FBI: Suspect in Rainier ranger's killing dead Police say man was involved in Skyway shooting hours before ranger was killed

In this pool photo provided by the Pierce Co. Sheriff's Deptartment, members of the Pierce County Swiftwater Rescue Team stand alongside the creek, Monday near the spot where they recovered the body of Benjamin Colton Barnes, who allegedly shot and killed a park ranger Sunday during a traffic stop in the park. (AP Photo/Pierce Co. Sheriff's Dept., Ed Troyer) less In this pool photo provided by the Pierce Co. Sheriff's Deptartment, members of the Pierce County Swiftwater Rescue Team stand alongside the creek, Monday near the spot where they recovered the body of ... more Image 1 of / 24 Caption Close FBI: Suspect in Rainier ranger's killing dead 1 / 24 Back to Gallery

A 24-year-old Iraq veteran suspected of killing a Mount Rainier National Park ranger is confirmed dead after a day of searching.

Airborne searchers first located a body Monday morning, more than a day after Benjamin Colton Barnes is believed to have shot and killed Ranger Margaret Anderson after fleeing a routine safety inspection. An FBI spokeswoman confirmed it was Barnes' corpse spotted by the aircrew.

Barnes was found dead near Narada Falls -- his body lying partially submerged in an icy, snowy mountain creek with snow banks standing several feet high on either side.

"He was wearing T-shirt, a pair of jeans and one tennis shoe. That was it," Pierce County Sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said.

Barnes did not have any external wounds and appears to have died due to the elements, he said.

A medical examiner was at the scene to determine the cause of death. Troyer said two weapons were recovered, but he declined to say where they were located.

Anderson was shot after a driver -- Barnes, according to police -- drove through a tire inspection checkpoint at the park Sunday morning. Anderson and another ranger pursued him and Barnes fired on the rangers near the Longmire ranger station, critically wounding Anderson, park spokesman Kevin Bacher said Monday morning.

Anderson was armed and wearing body armor.

After Anderson was shot, Barnes fired on police who attempted to recover her body, Bacher said. He kept rescuers at bay for 90 minutes before they ultimately reached Anderson and found the 34-year-old mother of two dead.

"The FBI and the law enforcement community want Ranger Anderson's family to know we honor her for making the ultimate sacrifice in her effort to enable the public to enjoy the beauty of Mt. Rainier and the environment she was sworn to protect," Laura M. Laughlin, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI Seattle office, said in a statement.

More than 200 law officers had been searching for Barnes, who is also a suspect in a Skyway shooting in the early hours of New Year's Day, which left four people injured.

Speaking Monday morning, Bacher said investigators believe Barnes may have fled to the park to hide.

“We’re speculating that he may have come up here for exactly that reason, to get away,” Bacher said. “The speculation is that he threw some stuff in the car and came up here to hide out.”

Safety concerns prompted authorities to keep the tourists at a visitor center as the manhunt unfolded. Officers ultimately escorted them out of the park in groups of vehicles over the span of a few hours early Monday.

Having attempted to apprehend Barnes until nightfall Sunday, investigators had been moving forward assuming Barnes survived the night.

According to Associated Press reports, 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.

King County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Cindi West said in a statement that Barnes was connected to an early-morning shooting at a New Year's house party in Skyway that left four people injured, two critically. That shooting happened about 3 a.m. and stemmed from an argument over a gun.

West said three people fled the scene. Two were located, and West said authorities were searching for Barnes and had been in contact with his family.

The effort to bring Barnes into custody was massive. Led by the FBI, National Parks Service and Pierce County Sheriff's Office, it drew more than 200 officers and agents from nearly every major law enforcement agency in Western Washington.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Ranger Margaret Anderson," U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan said in a statement. "She was a dedicated ranger, devoting her life to public service and her two young daughters.

"Her death is a tragic loss for our community, and most searingly for her family."

Armed teams with wearing crampons and snowshoes pursued what appeared to be the gunman's tracks in the snow, Troyer said. Those tracks went into creeks and other waterways, making it more difficult for crews to follow.

Authorities recovered his vehicle, which had weapons and body armor inside, Troyer said.

Park superintendent Randy King said Anderson had served as a park ranger for about four years. King said Anderson's husband also was working as a ranger elsewhere in the park at the time of the shooting.

"It's just a huge tragedy — for the family, the park and the park service," he said.

Adam Norton, a neighbor of Anderson's in Eatonville, said the ranger's family moved in about a year ago. He said they were not around much, but when they were, Norton would see Anderson outside with her girls.

"They just seemed like the perfect family," he said.

The town of about 3,000 residents, which is a logging community overlooking Mount Rainier, is very close knit, he said.

"It's really sad right now," Norton said. "We take care of each other."

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This report contains information from AP reports.