Suicide Victim’s Body Found In Desert

On February 10th, a Death Valley employee reported that a vehicle parked along the Beatty Cutoff Road had not moved for several days. A protection ranger responded to the area and ran the vehicle’s registration through dispatch. Based on the information gathered, the ranger was able to locate the registered owner’s mother and conduct a phone interview. During the course of the interview, the ranger found that the registered owner was a diagnosed schizophrenic and that he might not be still taking his medication.

The ranger notified Inyo County Sheriff’s Office, which took the lead in the investigation. On February 11th, a California Highway Patrol helicopter joined the search and flew areas peripheral to the parked vehicle. Rangers assisted by conducting a ground search and directing the aircraft’s flight patterns. As nighttime fell over the valley, the sheriff’s office decided to scale back its efforts due to the size of the search area. Over ensuing days, rangers continued to search the area by ground, attempting to locate any sign of someone walking into the desert. On February 16th, a ranger found a faint footprint in an adjacent drainage and called for additional ground searchers.

After tracking the footprints for more than a mile, rangers found the man’s body in remote drainage. They also found a handgun with the slide locked to the rear and spent cartridges next to the body. The Inyo County Sheriff’s Office and county coroner were notified and arrived on scene shortly thereafter.

Rangers conducted a carryout and the body was transferred to the coroner for further investigation.