Jason @BeardedOverland www.beardedadv.blogspot.com
EMERY COUNTY, Utah — The Emery County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue team discovered the body of a missing Montana man Thursday morning.
Jonathan Baker, 53, had not been heard from since April 7 when he contacted his son. He told his son he was at Moonshine Wash south of Green River. On April 10, he was reported missing when he failed to pick up his son in Salt Lake City and return home to Bozeman, Montana.
The body of Jonathan Baker, 53, was found Thursday morning in Emery County. Photo credit: Emery County Sheriff's Office.
According to a press release from the Emery County Sheriff's Office, a Salt Lake City man notified authorities Thursday morning. After watching a news report about Baker on Thursday, the man told authorities he saw the victim's truck near Colonnade Arch on April 8 during a trip to Emery County.
The man also reported to authorities that he and a friend saw a man with a pack who appeared to be sleeping on the slick rock.
With that information, emergency personnel checked Colonnade Arch immediately Thursday morning. Authorities say the truck was discovered in a small parking lot. The body of the missing Montana man was discovered roughly a half-mile from the truck.
The Emery County Sheriff's Office says foul play is not suspected.
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Jason @BeardedOverland www.beardedadv.blogspot.com
Search and rescue teams acted quickly Monday evening to rescue a family lost on Panther Creek Trail. The call came in to Habersham County E-911 about an hour and a half before sunset. The woman caller told dispatchers she hiked to the falls and couldn't find her way out.
Units from Habersham County Emergency Services, Lee Arrendale and Tallulah Falls Fire Departments, along with Habersham's Search and Rescue Team (HabSAR) responded to the scene within minutes.
"While responding, Habersham County E-911 advised units that the caller and five children were lost in the area of the falls," says HCES Capt. Matt Ruark. "After being advised, crews determined that they would have quicker access from a different access point and responded to that location."
The children ranged in age from 4 to 16 years, Ruark says.
At 7:05 p.m., rescuers entered the trail on ATVs and, fifteen minutes later, found the missing family approximately 3.5 miles in to the trail.
"None of the subjects were having any medical issues and were assisted out of the trail and returned to their vehicles," Ruark says.
Panther Creek near Turnerville is one of Habersham's most popular hiking trails, but it currently officially remains closed to the public. The U.S. Forest Service shut down the trail for repairs in October 2020 after high water events from tropical storms washed out sections of the path and bridges.
"In addition, high winds and saturated soils led to a higher number of downed trees impacting hiker safety," the USFS says on its website.
Ruark says current trail conditions "make it difficult for hikers as well as rescuers when searching for lost or injured subjects."
The picnic area in the Panther Creek Recreation Area near the trailhead is open. The Forest Service has not announced when it plans to reopen the trail.
Jason @BeardedOverland www.beardedadv.blogspot.com
A 3-year-old was killed Sunday, April 10, after being swept over the top of Whitewater Falls in North Carolina, the highest waterfall east of the Rockies, according to the Jackson County Sheriff's Office.
The child was identified as Nevaeh Jade Newswanger of Denver, Pennsylvania, the sheriff's office said in a news release.
Jackson County Emergency Management received a 911 call around 5:50 p.m. from someone reporting a little girl "had been swept away in the water at the top of the falls" and carried over the edge by the current.
Rescuers from five counties responded to the site, which is located in a remote area just north of the South Carolina state line. The waterfall plunges "an amazing 411 feet" and the surrounding area is "difficult (to) access and rugged terrain," the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports.
"Just prior to night fall on Sunday rescuers located the child deceased and entrapped in an area of the waterfall," the sheriff's office said.
"Recovery operations throughout the night and early morning led to the child being recovered from the waterfall around 1 am on Monday, April 11."
The girl was hiking near the waterfall with her parents, who are living temporarily in Oconee County, South Carolina, while working on a construction project.
A campaign set up for funeral expenses reports Nevaeh "slipped and fell in the water" while playing in sand above the falls.
"We desperately tried to rescue her but the current was so strong and it swept her down the river and over the falls where the angels caught her," the GoFundMe campaign reports. "Her name is heaven spelled backwards. She was truly a piece of heaven to all who knew her."
Jackson County Sheriff's Office officials noted the deadly accident underscores "the dangers associated with visits to scenic areas such as Whitewater Falls."
"First and foremost our prayers are with the Newswanger Family as they grieve the loss of this precious young child," the sheriff's office said.
"With the onset of spring weather we need to be reminded of the dangers associated with many scenic areas of the region such as waterfalls. While beautiful to view from a safe distance, venturing out closer to the falls for any reason brings tremendous danger. Always remain at a distance, follow safety precautions and warnings which are in place, and view waterfalls from designated viewing areas."
This story was originally published April 11, 2022 10:59 AM.
Mark Price has been a reporter for The Charlotte Observer since 1991, covering beats including schools, crime, immigration, LGBTQ issues, homelessness and nonprofits. He graduated from the University of Memphis with majors in journalism and art history, and a minor in geology.
Jason @BeardedOverland www.beardedadv.blogspot.com
A surgeon and hiker was found dead on a local trail in the state at least one week after she'd last contacted her family - with her body turning up near a waterfall with a steep 90-foot dropoff.
Kelsey Musgrove, 26, had told family that she had reached Potato River Falls in the town of Gurney on March 26, according to sheriffs in Iron County.
Four days later on March 30, police in her native Middletown asked the county to search for the cardiothoracic surgery fellow at the University of Wisconsin.
Authorities found Musgrove's car in the parking lot at Potato River Falls and found her body near a 90-foot waterfall on April 3, they said in a press release.
The sheriff's office said it does not suspect foul play in relation to her death - but did not yet give a reason.
'All indications at the scene and information from family and friends lead us to believe she had gone hiking along Potato River and had not returned to her vehicle,' they wrote.
'We would like to express our sincere condolences to Kelsey's family,' police added.
UW Health, where Musgrove did her fellowship, put out a statement of their own lamenting her death.
'We are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague Dr. Kelsey Musgrove,' spokesperson Emily Kumlien said. 'She was recognized by her peers as a great surgeon, an outstanding mentor and an incredibly kind and positive spirit. Our thoughts and condolences are with her friends and family during this difficult time.'
Sara Margaret Grossi, a frequent travel companion and close friend of Musgrove, also posted about her grief to her Facebook page.
'I could always cheer her up no matter how big the problem with pistachio ice cream. I can't fix this with a few scoops this time but I can keep loving her even though she's not here to lay under the stars with me anymore and guess constellations. We'll meet again one day in those stars and awkwardly wink at one another and laugh.'
A fellow doctor at UW Health remembered her in another Facebook post.
'Kelsey Musgrove was one of the kindest and most positive residents I've had the privilege of working with and she was well on her way to becoming a great surgeon,' wrote Aaron Zachary. 'She's gone way too soon and had so much more life to live. May we all remember the kindness she showed us and strive to be great and kind the way she was.'
Jad Sattar added: 'I love you Kelsey. Forever and always. Until we meet again.'
Musgroves often posted herself on hiking trails and in the great outdoors on her Facebook and Twitter accounts. She was also a Black Lives Matter supporter and posted recently about raising money for MS research.
Jason @BeardedOverland www.beardedadv.blogspot.com
