chapter 264

Murder on the Mohawk

7/2/2011

suicide? accident? or prank that snowballed out of control ?

From the shadows by the trees on top of this high 35 foot rock cliff, a screaming body fell near me at 11:45 A.M. into the water as my kayak passed nearby!

 During the photo shoot for my steamboat event I did a little side trip paddling in the Mohawk River around Peebles Island State Park. It was there that I witnessed something strange. As I neared a high rock cliff a girl's scream pierced the air. Quickly turning my head I caught a glimpse of the girl entering the river at high velocity feet first. I heard a the Ker Chunk as she entered the water but with minimal splash.

I was in strong swirly currents due to the heavy prior rains. The water was chocolate and you could not see one inch below the surface. Water depths were unknown but I would hit my paddle on the rocky shale below the water from time to time. Thus, I had been primarily focusing on the water surface in front of me to read the river for boils and upwellings. You could hit a submerged rock that would flip your kayak right over.

After I'd gotten past some of the stronger currents, I looked over to the spot where the person entered the water expecting to see someone treading water. I saw nobody. So I paddled over thinking I might have to give assistance or CPR. There was nothing. No sign of anything.

I'd previously heard rock music coming from the top of that cliff and noticed a guy in the shadows seemingly with someone else. He'd seem to look over at me suspiciously. But now, I hear no music, no voices, I see no one else on the cliff coming to search or running away either for that matter. Now, I'm wondering was the girl pregnant, telling her boyfriend who didn't want anything to do with it. Was it a suicide? Did he push her? Was it a murder? But what I saw had only lasted maybe one half second. Was I imagining it. Was it a psychic phenomenon as there had been numerous numerous strange events ,and   murder  and   suicides and ,  accidents at the Island over the years. It was just a couple months back when a local artist girl had killed killed herself there. Was this the site of ancient Cohoes Indian maiden jump site. But I remember Charlie Chan saying "Theories like fingerprints, everybody has them".  "Journey of life like feather in stream- must go with flow" Charlie Chan in Egypt 1935.  At any rate, I figured if the person had not exited the water quickly and disappeared then she was a goner. In the swift currents she wouldn't be found for a week or months downstream is has been the usual procedure.

I finally called police a day later to at least report the time of the incident as I had looked at my watch to make a note of that. After another few days I had to return to the scene of the crime to investigate. The game was afoot.

 Approaching the top of cliff on foot from the park perimeter path, it's a breathtaking spot.

 I could see there was clearly no swinging rope and looking slightly downstream there is a  small rocky path to a leaping rock perch where one could get a running  start to clear the near rocks below.

 Sunlight hits the likely jump off ramp looking upstream. With the loose rock I was afraid of falling off the cliff while taking pictures. Like a midget at the urinal, I had to stay on my toes.

 From the bottom of cliff looking up the perch is visible.

 I found traces of foot paths leading down to the waters edge. It became elementary deduction when I found the footprints remaining on the soft shoreline indicated a sport water shoe that would be ideal for jumping from a slippery rock surface, and only leading from the water (more than once). Teva Proton 4 performance water slip on . There was also a fallen tree on the downstream shoreline that would be a good spot to grab on and exit the water (visible in top photo).

After speaking with the Park staff I was able to determine that there was a custom and history of kids making illegal jumps from time to time. The security attempts to stop them, perhaps ticket them, so they would be inclined to quickly exit so as not to get caught. Thus, it all adds up. The cliff jump is very scary so it probably was some adventurous boys in the first place. The scream sounded like a girl, but that's kind of the sound boys make in an excited jump. He probably exited the river quickly and if athletic enough to jump was also agile enough to scurry up the slope in short order.

Cliff Jumping Extreme !!! There are way too many of these, perhaps my kayak was the target of a helmet cam video by the jumper? this would be similar

Yet, lingering doubts remain. It was just moments, a minute time lapse till I paddled to the spot. Did the jump go wrong? Were the footprints from previous jumps? Did his friend panic and run away? If a body surfaces in the weeks or months ahead, this will become a more tragic chapter. Time will tell.

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