Tonya Maxwell

tmaxwell@citizen-times.com

ASHEVILLE - A 64-year-old hiker found tied to a tree near the Blue Ridge Parkway was sexually assaulted, the National Park Service confirmed Wednesday in the agency’s most expansive statements to date.

Despite nearly three weeks having passed since the May 12 assault, the agency has said little about the attack near Craggy Gardens, a popular stop for parkway sightseers and hikers.

Leesa Brandon, National Park Service spokeswoman for the parkway, said in an email to the Citizen-Times the lone hiker was sexually assaulted.

“We have confirmed that this incident was an assault by a white male, whose description and sketch have been released,” Brandon wrote. “We will also confirm at this time that the incident was a sexual assault, that the victim was tied up, and that the incident happened on the trail adjacent to Potato Field Gap. Our investigation has not determined details of how the victim was approached.”

Potato Field Gap lies about four miles west of the Craggy Gardens Visitor Center when driving the Blue Ridge Parkway, or less than two miles from point to point. The area, about 20 miles northeast of Asheville, is popular for its sweeping views and flower blooms.

Safety of park visitors is a priority for the agency, Brandon said.

But the statement confirming a sexual assault is the first time the Park Service has described the nature of the attack. Investigators did not feel comfortable releasing the information sooner, she said.

The day after the incident, the agency sent out a release indicating a “possible assault” had occurred, later updating it with a “possible suspect description.”

The attacker was described as a generally unkempt white man, about 50 years old, with salt-and-pepper hair and facial hair partially grown in. He was believed to be wearing a light or faded gray short sleeve T-shirt, old or faded baggy blue pants and a dark pair of tennis shoes.

The man may have smelled musty from going unwashed for several days, according to the release.

A description of the woman being tied to a tree came from emergency radio traffic. Firefighters discovered the hiker, along with her service dog, and carried her out. The unidentified woman was treated and released at Mission Hospital that same evening.

Eleven days later, the National Park Service issued a sketch of the suspect.

On Wednesday, Brandon said the investigation is continuing.

“NPS investigators and parkway staff, in cooperation with numerous local and federal agencies, are following up with over 100 leads that have come from numerous sources,” she said. “The investigation is continuing, and we appreciate the public’s interest in helping us solve this case.”

On May 25, at least two armed officers, one with the National Park Service and one with the U.S. Forest Service, were searching the parkway south of the North Carolina Arboretum on a possible lead after a hiker reported an odd encounter on the Mountains to Sea Trail, a report that spread quickly on social media.

Investigators determined the man reported in the tip was not related to the case.

The Blue Ridge Parkway, spanning 469 miles across North Carolina and Virginia, is the agency’s most visited National Park and is often cited as a critical economic engine that has tourists leaving the iconic road and its vistas to drop dollars at hotels, restaurants and local attractions.

The May 12 attack is the only recorded assault of a parkway visitor in the last five years, Brandon said.

Rangers are asking anyone who might have information to call an investigative tip line at 888-653-0009.

Investigators continue to track leads in Parkway assault