Man found dead in park

The body of Jose Alfonso Martins Jr. was located Tuesday morning in the Keyser Run area of Shenandoah National Park. The discovery marked the end of an 11-day search by park officials and volunteers.

The cause of death is under investigation.

"There is nothing to indicate foul play," said Karen Beck-Herzog, a park spokesperson. "There's no indication that he was with somebody else."

Beck-Herzog could not provide information about exactly where Martins was found or the state of his body.

Martins, 42, had been missing since March 26. His family reported him missing to the Manassas Police Department on March 27. His car was found parked off of Skyline Drive on March 29.

Beck-Herzog said Martins' family reported that he was "despondent" when he left Manassas, but they did not indicate what may have caused him to feel that way and go to the park.

All trails in the Keyser Run area of the park were closed the morning of April 3 for the search. The area remained closed until 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Park officials closed the access points from both Skyline Drive and the park boundary for the following trails: Keyser Run Fire Road, Little Devils Stairs, Piney Branch, Sugar Loaf, Piney Ridge, Pole Bridge Link Trail and the portion of Hull School from Piney Branch to Keyser Run.

More than 200 employees and trained volunteers from around the state were involved in the search. Dog teams, ground searchers, support personnel and helicopters were used to find Martins.

"We couldn't have done it without the trained volunteers," Beck-Herzog said. "Their support and their help is crucial to our being able to conduct these searches."

E-mail the reporter at kallen@timespapers.com.