Two Colorado attractions are among the confirmed hit list of a New York woman under investigation for creating graffiti and vandalizing a number of national parks in the West.
Officials at the National Park Service in Washington, D.C. confirmed that Colorado National Monument — as well as Rocky Mountain National Park — are among eight locations vandalized this fall. The primary suspect in the incidents is Casey Nocket, 21, of Highland, N.Y.
The self-proclaimed artist posted images of her work online.
the Park Service said Nocket may have painted faces and sketches on rock formations in as many as 10 national parks
. In a release on Wednesday, the NPS said that besides the two in Colorado, six other locations — Yosemite National Park, Death Valley National Park, and Joshua Tree National Park in California, Crater Lake National Park in Oregon, and Zion National Park and Canyonlands National Park, both in Utah — had been defaced.
The image in Rocky Mountain National Park was reported to the park and removed in late September before similar images were found in the other national parks; NPS officials would not confirm which of the incidents in Colorado occurred first.
The NPS investigation began around Oct. 20. According to the release, investigators continue to collect evidence of the crimes, conduct interviews, and are consulting with the U.S. Attorney’s Office about potential charges.
