NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

MORNING REPORT

Thursday, October 14, 2010

INCIDENTS

Cumberland Gap NHP

Murder Victim's Body Found In Park

On October 6th, resource management staff spotted a fire below the road shoulder on Highway 988 inside the park. Upon closer examination, they discovered that a human body had been set on fire. They immediately radioed law enforcement rangers, who quickly responded, extinguished the fire, and secured the scene. Shortly after the fire was discovered, a person arrived at the scene and reported seeing a vehicle parked in that area earlier in the day. This witness was able to provide a vehicle description along with a description of the person standing next to the vehicle. Assistance was requested from Southeast Region's Investigative Services Branch, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Kentucky State Police. The FBI's evidence response team processed the crime scene and collected multiple evidence items. On October 8th, an autopsy was performed on the body and the person's identity was obtained by fingerprint analysis. He was identified as J.L. of Harlan, Kentucky. J.L. was reported missing by his family on the morning of October 6th. Agents from the three investigating agencies have conducted several interviews and are currently following up on numerous leads. [Mike Ausmus, Park Ranger]

Grand Teton NP

Injured Hiker Rescued From Amphitheatre Lake Area

Rangers rescued an injured hiker from the Amphitheatre Lake area on the afternoon of Saturday, October 10th, using the Teton Interagency contract helicopter. A.H., 23, of Moose, Wyoming, was hiking with companions on a section of trail with a sloping ledge when she fell about 20 feet and onto her back. A.H. was hiking from Amphitheatre Lake on an unmaintained trail at the base of Disappointment Peak to an overlook of the Teton Glacier when the incident occurred. A hiker in another group saw the entire event and was able to call for help on a cell phone after running down the trail for cell reception. One member of A.H.'s party scrambled down and assist her until rescuers arrived. Teton Interagency Dispatch Center received the report just after 4 p.m. and immediately launched a short haul rescue response. Two rangers were flown to a helicopter landing zone near Amphitheatre Lake and hiked a short distance to the accident site. Rangers provided A.H. with emergency medical care and then placed her in a rescue litter for aerial evacuation. Just after 6 p.m., A.H. and an attending ranger were flown via short-haul, suspended below the helicopter, to Lupine Meadows where a park ambulance was waiting to transport her to St. John's Medical Center in Jackson. [Jackie Skaggs, Public Affairs Officer]

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/):

North Cascades NP - The latest installment in the electronic field trip series, broadcast yesterday, teaches students about climate change through a visit to Washington's North Cascades National Park.

Workplace Enrichment - The SkillSoft open season for this fall began on October 1st. A one-year unlimited access license to the SkillSoft library is available for a fee of $25.

Conservation and Outdoor Recreation - The community assistance partnership between the National Park Service Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program and the American Society of Landscape Architects was recently renewed for a third five-year term. Photo.

Southeast Region - Ben West has joined Southeast Regional Office as its new chief of planning and compliance. Photo.

* * * *

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

--- ### ---