Homeless Man Jumps To Death From Bridge

The Fayette County 911 center was notified of an abandoned vehicle parked on the New River Gorge Bridge around 1 a.m. on Saturday, August 25th. Rangers and deputies searched the area using night vision and thermal imaging devices, but were unable to find the driver. Around 7 a.m., rangers spotted the victim on the rocks along the bank of the New River, 876 feet below the bridge. Evidence found at the scene and in the vehicle identified him as a 41-year-old man from Hyannis, Massachusetts. The crime scene was secured and managed by ranger trainee Liz Hamilton, with assistance from field training ranger C.W. Mitchem. The body was recovered and taken to the state medical examiner’s office. The victim was known by several of the rangers and by other local officers as a homeless man who’d been living in and moving among several local campgrounds in different jurisdictions over the past year.  The sheriff’s office is leading the investigation.