NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
MORNING REPORT
Monday, November 16, 2009
INCIDENTS
Death Valley NP
Suspected Remains Of Long Missing Visitor Found
On Thursday, November 12th, rangers were contacted by two Riverside County men who advised that they had found skeletal human remains while hiking in a remote southwestern section of the park near Needle Peak. Preliminary evidence indicates that the remains may be tied to a case involving four German visitors who disappeared in the park in July of 1996. The case is being jointly investigated by the Inyo County Sheriff's Department, the Bakersfield Office of the FBI and the National Park Service. Evidence found near the scattered skeletal remains included personal identification of one of the missing German visitors. Investigators are currently on scene looking for additional evidence. Back in 1996, the case sparked a massive multiagency search that failed to turn up any trace of the German visitors. As the investigation is ongoing, more information will be provided when it becomes available. [Brent Pennington, Chief Ranger]
Organ Pipe Cactus NM
Three Smugglers Sentenced To Prison
On October 20th, L.T.-S., and A.L.C. each received 13 months federal prison time and 36 months supervised probation; F.M.-C. received 40 months prison time and 36 months supervised probation, with his sentence longer because of his lengthy criminal history. The three were members of a group of nine marijuana backpackers arrested near the Senita Basin area on April 20th. All nine were subsequently convicted on charges of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and conspiracy. The careful documentation of evidence by rangers who tracked the group several miles through the desert led directly to the successful prosecution of the case. The nine were cumulatively sentenced to over 155 months of prison time and will face immigration proceedings upon completion of their sentences. [Matt Fisher, Special Agent]
OTHER NEWS
The following stories are among those in today's edition of InsideNPS:
Vietnam Veterans Memorial - Secretary Salazar and Director Jarvis joined representatives from the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Fund and other officials at the memorial last Wednesday afternoon to pay tribute to veterans across the country on Veteran's Day.
Legislative and Congressional Affairs - This week's update on past and upcoming hearings and the status of legislation pertinent to the National Park Service.
Intermountain Region - Laura Joss, a 19-year veteran of the National Park Service, has been named deputy regional director for Intermountain Region. She will begin her new assignment effective immediately. Photo.
To see these and other stories posted on InsideNPS (or NPS Digest, its public version), click on one or the other of the following links (please note that not all stories in the former appear in the latter): NPS employees: HYPERLINK "http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index" http://inside.nps.gov/index.cfm?handler=index ; non-NPS employees: HYPERLINK "http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/" http://home.nps.gov/applications/digest/
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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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