This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Park Service said Wednesday it believes an artist working under the name Creepytings vandalized eight national parks in the western United States.

NPS identified Casey Nocket, 21, in connection with the vandalism case that affected three national parks in Utah.

Investigators confirmed rocks and boulders were defaced with acrylic paint images in Yosemite, Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Rocky Mountain, Colorado National Monument, Crater Lake, Zion and Canyonlands national parks.

Many were alerted to the possible crime by several Instagram and Tumblr posts made by Nocket, indicating she had painted on rocks in national parks and national monuments, according to an article in Modern Hiker. The Instagram account has since been removed.

In September, an image in Rocky Mountain National Park was reported and removed, NPS said in a release. NPS was contacted Oct. 20 about the vandalism cases and it immediately began investigating.

The image at Crater Lake National Park is under snow, and will not be accessible for investigation or cleanup until the summer, NPS said. An image in Yosemite National Park was removed by an unknown person.

NPS reminded individuals to report cases of vandalism, rather than attempt to remove images.

The investigation of the vandalism is ongoing, and no charges have been filed.

×

Photos

Related Stories