LUCAS — The Richland County Coroner’s Office does not suspect foul play in the death of a woman found at Malabar Farm State Park last week, according to chief investigator Bob Ball.
Ball said Heather Carpenter, a 61-year-old Mansfield resident, was found in a ravine area slightly off a hiking trail the evening of Friday, Oct. 24.
Carpenter’s husband had contacted local authorities several hours earlier when she did not return from a hike, according to Ball.
“She called him, said she was going on a hike down at Malabar, which was nothing unusual,” Ball said.
“He came home from work. Then it started getting dark and that’s when he became concerned.”
Ball said the Richland County Coroner’s Office and Ohio Department of Natural Resources jointly investigated the incident.
Carpenter’s body has been sent to Montgomery County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy. Officials said it will likely be three to four weeks before they receive a report.
