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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Wednesday, June 27, 2007 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS Cuyahoga Valley NP Update On Assist In J.M.D. Search, Body Recovery The massive, nationally publicized search for J.M.D. concluded this past Saturday with the discovery of her body in a county park within the boundaries of Cuyahoga Valley NP. The FBI contacted the park that afternoon, asking for assistance. At the time, it was not known whether the body was on NPS property or property owned by Metro Parks, Serving Summit County. Five NPS rangers responded within five minutes to Top O' The World in the Metro Parks' Hampton Hills unit, which is surrounded by NPS lands. An intensive evidence recovery operation was found to be in progress. Rangers closed access points while Metro Parks was notified that the crime scene was on their property. Metro Parks asked that the National Park Service continue to maintain scene closure in order to preserve evidence. Rangers from both agencies did so by closing the trail system at five locations. On Sunday, the Summit County medical examiner confirmed that the body recovered was that of the pregnant J.M.D. J.M.D. was last heard from on the evening of June 13th when she spoke to her mother. On Friday, June 15th, J.M.D.'s mother went to her home and found J.M.D.'s two-year-old son home alone. The father of J.M.D.'s first child, Canton Police Department patrol officer B.C.'s Jr., has been arrested by the Stark County Police Department in connection with the death. On Sunday, Top O' The World was opened and staffed by Metro Parks rangers, who allowed people to drive through and stop only briefly. A location was designated for memorial items. Flowers, stuffed animals, and signs of condolence were placed in memory of J.M.D. and her unborn child at the designated area at Top O' The World and on the posts of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park entrance sign at Bath and Northampton Roads. The memorial items on the entrance sign were moved to the designated site at the end of the day. [Mosie Welch, Acting Chief Ranger] United States Park Police Officers Deal With Two White House Demonstrations On Friday, June 22nd, United States Park Police officers dealt with a large group of demonstrators who were permitted for Lafayette Park. At one point, members of the group attempted to block an entrance to the White House, but officers were successful in pushing back the demonstrators to clear the entrance. The demonstration later ended without further incident. On Saturday, June 23rd, another large demonstration occurred at the White House. The demonstrators on the White House sidewalk began to engage in non-violent civil disobedience, so the Park Police revoked their permit, and, after giving several warnings to disband, made 16 arrests. [Sergeant Robert Lachance, Public Information Officer] Kennesaw Mountain NBP Special Event: Visit By Vice President Cheney On the evening of June 22nd, Vice President Cheney visited the park as a private citizen to attend a reception for the descendants of the members of the 21st Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Visiting along with the Vice President were Mrs. Cheney and Arizona Senator Jon Kyl and his wife. Superintendent Daniel Brown and park staff took them on a tour of the museum and visitor center. Also attending were 75 other descendants of soldiers from the 21st Ohio. Samuel Fletcher Cheney, the vice president's great grandfather, was a captain in the regiment during the Atlanta campaign and saw action near Kennesaw Mountain. The park's protection staff was assisted by rangers from Chattahoochee River NRA, Martin Luther King, Jr. NHS and Stones River NB, an NPS criminal investigator, Secret Service agents, and Cobb County and Georgia State Patrol officers. Facilitating were regional Park Police captain Jonathan Pierce and regional chief ranger Mike Anderson. [L.R. Morris, Chief Ranger] Blue Ridge Parkway Fatal Motorcycle Accident W.S., 71, of Chesterfield, Virginia, was heading south on the parkway around milepost 16 late on the morning of June 16th when his motorcycle skidded briefly, went off the road, and slid along the roadside for about 100 feet. W.S. was injured in the accident and taken to a local hospital. He was then transferred to the University of Virginia Medical Center, where he died of multiple organ failure three days later. Speed is not believed to have been a factor in the accident. W.S.'s medical condition prior to the crash may have contributed to the loss of control and subsequent medical crisis. [Steve Stinnett, Assistant Chief Ranger] OTHER NEWS The following stories (among others) can be read on either the InsideNPS web site (if you are within the National Park Service) or at the InsideNPS public ‘news digest' site (if you are outside of the NPS). The web sites appear below: Alaska Region - On Wednesday, June 13th, an estimated 300 employees from across Alaska participated in an all employee meeting via a new regional video conference system that links all of Alaska Region. Glen Canyon NRA - Laboratory results for trout routinely sampled at Lees Ferry by the Arizona Game and Fish Department this spring came back positive for whirling disease on Wednesday, June 13th, marking the first time this disease has been documented in wild fish in Arizona public waters. Organ Pipe Cactus NM - Last week, enforcement agencies throughout the area along the Southwest border gathered together to honor Fred Patton, the park's chief ranger, for his leadership, commitment to safety, dedication, and vision in border interdiction operations. To see the above articles, go to InsideNPS ( HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/" http://inside.nps.gov/) or NPS Digest ( HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/). For NPS incident reporting standards, go to HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=3363" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=viewnpsnewsarticle&type=Announcements&id=3363 * * * * * Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, with the cooperation and support of Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov, 570-426-2430). --- ### --- |