On August 8th, a park employee provided rangers with some vehicle registration and insurance paperwork found along the roadside near Thurmond. Contact with the person named on the papers revealed that the car had been stolen from his driveway in Charleston the previous day. Officers and detectives with Charleston PD advised the park that they believed that the vehicle had been employed in a theft from an ATM after it was stolen. A “be on the lookout” message was distributed among rangers on August 10th, advising that the vehicle was possibly in or around the park. On August 12th, rangers responded to report that a car had been set afire and sent over a cliff in the park next to the New River. Emergency responders found a vehicle on its top, fully engulfed in flames, that matched the description of the stolen vehicle. The following day, rangers found the VIN plate among the remains and confirmed it as the one stolen from Charleston. Some investigative questioning was conducted in the nearby community of Thayer. Crimestoppers, the local clearing house for anonymous criminal tips, has been consulted for leads. A follow up investigation is being conducted by park rangers and local authorities.
