On Thursday, October 4th, park maintenance workers located a backpack on a bench at Battery Rathbone. The backpack contained various items, including a wallet, iPhone, and prescription drug bottles. Investigators soon determined that the backpack belonged to a woman who was possibly suicidal. Rescue Vessel 29, a patrol vessel from Point Reyes that was assigned to a special event in the area, responded and found a body on the cliff side, approximately 80 feet above the shoreline and directly below Battery Rathbone. Rangers instituted ICS and requested assistance from the U.S. Park Police Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) and Southern Marin Fire Department. A lowering system was built and a ranger and a Southern Marin firefighter were lowered with a litter to the body. They recovered the victim, who matched the description of the suicidal woman. She was then lowered to waiting Golden Gate lifeguards on a jet ski, who in turn transferred the body to Rescue Vessel 29. The body was taken to the Coast Guard station at Fort Baker, where a positive ID was made by the coroner and next of kin were notified. Although it was an unfortunate event, the response was notable for excellent interdivisional coordination among park maintenance employees, rangers (from both Golden Gate and Point Reyes), Park Police officers, and Coast Guard and Southern Marin FD personnel.

Contact Information
Name: Randy Lavasseur, Deputy Chief Ranger