Nevada National Guard Officer Helps Close Final Chapter of Fossett Search

While at the Mineret Overlook in California's Inyo National Forest backcountry on Oct. 20, 1st Lt. Natalie Morrow of the Nevada Army National Guard discusses how she and her husband, Preston, discovered items associated with Steve Fossett's downed aircraft. Morrow found a black sweatshirt near Mineret Mine that may have been Fossett's; positive DNA identification on bones found near Fossett's crashed plane are pending. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Erick Studenicka.)

On the Home Front:

MAMMOTH LAKES, Calif., Oct. 23, 2008 -- Nevada Army Guard helicopter pilots scoured more than 20,000 square miles looking for any evidence of him, dead or alive.

Nevada Air Guard analysts reviewed thousands of images looking for any potential trace of his Bellanca Super Decathlon stunt plane.

The September 2007 search was among the nation’s largest ever for an individual, involving hundreds of people and officially lasting for more than two weeks.

Unofficially, the search never ended for dozens of private citizens as speculation about what had happened raged around the world.

In the end, though, it was a Nevada Army Guard medical services officer on foot, 1st Lt. Natalie Morrow, who likely helped solve the mystery surrounding the disappearance of famed aviator-adventurer Steve Fossett on Sept. 30.

One day after her husband, Preston Morrow, found Fossett’s identification near abandoned Mineret Mine in rugged Mono County, Natalie Morrow found a black sweatshirt deep in the Inyo National Forest that likely had been worn by Fossett.

Bone fragments were also found at the site, but positive DNA identification associated with the bones is still pending.

“It was just a matter of luck; it was just the right place and we happened to be there,” Natalie said on Oct. 20. “It was a wide area to search, around Yerington and eastern California. It was one of those things – when you have debris scattered and demolished as much as it was – it was going to be hard to find.”

Natalie Morrow found a black Nautica brand sweatshirt. Officials said that is not the technical type of clothing they would usually expect to find deep in the backcountry.

Natalie, 36, is assigned to the Army Guard’s medical detachment headquartered in Reno, Nev. In her civilian occupation, she is a fire chief with the Mammoth Lakes Fire Department.

Natalie and her husband have lived in Mammoth Lakes for 16 years. She enlisted in the Nevada Army Guard in 2002 and graduated from Officer Candidate School in 2003.

Natalie deflected the credit for the discovery to Preston. If not for a late start on his hike on Sept. 29, it’s unlikely Preston would have intersected the wreckage. He had wanted to begin his hike with his dog Kona from the Mineret Lake trail head in the morning but did not start until 12:30 p.m.

“I had been on the trail for 4-5 miles and had the goal of reaching Mineret Mine,” Preston said. “Then it got late and I reached the decision I wasn’t going to make it to the mine if I wanted to get back to the car by dark.

“So I went off trail to get a nice view of the area at about 10,000 feet. Then I went on a beeline back down and that’s when I found the stuff. I was off-trail. That was the key. If it had been on a trail, it would have been spotted by backpackers and hikers.”

What Preston had found was the identification for James Steve Fossett and $1,005 in cash. The next day, Preston and Natalie returned with a wildlife specialist and a videographer to get the exact GPS coordinates; that’s when Natalie discovered the black sweatshirt.

The Morrows dispelled some common beliefs surrounding their discovery. They said officials would not specially notify them should the DNA tests confirm they discovered Fossett’s final resting place, and they said they knew of no reward associated with the find.

Natalie Morrow said it was a surreal feeling to realize they had discovered the clues to the famous mystery.

“I told Preston ‘I can’t believe you stumbled upon this,’” Natalie said. “It’s an amazing occurrence, considering all the man hours spent during the search process, and then he stumbles upon the ID card and the money during a hike.”

The Morrows do not anticipate the discovery will significantly alter their lives.

“It was a day and a half of fame across the nation -- and in New Zealand, but after that it was done and I never really thought about it too much,” Preston said. “It was cool with the clippings and photos and we did some video with family, and I’ll take those and store them away and it will become a part of our life. But it’s not earth-shattering for me.”

The aircraft wreckage was found about 65 miles due south of the Flying M Ranch near Yerington, Nev., where Fossett’s flight originated on Labor Day in 2007. Yerington, Nev., is about 70 miles southeast of Reno.

Madera County Sherriff John Anderson, who had helped in the 2007 search, told the Associated Press that the Civil Air Patrol had coordinated 19 flights over that general area during the initial search.

The wreckage was found at about 10,000 feet and snow is already limiting access to the area. Three slingloads of wreckage was recovered before the first major snowfall of the season occurred on Oct. 4. California Army Guard helicopters assisted in the removal of the wreckage.

Reasons for the crash could include mechanical failure or Fossett may have had a medical problem such as a heart attack. Weather records reveal there were large storm clouds around the Mammoth Lakes area on Sept. 3, 2007.

(Report by Sgt. 1st Class Erick Studenicka, Nevada National Guard.)

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