Cyclist missing off SCT

Oops. Sorry, 1111, double post.

And it's always good to bring a cell phone.

Edited by runnergirl29 2006-07-26 10:40 AM

Ohhh, very scary news from the AJC...hopefully it's not her.  

Body reported found along Silver Comet trail
Associated Press
Published on: 07/26/06

Police plan a news conference in connection with the search for a 54-year-old woman missing since she left to ride her bicycle on the Silver Comet Trail.

Volunteers helping search for Jennifer Ewing of Sandy Springs say they have been told that a body has been found along the trail that begins in Smyrna. They told WSB-TV that the body was found about 14 miles away from the start of the trail.


Jennifer Ewing
Police have not confirmed that a body has been found.

Ewing's silver Honda Odyssey minivan was found about 9 a.m., parked at the trail.

Ewing's family says she makes a 50-mile roundtrip on the trail three to four times a week.

The Silver Comet Trail runs 57 miles from Smyrna to the state line along an abandoned freight rail corridor — winding through Cobb, Paulding and Polk counties.

My heart goes out the Ewing family. I can not imagine what they are going through at this time. According to the news, this was the second attack in a month on the SCT. This just pisses me off so much. It is one of the reasons I train on the tread-out of caution. Training outside gives the perp the upper hand because they have the element of surprise on their side and, if you are like me-they are rested where the runner/biker may be exerting too much energy and may not be in top form to fight back. They say that the the victim put up one ferocious fight. I hope she has enough DNA on her that the perp, if caught, will rot in jail for the rest of their lives.
Some of the best ways to protect yourself (that I can think of) is to take a self defense class, vary your routes/times/routines (it could be that the perp staked the location out and picked his target based on routine-or it could have been an unfortunate random violent act) and ensure someone you know is informed of your schedule/location/start time of training/projected end time of training/and if they do not hear form you by "x-time" what they should do.
Also, know the area-look for and identify alternate routes in case you need to get to away, possible areas where someone could set-up an attack, locations of police call boxes (know a lot of places may not have these installed along the trail-but they should!!!!!!), and ALWAYS maintain situational awareness-make direct eye contact, run with only one earphone in and tunes down so you can hear what is going on around you (perps who attack runners tend to "run" pass the target first, then when they pass-turn around and attack from behind), and give them the impression that you will, without a doubt, bring on a world of hurt. If you give the impression that you are submissive, that you are not aware of what is going on around you, then you may become vulnerable.
I am sure there are other things that can be done as well to decrease your chances, but this is all that come to my mind right now.

God be with the Ewing family and all who knew her and loved her.

I just heard about his last night. Being a guy, i am not too concerned for myself. I am concerned for female friends that ride alone, especially during the week. The worst part is the SCT is such a great place and now it has a certain "air" to it...at least in my mind. like the whole thing has been violated. I feel horrible for her family and the trying times they are faced with. it sounds like this was a regular ride for her. I am sure she chose the trail for its scenery and relative safety...from cars.

This saddens me so much. I train out there constantly and always felt somewhat safe.

Suspect being questioned after cyclist slain
Sandy Springs mother of three mourned as inspiration

By CRAIG SCHNEIDER, YOLANDA RODRIGUEZ
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 07/27/06

Investigators are questioning a convicted sex offender in the death of a woman whose body was found off the Silver Comet Trail on Wednesday, Sheriff Bruce Harris of Paulding County said today.

Detectives detained Michael William Ledford for violating terms of his probation. State records say Ledford served 10 years in prison after a 1991 rape conviction in Paulding County.

“He is one of our suspects,” Harris said this morning.

The sheriff said investigators picked up Ledford Tuesday after finding him with alcohol. He said that violated terms of Ledford’s probation.

According to Scheree Lipscomb, spokeswoman for the Georgia Board of Pardons and Parole, Ledford was considered for early release three times by the parole board, and denied all three times.

Donald Ledford of Douglasville, the suspect's brother, said the family is devastated by the news. "Everybody is tore up," he said."Right now we're just like everybody else. We're waiting for results, waiting for testing."

He said he has not spoken to his brother since his arrest.

Harris said investigators were still at the crime scene today, a kudzu-covered wooded area roughly 40 feet off the Silver Comet trail, a paved 60-mile trail that runs from Cobb County to the Alabama state line.

On Wednesday, police found a body believed to be that of Jennifer Ewing, a 54-year-old Sandy Springs mother of three who often rode 50 miles in a day. The apparent homicide victim was discovered 40 feet off the trail, near mile marker 17 between Hiram and Dallas, after she did not come home Tuesday. Black spandex riding shorts were found atop a patch of kudzu nearby.

An autopsy is being conducted this morning by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Deputy coroner Mike Cochran of Paulding County said he expects authorities to determine a cause of death by 1 p.m.

"I'm waiting to hear from the medical examiner at the crime lab as to their findings on the autopsy,” he said.

“This is a sad event, especially on the Silver Comet," Cochran said. "Hopefully it won't deter people from using it … It's a real tragic event."

The body was found at 11 a.m. Wednesday after a search was mounted after Ewing did not return home for dinner Tuesday. Her husband, Jim Ewing, had called police.

Smyrna police found Jennifer Ewing's gray Honda Odyssey in a parking lot at a trail head near Nickajack Elementary School.

Down the trail, a bike was found near the body, which had suffered "obvious trauma" to her head and body, said Major Tom Murphy of the Paulding County Sheriff's Office. The condition of the body made immediate identification difficult.

But relatives and investigtors had little doubt that it was Ewing's body that search crews found.

As family and friends grieved their loss, they remembered a special woman.

The victim's 26-year-old son, Jim Ewing, spoke late Wednesday afternoon in front of the family home.

"All of you who knew Mom know that she is responsible for every good thing our family has done or ever will do," he said. "She inspired us all.

We had hoped and prayed for a happy outcome, but instead we are faced with this tragedy."

He asked that the killers be caught and prosecuted "to the fullest extent of the law."

Ewing was "kind and loving, full of the Holy Spirit, very giving," said Becky Norman of Roswell, a friend for 16 years. Ewing had home schooled Norman's children as well as her own, teaching them literature and art. Norman said Ewing discovered an artistic talent in her then-14-year-old son, which had directed him to a life in the arts.

In Ewing's Sandy Springs neighborhood, friends and relatives visited the well-kept yellow house to pay their respects, speaking in hushed tones.

Jim Voyles, a neighbor and friend for 26 years, said, "She's a mother that leaves a legacy that is unparalleled in many circles. She was a tremendous lady."

On Tuesday, Ewing had ridden 25 miles out on the trail, which took her into Paulding County, then had turned around to head back. The round trip over the converted railroad bed could take several hours.

Wednesday evening, visitors to the Silver Comet Trail admitted to having been lulled into a sense of complacency.

"You never really think there will a mugger here because you're not carrying any cash," said Holly Janney of Smyrna who was out walking the Silver Comet with her husband, Dave.

They paused near a wooden post bearing a missing person poster asking for any information about Ewing.

Said Janney, "I probably won't come down without my husband at odd hours."

And yet, despite the 90-degree heat, the trail was filled with bicyclists, walkers and roller-bladers. Some said they had not heard the news.

Ed McBrayer, executive director of the non-profit PATH Foundation, which developed the trail, said, "We like to think the trail is safe. There is very little crime, certainly nothing of this magnitude. There's never been any major crime that we know of."

He said 911 calls from cell phones can be made from the trail.

"It's such a beautiful place," Atlantan Ron Williams said as he prepared for a ride. "It's gorgeous. The whole trail. The further you go out, the less people, the less activity you see on the trail. Some parts are heavily wooded.... " But, he said, he "never had any safety concerns."

The men of Williams' church ride their bikes on an annual trek to Rockmart in west Georgia. The ladies of the church like to walk it, Williams said.

Now, he said, the women will have to "walk together in a pack."

Staff writers Carlos Campos, David Markiewicz and Travers Johnson contributed to this article.