HOCKING HILLS, Ohio — A Chillicothe woman’s death Monday at Hocking Hills State Park, reportedly caused by a falling tree branch, might not have been accidental, according to reports.
Schaad Johnson, a supervisor with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, tells WCMH Channel 4 that investigators have information indicating the section of tree that hit Victoria Schafer, 44, “did not fall by natural means.”
” I would say at this point this is an ongoing investigation, it is developing, we are gathering information,” Johnson tells WCMH. “I will say at this point that is a section of tree that had struck the victim.”
Few additional details were released. Schafer reportedly was taking senior photos of six high school seniors when the incident occurred at about 5:30 p.m. near Old Man’s Cave in Hocking Hills.
Support our efforts. Help us grow.
ABC 6 reports investigators are hoping to talk with possible witnesses. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation also is looking into the incident.
WBNS Channel 10 reports Schafer was a respected photographer in Chillicothe. “Ultimately, she is going to be remembered as one of the most loved and cherished people this town has ever produced,” Gunner Barnes, also a photographer in Chillicothe, tells WBNS. “I loved Victoria. She was an amazing person.” Schafer is survived by a husband and four children.
Reports say this is the third death in the Hocking Hills area this summer. Last week, Alexander Colsin, 22, died after falling from a cliff near the Lower Falls at Old Man’s Cave, WBNS reports. In June, the body of Dana Busson, 55, was recovered from Conkles Hollow State Nature Preserve.
Comments