers came upon an unattended white mini-van completely obstructing the northbound lane of the parkway near milepost 291 at 4 a.m. on Tuesday, May 2nd. They checked the van and found it unlocked, but with no keys in the ignition. The officers contacted a local ranger and received permission to tow the vehicle. It was later determined that the vehicle had run out of gas. The 39-year-old registered owner of the van was entered into NCIC as a missing person later that afternoon. Rangers and officers learned that he was bipolar and that he hadn't been taking his medication for several days prior to his disappearance. A hasty search was conducted by a team of rangers with tracking skills, but no clues as to his whereabouts were found. It appeared that he'd left the area, so search operations were discontinued. On May 5th, the man's father and girlfriend contacted the park and the Watauga County Sheriff's Office and asked that a more extensive ground search be conducted in the area where the vehicle was found. That search was begun on Saturday and was jointly managed by the county and NPS under a unified command. Seven SAR dog teams affiliated with NCSARDA, including two with the ability to detect cadavers, were utilized in the field, with volunteer searchers on standby at the command post to investigate leads. Either a ranger or county deputy was assigned to each dog team because the missing man had a prior history of violence toward law enforcement officers. Another ranger was assigned to PIO duties and handled media contacts, including distribution of a family-generated flyer with a picture of and basic information about the man. NCSARDA teams searched the area from 8:30 a.m. until 7 p.m., but without finding any conclusive evidence that the man was in the area. The ground search was accordingly discontinued. The media campaign was more successful, though, with several sightings of the man reported and investigated, including a confirmed sighting near Wilkesboro, North Carolina. The missing man was found on May 8th in Lenoir, North Carolina. He was alive and uninjured. [Brent Pennington, Highlands District Ranger] Ozark NSR Attempted Suicide, Life Saved On May 11th, a 32-year-old man attempted suicide by running a tube from his car's exhaust into the back of his vehicle while parked at a secluded campsite inside the park. A protection ranger intervened and prevented his likely death. Further investigation revealed the victim had also consumed narcotics and a six pack of beer, and that the man had used his position as a registered nurse to illegally obtain oxycodone, a narcotic that was found in his vehicle. The local ambulance service transported him to a nearby hospital for psychological observation. DEA is pursuing charges for theft of narcotics. [Kinsey Shilling, Chief Ranger ] Natchez Trace Parkway Fatal Accident An 81-year-old woman from French Camp, Mississippi, was driving on the parkway on the morning of May 15th when she lost control of her 1993 Buick LeSabre, went off the road, and hit a tree. She was transported by ambulance to Monfort-Jones Hospital in Kosciusko, Mississippi, where further efforts to revive her were unsuccessful. [Kim Korthuis] OTHER NEWS Article on closure of campground at Natural Bridges due to outbreak of plague: HYPERLINK "http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_3827495" http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_3827495 * * * * * Prepared by Visitor and Resource Protection, WASO, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap NRA. --- ### --- |