Thursday, April 17, 2014

Sad Discovery in Coon Bluff parking lot.........

So much happened this past weekend that it forced me to realize I can just "start" entries again instead of trying to re-cap each event on the specific weekend in which it occurred.  In other words, I'm realizing it's certainly OK if these experiences are not documented in "numerical" order.  What's important is that they're posted!

Now that I have that obstacle out of my way, maybe this will be easier.  One can only hope!

I'm starting this past weekend with the events of Sunday; my next post will be about what happened on Saturday.  It's important for me to write about Sunday, partly because I'm hoping it will help me "deal" and process the information so that I may recover from it.

Incidentally, this posting is not for the "faint at heart."  It may get pretty descriptive in my efforts to portray the situation.


As I pulled into the parking lot at Coon Bluff to park the trailer, I saw a car parked where we typically set up.  No big deal, we figured someone was hiking.  David and I changed drivers (I’m not “into” backing up the trailer….just yet…..); as he started backing the trailer alongside the fence , he told me, 'someone is laying on the ground.'   Well, people do party out there, so we figured someone was passed out as we’ve seen happen a couple other times.

As we backed closer, though, David stopped the truck and told me that a shotgun was on the ground near the guy’s body, and thinks that looks kind of ominous.  In my “innocent little world” the last thing I’m thinking is that anyone is dead or wounded, etc.  I’m thinking, ‘ok, so he was hunting or target shooting, had too much to drink, laid down and fell asleep with his gun nearby his person.’   NOT.   :(   

I’m really naïve sometimes……ridiculously.  I got out of the truck, walked around it, and gasped!  There was blood everywhere…….the poor guy was laying part in the parking lot and part in the desert right inside the gate.    He was on his stomach, the gun was near his feet facing south, but his head was facing north.  ??  There were two spent casings from the shotgun; one was actually hanging upside down on a post on the fence at the gate, and the other was near his legs.  I picked up my phone and dialed 911. 

I got a recording!  ??  The recording basically said I had reached a 911 call center and that it appeared I was calling from a cell phone from a remote location.  It told me not to hang up or that would further delay my call for help.  The message stated it was transferring me to a nearby call station, and that the message would be repeated in Spanish and in another language…..I think French.  ????  ARE YOU KIDDING ME??????  I think that’s messed up, but I had no choice at the time, except to stay on the line.  

Finally a person answered, and I explained the situation.  Believe me, I wanted to scream…..cry…..I was a little shaky inside…….but I held it together because the dispatch person had NO clue where I was talking about!  I had to literally explain how to get to Coon Bluff Road from exiting the freeway on Power, including explaining that Power Road turns into Bush Highway!  Then I had to confirm the only direction you can turn onto Coon Bluff Road is left if you’re heading south on Bush Highway!  ??  Seriously????

Ok, so he finally has a cop on the way.  Then he’s asking me who I am, my address, my blah blah blah, etc.  He wanted to know what kind of car the person had parked in the lot, which meant I needed to walk around and closer than I wanted to…….but I did it and gave him the information, including the license plate number.  

A deputy finally arrives, and starts asking questions.  One of the first questions she asked was who had walked up near the body!  RIDER #2 did NOT speak up and say that he had……instead he walked away and started tacking up his horse!  David told the officer RIDER #2 had walked up to the body and “described” his theory about what had taken place.  

Consequently, we were all held up then because she had to take pictures of everyone’s boots AND had to hold onto our licenses until the Detectives got there and cleared us!  That was a little unnerving, but the thought in my mind kept going back to wanting the police to move more quickly so that the family could be notified.  Not sad enough to find this poor person, now we have to deal with a complete IDIOT!  (meaning RIDER #2, of course...)

We told her that we had explained to RIDER #2 that it wasn’t a good idea because of contaminating the scene; she asked if we watch crime shows.   I said yes, sometimes; she told us knowledgeable information is learned from watching and she’s glad "some" people take it seriously.   In other words…..

Thankfully, she was able to clear us; she did, however, take our info, and took pictures of our tires and our boots because the day before, we had been parked in that area near where the body was laying.  

LONG story short……he was just a college kid.   They aren’t 100% positive he committed suicide…….but until the coroner’s report and the investigation is completed, they are calling it an apparent suicide.

I’ve been in tears off and on ever since we found him Sunday morning.  I can’t get this out of my head; I can’t even sleep, although I am so tired, I can hardly see straight.

This happened MAYBE an hour prior to us getting there, and we were later than usual!  OMG, what if we’d gotten there earlier?   Would we have been able to stop him, assuming this was suicide?  What if it’s a homicide???  There were other things that didn’t “add up,” and we discussed those with the officer.  She agreed there were enough circumstantial reasons to question it.

My heart goes out to his family and friends; I wish he could have gotten help.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

I am so glad you wrote about it Carol. That in itself is healing therapy. My Heart is with you!

Unknown said...

Writing about traumatic moments are a start to healing that is good! Sorry you encountered the Moron. If it has been his son it would have been different!

Unknown said...

OMG Carol, I am so sorry you saw this! Some humans , i( you want to call him human, carol I can!t write any mire because of my eye and this is too small for me, just know I am thinking of you! Gail

Unknown said...

I am so sorry you experienced this. Some people are MORONS ( rider #2 ).

GunDiva said...

That's awful :(