Canyonlands National Park Seeks Public Help to Identify Visitors Suspected of Archeological Theft

Rocks mark the location where a metal monolith once stood in the ground in a remote area of red rock in Spanish Valley, Utah south of Moab near Canyonlands National Park. (Kelsea Dockham/Canyon State Overland via AP)

Law enforcement park rangers at Canyonlands National Park in Utah are asking the public to help identify two suspects allegedly involved in an archaeological theft incident.

The alleged incident took place on March 23, 2024, at Cave Spring Cowboy Camp in the Needles district of the park, the National Park Service (NPS)—an agency operating within the U.S. Department of the Interior—said in a press release on May 15.

Video footage recorded at the archaeological site shows two individuals—a male and a female—entering an area that was marked as closed to the public and removing artifacts from a cabinet, NPS officials said.

The two suspects also “handled historic harnesses in a manner that had potential to damage them,” NPS officials added.

Cultural artifacts found on public lands are protected by the Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA), which was signed into law on October 31, 1979, according to the NPS.

Removing or disturbing archaeological sites, historic sites, or artifacts, including pot shards, structures, antique bottles, and more, is illegal and carries a fine of up to $250,000 along with a potential ten-year prison sentence.

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In the NPS alone, multiple cases have been successfully prosecuted under the ARPA, according to the agency.

They include the 2019 conviction and sentencing of two people who conducted an illegal excavation within Ozark National Scenic Riverways, the 2021 sentencing of a man found digging for “treasure” in Fort Yellowstone’s cemetery in Yellowstone National Park, and the 2021 sentencing of a couple found “excavating, defacing, and actively attempting to remove artifacts” from a prehistoric and historic archaeological site within the Buffalo National River.

Public Asked to Help

Images released by the NPS show a bearded man wearing a baseball cap, a red jumper, black and white shorts, and holding what appears to be a bottled beverage.

He is standing next to a woman with blonde hair who is dressed in a baseball cap, a grey sweatshirt, and black and white shorts.

Law enforcement rangers are now calling on the public for help, with park officials noting that any information from visitors who may have been in the area at the time is helpful to investigators probing the incident.

They are asking members of the public who were in the area of Cave Spring Cowboy Camp at approximately 5:30 p.m. on March 23, or who may have information regarding the incident or that could help identify the suspects, to contact investigators.

Members of the public can do so via calling or texting the National Park Service tip line at 888-653-0009 or by submitting a tip online at https://www.nps.gov/SubmitATip.

Visitors Urged to Follow Park Laws

Individuals with potential information regarding the alleged theft can also email the National Park Service here.

Tips can be shared anonymously, officials noted.

In its press release, the NPS noted that national parks are “some of the most special, treasured, and protected areas of our country.”

“To protect their natural and cultural resources for this and future generations, all visitors to national parks are expected to follow park laws and regulations and practice Leave No Trace principles to minimize their impact on park lands,” the agency said.

Those seven principles include planning and preparing, traveling and camping on durable surfaces, properly disposing of waste, minimizing campfire impacts, and leaving what you find, such as rocks, plants, archaeological artifacts, and other objects of interest. They also include respecting wildlife and being considerate of others.

The NPS noted that the alleged theft in March remains under investigation and no additional information is available at this time.