A machete attack on the Appalachian Trail left one hiker dead
The suspect in a deadly machete attack against two hikers on the Appalachian Trail this weekend has been arrested, authorities said.
James Jordan, 30, faces federal charges for murder for allegedly assaulting a man and a woman hiking in Virginia, local station WSLS reported.
One of the victims has died, a Department of Justice spokesperson told WSLS. The injured woman was expected to survive, investigators had told the station.
Hikers reported a man was attacking people on the trail early Saturday morning. Authorities located the male victim through GPS technology when he sent an emergency notification on his cell phone, Wythe County Sheriff Keith Dunagan told the station.
"They pinged it on the Wythe County side of the trail. So, the phone company notified us and that's when we went up there and found the suspect and the victim," Dunagan said. "We had our whole (tactical) team out there, so he wisely just surrendered himself."
The female victim walked six miles while bleeding before getting help from other hikers, Dungan said. She was hiking with the male victim when Jordan attacked, but escaped.
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Jordan previously threatened hikers with an ax on the Appalachian Trail in Tennessee, local station WJHL reported. Authorities arrested him in April, putting him on probation. At the time, he pleaded guilty to criminal impersonation, drug possession and public intoxication.
The Massachusetts resident went by the name Sovereign while hiking on the trail, WSLS reported. He is scheduled to appear in court Monday morning.
Authorities including the FBI, U.S. Forest Service and Virginia State Police are investigating the incident. Investigators closed and searched a part of the trail in case Jordan had more victims, the station reported.
"I commend local law enforcement in Wythe and Smyth Counties for mobilizing successful rescue and tactical operations in this remote region," Thomas Cullen, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia, said in a statement.
"Thanks to their efforts, the suspect was safely apprehended and the seriously wounded victim received critical medical care."
The Appalachian Trail stretches 2,190 miles from Maine to Georgia. More than three million people hike part of the trail every year.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: A machete attack on the Appalachian Trail left one hiker dead
