NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Thursday, March 17, 2011

INCIDENTS

Grand Canyon NP

Search In Progress For Missing Aircraft And Pilot

On Sunday, March 13th, Grand Canyon Airport received a report from a general aviation pilot of an activated emergency locator transmitter (also known as an ELT). The airport immediately notified the NPS because the ELT had been detected approximately 30 miles northwest of Grand Canyon Village in the vicinity of Fossil Corridor within Grand Canyon National Park. The park's helicopter flew the area in the vicinity of the reported ELT activation, but did not find any signs of a downed plane nor did they detect the beacon. Because no corresponding report of a missing plane could be found, the search was called off at that point. On Monday, the Coconino County Sheriff's Office contacted the park about a missing person - 47-year-old J.R. of Glendale, Arizona. In the course of their investigation, the sheriff's office had determined that J.R. owned a red, RV-6 homebuilt, experimental aircraft, which was also missing. They also determined that J.R.'s plane was seen at Grand Canyon Airport shortly after 8:30 a.m. the previous Friday. Based on radar tracking information from Friday, the crew of the park helicopter concentrated their search efforts in the Scorpion Ridge area, located in the vicinity of the Dragon Corridor, on Monday. On Tuesday, the park's helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft both flew search patterns in the Fossil Corridor and Scorpion Ridge areas, but with no success. Meanwhile, the sheriff's office continued its investigations and began contacting backpackers known to have been to these areas to see if anyone had seen or heard the plane on Friday. Investigations and aerial searches continued yesterday. The focus was on Bedrock and Galloway Canyons in the Fossil Corridor area. J.R. is described as a 47-year-old white male, with blue eyes, graying hair and a receding hairline. He is 5'11” tall and weighs approximately 190 pounds. His plane is described as an RV6 Kit Built cherry red airplane with tail number N650RV. Anyone who may have seen J.R. or his plane on Friday morning is asked to contact the park at 928-638-7805. The latest estimate of the total search area is 600 square miles with the National Park Service leading joint search operations with the Coconino County Sheriff's Office. [Shannan Marcak, Public Affairs Officer]

New Orleans Jazz NHP

Ranger Arrests Man Wanted For Kidnapping

Ranger James Pickard was on patrol in the park on February 20th when he came upon a man who was acting suspiciously. He was nervous and was in an area known for illegal drugs and prostitution. Pickard determined his identity as A.A.-E., checked him out via the mobile data terminal in his patrol car, and received a felony hit for child abduction out of Los Angeles. He immediately got warrant confirmation and extradition notification from the sheriff's office there and took the man into custody. While driving him to the Orleans Parish jail for booking, the US Marshal's Office and Center for Missing and Exploited Children were both calling the park for more information, since the victim of the kidnapping had not yet been found. After A.A.-E. was booked, officers from a number of law enforcement agencies began scouring the French Quarter, looking for a second suspect, wife S.S.-E., and the kidnapping victim, their own child, who had been taken from them by the state of California due to neglect. A massive search had been conducted in the Los Angeles area at the time, as the child was in dire need of medical attention. The Center for Missing and Exploited Children published bulletins and posters with the child's picture, but the case went cold until Pickard contacted the man for panhandling. On March 4th, S.S.-E. and the young boy were found and taken into custody. Both husband and wife remain in prison, awaiting extradition back to California. The boy, who weighed only 38 pounds when found, received medical attention and has been reunited with relative in Los Angeles. The US Marshal's Office complimented Pickard on his attention to detail, which led to the arrest. Media interest in the case has been high in Los Angeles. [John Hughes, Chief Ranger]

Colorado NM

Suicide Victim Found In No Thoroughfare Canyon

Just before midnight on March 12th, a ranger received a call from dispatch about a father who was concerned about the welfare of his 51-year-old son. The son had left a suicide note at his residence and a family member had found his vehicle at the Lower Serpents trailhead. The ranger found the son's vehicle parked at the trailhead with a note on the center console with directions on where to find him. The ranger also noticed the vehicle had an entrance station receipt inside the windshield that showed he entered the monument on March 11th at 2:20 p.m. On the following morning, two rangers hiked up the No Thoroughfare Canyon Trail and found the man hanging from a tree about eight-tenths of a mile from the trailhead on a side canyon near a social trail. The man was from Grand Junction and was unemployed and had a long history of mental illness. The National Park Service and the Mesa County Coroner's Office are investigating. [Phil Akers, Chief Ranger]

OTHER NEWS

The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS. To see the full text, including images, NPS employees should go to the InsideNPS home page ( HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index). Non-NPS employees can see most of them on the NPS Digest page ( HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/):

Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP - Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park added a new curriculum-based winter ecology/snowshoe program to its school program menu this winter. Over 200 students, teachers, and parents joined park staff in snowshoeing on the canyon rim, looking for animals and their signs, and participating in hands on activities.

Office of Communications - Director Jarvis has established a national Office of Communications. The office's professional team will work with subject matter experts to craft and implement strategies that invite the American people to engage with our mission.

Pacific West Region - Keith Dunbar, Pacific West Region's chief of park planning and compliance, will be retiring on April 1st following 35 years of government service. Photo.

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Prepared by the Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services, Washington Office, with the support of the Office of Communications and the Office of the Chief Information Officer. Edited by Bill Halainen ( HYPERLINK "mailto:Bill_Halainen@nps.gov" Bill_Halainen@nps.gov).

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