NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Thursday, June 19, 2008

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INCIDENTS

Denali NP&P

Lost Backpackers Found And Reunited With Families

A.F. and E.N. were grinning from ear to ear as they disembarked from a helicopter at the Denali Park airstrip yesterday afternoon and walked into the waiting arms of their anxious families. They were spotted on Wednesday afternoon from the park's plane in an area outside the park about 15 miles north of the point where they began their hike and eight miles west of the Parks Highway. After the reunion, they were assessed by park medics for any medical issues, then interviewed by search managers to get a thorough understanding of where they had gone and what they had done during their six day ordeal. Yesterday's remarkable chain of events began when E.N. called her mother's cell phone at approximately 9:15 a.m. while the E.N. and A.F. family members were being briefed on Wednesday's planned search activities. She said that she and Abby were not hurt and had just at that time been able to obtain a cell signal. Search managers attempted to get details of their possible location from them over the phone, using nearby landmarks. They also asked the young women to move to an open area, remain at that location, make themselves highly visible, and signal any helicopters that flew overhead. Two helicopters were immediately dispatched to the area where the two women were believed to be in order to locate and pick them up. After an hour of aerial searching, a third helicopter and the park's aircraft was also dispatched to search the area. As more time elapsed, ground searchers and two dog teams were added to the search, which was taking place on the eastern edge of the original search zone, approximately five miles west of the Parks Highway and north of Mount Healy. At 3:30 p.m. Erica called her mother's cell phone again. At that time she was told to use the text message feature to conserve battery strength. Between 3:30 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. she provided information on the features that they could see from their location and if and where they could see or hear aircraft. During this time, cell service provider ACS was providing the park's communication center with information to pinpoint possible search locations using bearings and distance from cell sites. This information provided a more specific site for searchers to investigate. At 4:22 p.m., the pair were spotted from the park plane. They were quickly picked up by an incident helicopter and brought to the park's airstrip. Abby and Erica spent the night with their families. Additional information on their ordeal will be provided as it becomes available. Search teams will be going through a debriefing and demobilization process today. [Kris Fister, IO]

Golden Gate NRA

Homicide Investigation Underway

During the early morning hours on January 15th, a group of people who were having a bonfire on Ocean Beach found the body of a man partially buried in the sand and notified the Park Police. The victim, who could not be identified for several weeks, appeared to be in his mid-40s, overweight and very pale. He was found with only a pair of socks on, three cloth bracelets around his left wrist, and an abstract tattoo on his chest. When finally identified, he was found to be a homeless man who was living in San Francisco, with no apparent family or relations. The death was considered suspicious, as it was clear that the body had been deliberately buried in the sand. A witness reported seeing the man dancing naked around a beach fire several hours before his body was discovered. Park Police officers consulted with the FBI and San Francisco Police Department's Homicide Unit, but have served as the lead investigators in this case. A person of interest was identified near the scene and was arrested by Park Police officers once it was learned that he was wanted on a manslaughter parole violation warrant issued by the California Department of Corrections. The San Francisco medical examiner released a report on June 12th that provided additional information regarding the man's death. He had been severely beaten, with dozens of bruises and cuts about his head and body. At least one blow had cracked his skull and several of his ribs were broken. A toxicology report revealed that his blood alcohol content was about 0.25 percent, indicating significant intoxication. Traces of the active ingredient in Benadryl were also found in his blood. The two in combination multiply their respective effects, leading to delirium and drowsiness. DNA evidence was collected at the scene, and Park Police investigators are now awaiting the results of DNA tests to arrive from the San Francisco Police Department. Meanwhile, other investigative leads are being pursued. At least one additional person of interest has been identified in connection with the death. Homicides on park property are relatively rare. In 2006, one man was killed and another seriously injured when a man carrying a bag of weapons opened fire on a group of hang gliders at Fort Funston. The shooter ended up killing himself. [Lt. Jeff Wasserman, Operations Commander, San Francisco Field Office]

National Mall

USPP Officers Rescue Girl From Collapsed Tent

When a severe thunderstorm struck the DC area on the afternoon of June 16th, K-9 officer Jeffrey Bartlett, who was on patrol in the area, immediately recognized the danger it presented to visitors who were standing in and around a series of tents set up on the Mall for the upcoming National Folklife Festival. He radioed for additional units to help clear the area near the tents. Sergeant Carl Holmberg, also in the area, responded and saw that the tents were rocking from the rain and wind. He noted that one tent had at least 40 people inside. As he was directing them to the Smithsonian museums for safety, the tent collapsed. Holmberg determined that the visitors were part of a tour group and located the group leader. He instructed her to make a head count and she reported that one young girl was missing. Detective Patrick Fouty and officers Catherine Mulhall and Allan Stone also responded. The girl was heard screaming from within the wreckage of the collapsed tent. Holmberg employed a knife to cut the tent open and found the 11-year-old girl trapped in the wreckage. She was suffering from head injuries and trapped by two support beams. Working in conjunction with several bystanders, the officers were able to lift one of the beams while other officers used smaller poles to gain enough leverage to lift the other beam. Fouty was then able to pull the girl from the collapsed tent. She was taken into a nearby museum, where first aid was administered while waiting for EMS to arrive. Bartlett recognized that more storms were possible, so he directed the Smithsonian museums to close all exits onto the Mall and the Smithsonian Metro station to stop riders from exiting onto the Mall until the area was made safe. A total of 10 visitors reported injuries. They include three adults and seven juveniles. All reported injured persons were transported to area hospitals for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. [Sergeant Robert Lachance, Public Affairs Officer]

Chattahoochee River NRA

Man Drowns While Attempting To Swim Across River

Four men were enjoying the river in near 90 degree temperatures on the afternoon of Friday, June 13th, whey they attempted to swim across it just downstream from Jones Bridge. E.P.-F., 28, of Doraville, Georgia, struggled while swimming and went under the surface. His three companions were unable to reach him and called 911 for help. Rangers and local rescue squads responded with divers and found his body early that evening. The river at the time was flowing low, with a temperature around 61 degrees. The medical examiner ruled the cause of death as accidental drowning. [Scott Pfeninger, Chief Ranger]

OTHER NEWS

Other stories can be read on InsideNPS at one or the other of these two sites:

NPS readers - HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index

Non-NPS readers - HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/

Among the stories in today's edition are the following:

Channel Islands NP - The park's “Live Dive” season kicked off last week with over 120 sixth grade students from Blackstock Junior High School in Oxnard interacting with divers underwater 14 miles offshore at Anacapa Island.

Santa Monica Mountains NRA - Secretary Dirk Kempthorne visited the park on June 11th to highlight all things pertaining to wildland fire - particularly preparations for the upcoming season. He said that DOI is well prepared for the 2008 wildfire season.

Commercial Services Division - Beginning immediately, concessioners who have not already submitted their 2007 AFRs (annual financial reports) will be required to use the revised electronic forms.

US Park Police - William Thomas Sampson III, 61, died on Sunday, June 8th, at his home in Swoope, Virginia. He was an officer with the Park Police for 21 years, retiring as a sergeant.

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Submission standards for the Morning Report can be found at the following web site:

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 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).

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