Having mailed a farewell letter to his family in Minnesota, Jerry O. Wolff stepped off a shuttle bus on a sunny Sunday morning and disappeared into Utah’s rugged Canyonlands National Park.
“I am gone in a remote wilderness where I can return my body and soul to nature,” he wrote. “There is no reason for anyone to look for me, just leave me where I am.”
No trace of Mr. Wolff, 65, has been found since he was seen May 11. Park officials assume that he committed suicide.
Millions of people come to national parks each year to enjoy the natural beauty, but a tiny fraction arrive with a grim agenda.
So far this year, at least 18 people have committed suicide in national parks.
For some, the parks are apparently just a convenient place to end it all. Others, though, seem to seek out the beauty and solace of these spots.
“Parks hold a special place in people’s hearts,” said Al Nash, a spokesman at Yellowstone, where five suicides have been recorded since 1997. “There are some individuals who feel it’s important to have that kind of connection in those final moments.”
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