Park Ranger James Randall Morgenson
United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service
U.S. Government
End of Watch: Tuesday, July 23, 1996

Biographical Info
Age: 51
Tour of Duty: 27 years
Badge Number: Not available

Incident Details
Cause of Death: Drowned
Date of Incident: Tuesday, July 23, 1996
Incident Location: California
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available

Ranger Morgenson drowned after being swept over a waterfall while on a backcountry patrol in the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park, California. Other rangers began to search for him after he failed to check in with dispatch at the regular time following the first day of the patrol.

Despite an exhaustive search, his remains were not found until July 2001, nearly five years after he went missing. It is believed that Ranger Morgenson fell into a stream while attempting to cross it and was swept over the waterfall.

Ranger Morgenson had served with the agency for 27 years. He was survived by his wife.