National Park Murders

Two of the 10 homicides in the national park system in 1998 cited by Susan Spano (“Yosemite-Area Killings Remind Women That Crime Isn’t Confined to Big Cities,” Her World, Aug. 8) were those of my nephew and his fiancee, who were gunned down at their campsite in Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina by a young man.

Should we stop enjoying our wild places? Of course not. As the article points out, they are relatively safe from human-on-human predation, but we must not be lulled into a false sense of security.

All outdoor adventurers, male or female, would do well to heed the tips put forward in Spano’s article. Because my nephew did not return when he said he would, and because his roommate knew where the couple had gone, the police were able to rule out acquaintances as suspects and issue a profile that was recognized by the killer’s family, who then assisted authorities. The killer was arrested within a few days. I am convinced that these actions combined to prevent additional murders.

DIANE MARSTON

Pasadena