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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MORNING REPORT Wednesday, October 3, 2007 =============================================================================================================== INCIDENTS Yellowstone NP Update: Name Of Falling Victim Released The name of the woman who fell to her death in the park last Friday night has been released. C.H., 32, was from Beverly Hills, California. C.H. and a 39-year-old male friend from Los Angeles were traveling through the park and had stopped to take pictures at a pullout in the Calcite Springs area just north of Tower Fall when the accident occurred. Rangers received a report about 6:30 Friday evening that a woman had fallen over the cliff. When they arrived on scene, they could see C.H. lying motionless on the canyon floor next to the Yellowstone River. A ranger who rappelled down the 400-foot cliff confirmed that she had died. Due to darkness, steep terrain, and the complex nature of this type of large-scale operation, park staff had to wait until Saturday morning to remove C.H.'s body from the canyon floor. An autopsy conducted over the weekend showed that the cause of death was massive trauma caused by the fall. The incident remains under investigation. Anyone with information that might help investigators is asked to call the Park Tip Line at 307-344-2132. This is the same area of the park where a visitor from Michigan stepped over a rock retaining wall and fell to her death in June 2006. [Public Affairs] New River Gorge NR Man Dies In Fall From Bridge Catwalk M.H., 24, of Hinton, West Virginia, fell to his death from under the I-64 bridge above the New River at Sandstone on September 29th. According to witnesses, M.H. climbed up under the bridge and went out on the steel catwalk to look at the New River. While out on the catwalk, M.H. turned to his friend and said “Hey, watch this.” He then climbed over the catwalk railing and attempted to jump down to a concrete pillar that supports the bridge. According to the friend, M.H. hit the edge of the pillar, then fell approximately 80 feet into the New River and disappeared. A local fisherman boating down the river heard the voices and saw what looked like a person falling from under the bridge. He immediately called 911. Rangers responded along with volunteers from the Hinton, Green, Sulfur, and Beaver fire departments. Divers working in conjunction with boat teams found M.H.'s body submerged in about 12 feet of water near the end of the bridge pillar. The body was recovered and turned over to the Summers County coroner. Based on witness statements and M.H.'s friend's report, alcohol was probably a contributing factor. Rangers are conducting the follow-up investigation. [Gary Hartley, Chief Ranger] Lake Mead NRA Visitor Fatality Near Boulder Islands A boater who was passing the Boulder Islands on Lake Mead early on the morning of September 29th saw a man waving for help from one of the islands. The man told the boater that he and a friend had had a boating accident the previous evening and that his friend was still missing. The boater called 911, but was unable to tell the dispatcher where they were on the lake. He therefore continued on to the nearest marina, Las Vegas Boat Harbor, and asked employees to call rangers for help. A marina employee assisted rangers in the search for the missing man. The Las Vegas Metro PD search and rescue team was called in. Metro divers found the man's body in between 20 and 40 feet of water. An investigation is underway. [Roxanne Dey, Public Affairs Officer] 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 are, respectively, HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/" http://inside.nps.gov/ and ( HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/). * Office of Public Affairs - The total number of recreational visits to the National Park System from 1916 through the present has reached 11 billion. * Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services - Last month, a team of NPS personnel provided assistance to the Peace Corps Office of Inspector General with an organized search effort to locate the remains of a Peace Corps volunteer who went missing in the Zongo River Valley of Bolivia in 2001. * US Park Police - Assistant Chief Michael D. Fogarty retired on September 29th following more than 31 years of distinguished service. * NPS Alumni - Vincent Gleason, head of publications for the NPS for many years, passed away on September 18th at his home in Maryland. He was 87. * * * * * Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, with the support of the Office of the Chief Information Officer and Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov, 570-686-3828). --- ### --- |