Five Suicides Reported on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Recent Weeks

Five Suicides Reported on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Recent Weeks

Thursday, August 16, 2012

1 comment

On Monday afternoon a trail runner found a 52-year-old Asheville man with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head, only a few feet off the Mountains-to-Sea Trail along the Blue Ridge Parkway. This was the 5th suicide in the park in just three weeks.

On Thursday, August 9th, rangers located the body of a 25-year-old Asheville woman with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to her head at the Rough Butt Bald Overlook.

On August 7th NPS Digest reported that Blue Ridge Parkway rangers investigated two separate suicides in the park on August 2nd and 3rd. On Thursday, Shenandoah dispatch notified Blue Ridge rangers that a bicyclist had seen a vehicle in a small gravel pullout off the parkway with an unresponsive woman inside who had a gun in her hand. They found the body of a 53-year-old North Carolina woman with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to her head. A note to her family was found in which she said that she’d been depressed and suffering from dependency on prescription drugs. On Friday, visitors found the body of a 43-year-old North Carolina man at a parkway overlook. Evidence indicated that he’d died from a drug overdose. The vehicle had been stolen from an acquaintance in Virginia and driven to the parkway, where it was found later that evening by some visitors who’d seen him at that same location earlier in the morning.

July 25th rangers and county officers found the body of a 41-year-old Georgia woman with a gunshot wound to the head at the Devil’s Courthouse Overlook.

A couple years ago Shenandoah National Park experienced a slew of suicides. In doing a little research at that time I found that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in conjunction with the National Park Service, conducted a study on suicide events (suicides and attempted suicides) in national parks between 2003 and 2009. During that time period 286 suicide events were reported from a total of 84 parks. 194 (68%) were completed suicides, and 92 (32%) were attempted suicides. Interestingly, the Blue Ridge Parkway had the highest number of deaths, as well as the highest number of total suicide events, according to that study.


Jeff
Hiking Trails in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Read More

GSMNP Rangers Investigate Two Suicides Within Ten Days

GSMNP Rangers Investigate Two Suicides Within Ten Days

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

No comments

This morning's NPS Digest is reporting that rangers are investigating two suicides that occurred in the Great Smoky Mountains during the last days of January.

On the afternoon of January 20th, dispatch received a phone call reporting a vehicle parked in the Newfound Gap parking area with a suicide note on the dash and a body of a man lying on the ground below the overlook who looked like he wasn't breathing. Rangers responded and found the man sitting at the base of a rock wall with an obvious self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head. A large caliber revolver was recovered at the scene, and a suicide note was found in the victim’s vehicle parked nearby. Rangers were assisted on scene by Cherokee Tribal EMS and an NPS special agent.

The victim was a 56-year-old man from Florida. Next of kin were notified later that evening. Investigators determined that he’d placed the telephone call to park dispatch just prior to committing suicide. They also learned that he’d been charged with 22 counts of possessing child pornography and that his trial was scheduled to begin in Florida the following week. Ranger Mike Scheid is the case officer.

Ten days later, on the afternoon of January 30th, park dispatch received a report from two hikers of a man down on the Bradley Fork Trail and lying in a pool of blood. Rangers responded to the scene, which was a third of a mile up the trail from the Smokemont Campground. They found a man lying face down in the middle of the trail with a large pool of blood on the ground to his left. He had no vital signs and had an obvious gunshot wound behind the left ear. A loaded .40 caliber pistol was found at the scene. Additional ranger staff and an NPS special agent responded along with Cherokee Tribal EMS and Cherokee Fire Rescue. The victim’s vehicle was located at the Smokemont Baptist Church parking area and his wallet and a large sum of cash were found under the pulpit in the church. The victim was a 36-year-old man from South Carolina. No suicide note was found on his person or in the belongings recovered from his vehicle or the church. Next of kin were notified later that day. Ranger Carman Barnard is the case officer.

Also, on the evening of January 31st, Blue Ridge Parkway rangers were notified that a man had been found near the Frying Pan Ridge access who appeared to be in distress and had blood on his head. A U.S. Cellular contractor performing tower maintenance at the Frying Pan Ridge site found the man lying next to his vehicle. The man motioned to him for help, and the contractor went to his assistance. While doing so, he observed a revolver and the man’s wallet lying next to him. The 39-year-old Delaware man was taken to Mission Hospital and found to have a .38 caliber bullet lodged in his brain. It’s still uncertain whether surgeons will attempt to remove the bullet or let it remain. The investigation is continuing.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

Read More

Suicides in Shenandoah National Park

Suicides in Shenandoah National Park

Thursday, December 2, 2010

4 comments

So what's up with suicides in Shenandoah National Park?

Last week NPS Digest posted a story reporting that a park ranger had recently intervened in a suicide attempt. I'm glad the ranger arrived on the scene in time. But the part of the report I found most interesting was the mention that this was the seventh successful suicide intervention in Shenandoah in the last two years.

That caught my attention.

Then yesterday, NPS Digest published another report that a suicide victim was found in the Keyser Run area. At the end of this report it states that this was the fourth suicide in the Keyser Run area in the last decade (there was no mention on how many suicides have occurred in the rest of the park).

So what gives? I'm sure suicides happen all the time in national parks, and maybe we just never hear about them. But Shenandoah sure seems to have more than a lot.


Cyber Week continues at Amazon.com



Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

Read More