Iraq Vet Suspected in Mt. Rainier Shooting Confirmed Dead

UPDATE: Benjamin Colton Barnes, the man who is believed to have shot four people in a Seattle-area house party, fled to Mt. Rainier National Park, and then shot and killed a park ranger, is dead.

Authorities confirmed Barnes was the man found face-down in the snow Monday, concluding a vast manhunt that had involved some 200 law enforcement officers.

From the Seattle Times:

Driven relentlessly through chest-deep snow by his pursuers and unprepared for bitter, freezing temperatures, the suspect in the Sunday slaying of a Mount Rainier National Park ranger died cold and wet overnight — lying half-submerged in Paradise Creek and wearing one tennis shoe, a T-shirt and jeans, barely one mile from where he had fled into the woods.

Indications are that Benjamin Colton Barnes, 24, died from exposure. His body showed no sign of injuries, and he was carrying a handgun, a magazine of ammunition and a knife, said Sgt. Ed Troyer of the Pierce County Sheriff's Department.

Barnes, who was described as having "survivalist" skills, had apparently brought a carload of gear to the park, but abandoned it when he made his getaway after fatally shooting ranger Margaret Anderson. Read more from the Seattle Times here.

UPDATE Monday, Jan. 2, 2:41 p.m.: A body found face-down in the snow in Mt. Rainier National Park on Monday is believed to be that of the Iraq War veteran suspected in two weekend shootings.

From King 5 News in Seattle:

A law enforcement officer with knowledge of the situation said Benjamin Colton Barnes was found in a ditch not far from where he took off after the shooting.

“One of the air units and some of the FBI SWAT team members and Sheriff’s SWAT team members have found a body,” said Det. Sgt. Ed Troyer. “We have not gotten to it, we are nowhere near it, it’s still buried in the snow.”

Troyer said a positive identification has not yet been made.

The Associated Press has additional background on Colton, reporting that he had "a troubled transition to civilian life, with accusations he suffers post-traumatic stress disorder and is suicidal."

Monday, Jan. 2, 1:22 p.m.: Some 200 law enforcement officers are combing snowy Mt. Rainier National Park for an Iraq War veteran suspected in two shootings.

Benjamin Colton Barnes, 24, may have originally headed to the wilderness area to hide out after a shooting that left four wounded at a house party near Seattle, the Associated Press reports.

Then on Sunday morning, he allegedly drove through a tire inspection checkpoint at the park, prompting two rangers to pursue him, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports. One of them, a 34-year-old mother of two named Margaret Anderson, was shot dead. The shooter next fired on officers trying to recover her body, forcing a 90-minute standoff before he disappeared into the woods.

It’s unclear whether he survived the night as officers searched for him using dogs, trackers in snowshoes, and an aircraft with a heat-sensing device, the AP reports. But Barnes is believed to have “survivalist” skills.

"I don't think any of us would be sorry if he was not in a condition to fire on our searchers this morning," a parks spokesman said.

More on the suspect from the AP:

A parks spokesman said Barnes was an Iraq war veteran, and the mother of his child had alleged he suffered from post-traumatic stress following his deployments.

Barnes was involved in a custody dispute in Tacoma in July, during which the toddler's mother sought a temporary restraining order against him, according to court documents.

In an affidavit, the woman wrote that Barnes was suicidal and possibly suffered from PTSD after deploying to Iraq from 2007 to 2008. She said he gets easily irritated, angry and depressed and keeps an arsenal of weapons in his home.

The park was closed Monday as the manhunt continued.