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MOAB — Detectives investigating the body of a woman found dead at Arches National Park are hoping data from the woman's Garmin GPS device will help them determine when she died and how.
The body of Ekaterina Yaroslavna Ksenjek, 33, of Arlington, Virginia, was discovered Oct. 1 in the Devils Garden Area of Arches National Park. At the time of her discovery, a cause of death could not be determined.
Investigators say Ksenjek's death was originally considered suspicious because she was found wearing only one shoe and one sock and she was found under a large boulder in a remote area.
Ksenjek's body was "in an advanced state of decomposition" when it was found. Her backpack with the rest of her clothing and other personal items was found a short distance away, according to a search warrant affidavit.
An autopsy by the Utah State Medical Examiner's Office found that Ksenjek suffered multiple broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder. However, "there were no foreign objects found in the body and there were no external injuries that could be said to have immediately caused the death of Ekaterina," the warrant states.
Because of that, Grand County sheriff's investigators believe the woman may have been injured in a fall and then succumbed to the effects of hypothermia, which include removing clothing and "burrowing behavior," according to the affidavit.
Investigators hope that Ksenjek's Garmin device that was recovered at the scene can help determine her time of death.
"If the time can be determined via the information from the watch or account, it can either confirm or dispute the current thought of an accidental fall followed by hypothermia," police wrote in the affidavit.
