NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
                               MORNING REPORT

To:         All National Park Service Areas and Offices

From:       Division of Ranger Activities, Washington Office

Day/Date:   Thursday, March 11, 1999

INCIDENTS

98-17 - Natchez Trace Parkway (MS/AL/TN) - Follow-up: Homicide

The body of T.L., 39, of Myrtle, Mississippi, was found by
visitors along the side of the road next to a wayside exhibit in the Tupelo
District on January 12, 1998.  His body was covered by a blanket.  The
autopsy revealed that he'd been beaten and possibly strangled.  A joint
investigation was conducted by rangers, FBI agents and county detectives
which led this month to the filing of murder charges against Tommy Mayo, 44,
and his son, Adam Mayo, 17.  Investigation revealed early on that the two
were connected by the murder; additional information gathered over the past
year led to confessions by the Mayos.  According to the Mayos, T.L. was
killed in self defense.  They allege that a fight broke out between Adam Mayo
and T.L., and that Tommy Mayo intervened because he was afraid that
T.L. would stab his son.  Although the Mayos claim self defense,
investigators note some actions that seem inconsistent with this claim - that
they waited over a year to make statements, that they first denied any
knowledge of the offense, that they dumped the body a day and a half after
the fight, and that they went to great lengths to clean up the evidence,
including a thorough washing of the bed of their truck and swapping out the
truck's tires.  The actual offense occurred outside the park, but is being
pursued through federal court because the crime was brought onto federal
property.  [Tim Francis, ACR, NATR, 3/10]

99-75 - Kenai Fjords NP (AK) - Multiple Snowmobile Accident with Injuries

Four snowmobilers who were racing in the Exit Creek area on March 8th failed
to see and subsequently drove off a seven-foot snow bank at a speed of about
50 miles per hour.  All went about 20 feet through the air before striking
the opposite bank.  The four men - T.W., A.J., G.dV.
and J.J. - are all assigned to the nuclear missile
submarine USS Alaska, which was in the area for the Operation Northern Edge
military exercise.  They were transported to Seward and treated at the
temporary military clinic set up for the exercise; G.dV. was later
airlifted by military aircraft to Anchorage for treatment of a back injury. 
Ranger Mike Thompson made the initial response and coordinated removal of the
damaged snowmobiles, which had been rented from the local Army recreation
camp.  [Jim Ireland, ACR, KEFJ, 3/9]

99-76 - Yellowstone NP (WY) - Counterfeiting, Drug Arrests

On the afternoon of March 7th, Gallatin subdistrict ranger Rick Bennett
stopped a 1986 Jeep Cherokee for a speeding violation on highway 191.  During
the contact with the driver, Bennett observed drug paraphernalia between the
driver's and passenger's seats.  Bennett and a state officer conducted a
search of the vehicle which turned up additional evidence of drugs and drug
paraphernalia - and suspected counterfeit travelers checks.  The suspects,
D.F. and K.D., both from Oregon, were arrested for the
drug violations.  The Secret Service was notified of the suspected
counterfeit securities and both of their agents in Montana came to the park. 
A joint investigation by the Secret Service agents and NPS criminal
investigators at Yellowstone revealed that D.F. and K.D. have been
involved in an extensive scheme for manufacturing and using counterfeit
travelers checks in at least four states and possibly Canada over the past
several months.  They were found to be in possession of substantial amounts
of genuine U.S. currency and counterfeit travelers checks, as well as various
forms of counterfeit identification and equipment used to manufacture
counterfeit travelers checks and identification.  The joint investigation is
continuing; both suspects face numerous felony charges.  K.D., who
originally identified himself as D.H., has an extensive criminal
history including drug charges, escapes, and a prior homicide charge.  He is
currently wanted in two states for parole violations.  [Chris Hansen, CI,
YELL, 3/10]

99-77 - Pinnacles NM (CA) - Rescue

Rangers noted a vehicle in the Chaparral parking lot past closing hours on
the evening of March 8th.  Park raptor monitor Monique Imberski reported
having seen two climbers on the Machete Ridge climbing route that day;
rangers Robert Baker and Carl Brenner soon located the young couple on the
face of the ridge.  They had continued their climb toward the top even as
darkness approached and soon found themselves without light and unable to
descend.  They were wearing only light clothing, and temperatures were
already dropping into the 40s, with a significant wind chill.  The rangers
provided them with lights.  Baker then talked the pair safely down through
various pitches over a period of seven hours.  The couple stopped on a ledge
around midnight, and it appeared that rangers were going to have to climb to
them.  Members of a climbing team were accordingly staged, but the two
climbers were able to make the final descent and hike out.  They showed some
signs of hypothermia but were otherwise uninjured.  [Mark Igo, CR, PINN, 3/9]

99-78 - Padre Island NS (TX) - Illegal Aliens

The park continues to deal with a significant increase in incidents this year
involving the smuggling of illegal aliens into the country.  Since January,
rangers and Border Patrol agents have apprehended 116 aliens and 14 smugglers
and confiscated ten vehicles in eight separate cases.  Aliens are typically
transported to the south end of the park, then must make their way across
Mansfield Channel - a 200-yard-wide shipping channel - in order to reach the
shore, where they are either picked up by smugglers or left to make their way
with little food or water up the 60 miles of beach to the nearest paved road. 
Some recent contacts have been made with aliens who floated bicycles across
the channel, then attempted to ride them up the beach.  [Dan Moses, PAIS,
3/9]

99-79 - Natchez Trace Parkway (MS/AL/TN) - MVA with Fatality

On March 5th, J.H., 19, of Kosciusko, Mississippi, was killed when the
vehicle he was driving left the road and hit a tree.  J.H. apparently fell
asleep at the wheel.  Alcohol and narcotics may also have been contributing
factors.  A passenger remains in critical condition.  Neither was wearing a
seatbelt.  [Tim Francis, ACR, NATR, 3/10]

99-80 - Lake Mead NRA (NV/AZ) - Body Found

The skeletal remains of a human body were found by a park visitor on Kingman
Wash Road on the afternoon of March 9th.  The death is under investigation;
the victim has not yet been positively identified.  The county sheriff's
office is assisting in the investigation.  [Dispatch, LAME, 3/9]

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION

Padre Island NS (TX) - Bottle-Nosed Dolphin Recovery

A bottle-nosed dolphin was reported stranded on the beach near the Malaquite
visitor center on March 4th.  The dolphin was still alive when resource
management staff arrived at the scene.  It was kept wet until it could be
loaded into a vehicle and transported to the Texas State Aquarium in Corpus
Christi, where it was placed in a 20,000-gallon tank.  The dolphin, a sub-
adult female, was monitored by the aquarium's recovery team, and was
reportedly swimming on its own by the end of the day.  Initial reports are
that the dolphin was suffering from an internal infection similar to a human
cold and had become disoriented.  The dolphin is now eating on its own and
has been moved to a larger tank.  It will be released when it has fully
recovered.  [Dan Moses, PAIS, 3/9]

OPERATIONAL NOTES

No entries.

MEMORANDA

No entries.

INTERCHANGE

No entries.

PARKS AND PEOPLE

No entries.

                                *  *  *  *  *

Distribution of the Morning Report is through a mailing list managed by park,
office and/or field area cc:Mail hub coordinators.  Please address requests
pertaining to receipt of the Morning Report to your servicing hub
coordinator.

Prepared by the Division of Ranger Activities, WASO, with the cooperation and
support of Delaware Water Gap NRA.

                                 --- ### ---