JAFFREY — Monadnock State Park was closed Tuesday while officials searched for and later found the body of a 21-year-old Keene State College student who apparently shot and killed himself.
The body was found about 1 p.m. on the White Cross Trail near the summit and was carried out by N.H. Fish and Game conservation officers, Jaffrey police and N.H. State Parks staff.
A notice on Keene State College’s website identified the man as Jacob Messersmith, a senior from Alexandria who was studying theater arts.
Assistant Park Manager Sue Tirrell had initially encountered Messersmith on Monday afternoon around 4:30 p.m. He was hiking alone and appeared to be unprepared for overnight weather on the mountain, said Fish and Game Lt. Craig Morrocco.
Tirrell spoke to him about the need to be properly equipped before setting out on the trails, especially that late in the day, according to a Fish and Game news release.
When she returned to the park Tuesday morning and saw the man’s vehicle was still in the parking lot, Tirrell called Fish and Game.
The park was closed during the search because evidence found in his vehicle suggested the man may have been armed and despondent, according to Fish and Game.
Larry Davis, a regular hiker of the mountain from Jaffrey, said when he set off for his morning hike Tuesday park officials informed him that a search for a hiker was being conducted.
A short time later, officials closed the park and hikers already on the mountain were asked to come down, Davis said.
Fish and Game searched the main trails while a State Police helicopter with infrared sensors scanned the mountain from above and a bloodhound assisted with the ground search.
Keene police Lt. Eliezer Rivera said Messersmith’s roommate had contacted police on Sunday after Messersmith went missing and that police were treating it as a potential missing person case.
The state parks service said this morning that Monadnock State Park has reopened but the White Cross Trail will remain closed until further notice.
Counseling and support services at the college are available to students and staff through the counseling center. Appointments with counselors are available on a drop-in basis. The college’s crisis hotline is also available at 358-2436.
