Monday, Jan 8, 2007
On January 2nd, the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Department contacted the park and asked that a search be begun for a missing man. Leo Leger, 35, had last been seen on the evening of Monday, January 1st. The vehicle he was reportedly operating had been checked by rangers earlier that morning in the Panorama parking area, and surveillance tapes showed that he entered the park around 10 p.m. on Monday evening. An initial search was conducted around the spot where his car was found with the assistance of a Park Police helicopter. A significant number of park employees and volunteers, including ground searchers and dog teams, were involved in the operation. On January 5th, Leger’s sister, who lives in Madison, West Virginia, called the park and reported that Leger had just arrived at her house. The search was terminated following a telephone interview. Leger said that he’d left the vehicle and traveled at night. He walked about 30 miles to US 33, then left the park, walked to Lexington, and caught a ride to his sister’s house. Chief ranger Gordon Wissinger was incident commander. Participating in the search along with NPS employees were personnel from the Virginia State Police, Albemarle County Sheriff’s Department, Appalachian Search and Rescue, Top of Virginia Search and Rescue, and Rockingham/Augusta Search and Rescue
|
