Michael Kenney, disappeared June 18, 2014, Weiser State Forest, Pennsylvania. Body Found June 24, 2014.
Revised January 2024
Michael Kenney, 54, of Northumberland County, in Pennsylvania, went for his regular run in the Roaring Creek area in the Weiser State Forest on Wednesday, June 18, 2014. Kenney’s family reported him missing after he failed to return from his trip to the forest, a place he often went jogging in and knew well. A few days later, his body turned up in the Bear Gap Reservoir. Was he pushed, or did he fall into the water?
Weiser State Forest is located on several small tracts in Carbon, Columbia, Dauphin, Northumberland, and Schuylkill counties in Pennsylvania and is around 8,000 acres in size.
The Roaring Creek tract is located north of the borough of Mount Carmel, bounded on either side by parallel mountain ridges. Big Mountain forms the southern boundary, and Little Mountain the northern boundary. Through this valley flows the water of the South Branch of Roaring Creek. The headwater of the South Branch Roaring Creek begins near the eastern boundary and flows westward about 10 miles before it breaks through Little Mountain at a point known as Bear Gap.
The search for Michael Kenney
Soon after the search started, Kenney’s Toyota sedan was found in the parking area at the Route 54 entrance, with its windows up and keys in the ignition. But there was no sign of Michael.
Search and rescue officials closed off the Roaring Creek Tract of the state forest, where Kenney was last seen and searched the reservoirs in the area on foot and with helicopters and sniffer dogs. More than 60 searchers took part. Nick Zulli from the Bureau of Forestry said, "He's an avid hiker and runner, and we have been focusing on the trails in case something happened to him while he was out running or hiking.”
"The terrain is very rugged. It's very rocky, and then there are old mine holes and things like that with wooden boards. There were drop-offs, there are ravines, there's water, so it's very challenging for the searchers," said Cecile Stelter of the Incident Management Team.
Discovery of Kenney’s body
Kenney’s body was eventually found on day seven of the search, on Wednesday, June 24, in the Roaring Creek tract of Bear Gap Reservoir in Weiser State Forest.
Sources at the scene said a member of a search party from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources found the body.
Northumberland County Coroner James F. Kelley said preliminary autopsy results showed Kenney drowned. The authorities suspected no foul play. A quick jog around a forest had come to a tragic end.
What happened to James Kenney?
The circumstances behind James’ death are mysterious and unexplained. Many questions remain that have not been answered by the police investigation.
How did James jog around the trail near Bear Gap Reservoir and end up in the water? The autopsy said he drowned, and there were no signs of foul play. Did he fall into the water, or was he pushed? Did he intend to end his life that day and jump into the water? Was he running from something or someone?
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Sources
https://www.dailyitem.com/news/body-found-in-reservoir/article_9ab523d0-6e5f-565d-a753-413e4f4cd771.html
https://www.dailyitem.com/news/jogger-drowned-in-reservoir-coroner-says/article_5575ab50-8031-5484-a7fd-ef02b87563e2.html
https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/northumberland-county/search-for-missing-man-continues/523-9f3fbfe9-8f77-458b-aaa4-d6a1557abe5b
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weiser_State_Forest
http://elibrary.dcnr.pa.gov/GetDocument?docId=1741712&DocName=sf-fd18_RoaringCreekTract-map.pdf
