Investigators were on the scene all day Thursday at Rock City, where a body was discovered Wednesday evening by a hiker.
Police say the body, which was found about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, was badly decomposed but investigators said it appears to be male. It was discovered by a Graysville man who was hiking in the woods. He called 911. The hiker was apparently visiting his mother, who lives in the area.
The body was discovered below Lover's Leap, one of the attractions at Rock City, which was closed most of Thursday, on Lookout Mountain, Ga. A Starbucks coffee shop, which is at the entrance to Rock City, remained open.
In a written release Rock City said, The Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Walker County authorities were investigating the remains of a body found by a hiker on property adjacent to Rock City. Investigators were utilizing park access to the scene and therefore Rock City was closed pending notification from officials. Rock Citys priority was to cooperate with law enforcement on-site.
The cause of death was not certain. The remains were scattered over an area of more than 100 yards.
The body was about 1,000 feet from the top of the Leap. There were no obvious signs of trauma to the body.
The investigation has been turned over to the Walker County Sheriffs Department, but other agencies that are involved include the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, FBI, and Lookout Mountain Police Department.
The body is being sent to the GBI crime lab in Atlanta.
9:20 a.m.: An anthropologist from the GBI crime lab in Atlanta is on the scene this morning looking at the bones, said Lt. D. Forester with the Lookout Mountain Police Department. Yellow police tape is across the front of the Rock City entrance.
9:41 a.m.: Also on the scene this morning are officials with the FBI, GBI, Walker County Sheriffs Department, Lookout Mountain Police Department and National Park Service. No one, including reporters, are being allowed onto the site where the body was found. Part of body was found on Park Service property and part was found in Walker County. For now, the site where the body was found is being treated as a crime scene, said Ray Cross, assistant police chief with the Lookout Mountain Police Department.
10:40 a.m.: Ray Cross has just finished holding a news conference. There appears to be no new information or developments at this time. It is too early to tell if foul play was involved or if the person was just a hiker who got lost. Cross said the on-site investigation could take all day, and Rock City may or may not -- be closed Friday. He said this is the first time such an incident has occurred at Rock City in its 75-year history. He emphasized that the buddy system should be used when someone goes walking on trails in rural wooded areas.
11:16 a.m. It is about 1,000 feet from Rock Citys entrance to Lovers Leap. About 20 officials are on-site and processing the scene where the body was found.
3:08 p.m.: The body has been confirmed as a male. The remains have likely been there since late last summer. Mitchell Kingsley, Walker County deputy coroner, said identifying the body will depend heavily on possible dental records. In identifying the body, officials will focus on records of people reported missing in the area. There is no confirmation on the cause of death. Meanwhile, Rock City has been reopened. The body was found at the bottom of the Leaps cliff, about 100 feet from the cliffs inside wall, which is outside the area that Rock City visitors would go.
3:40 p.m.: The following information and quotes are from Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson: The body, a male, appears to have been in the area for 9-15 months. Authorities have completed the retrieval of the skeletal remains. "The remains are in the possession of a forensic anthropologist, who will be taking them back to Atlanta and hopefully we will be able to make an identification."
The anthropologist is Maria T. Tarrant and she is also a Ph.D. and is contracted by the GBI when remains are found, such as in this case. Tarrant comes to the crime scene and collects and examines remains for possible identification. Tarrant has said that the remains found are male, but investigators are not ready to release any other information now regarding race or age. "It is tentatively believed to be a male. There will be some more testing that will need to be completed, but tentatively speaking from the doctor, it is a male. There were no signs of foul play identified during the initial recovery phase, but that doesn't mean that there wasn't foul play. It just means that none was detected initially."
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Zack attempts Fat Man's Squeeze at Rock Cityby zpb521,927 views
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