By Emily Younker
eyounker@joplinglobe.com
WEST MINERAL, Kan. — The man who was found dead Saturday morning at the Big Brutus attraction, identified as Mark Mosley, 49, of Lowell, Ark., appeared to have been base-jumping, Cherokee County Sheriff David Groves said Sunday.
Base jumping is an activity in which participants with parachutes jump from a base, typically a building, bridge or cliff. Groves said authorities collected a chute, jumping harnesses and other safety equipment from the scene.
Base jumpers at low altitudes often use a static line, which connects the jumper to the base, Groves said. As the jumper falls, the chute opens and detaches from the cord.
The highest point of Big Brutus, the boom, is 160 feet.
Groves said Mosley was found near Big Brutus’ shovel, and authorities believe he had been standing at the top of the boom, which is located above the shovel. Although there are steps up to the boom, public access at that point has been closed for several years, Groves said.
Groves said it wasn’t immediately apparent whether Mosley was trying to attempt a static-line jump. He said Cherokee County authorities continue to investigate the incident, including whether Mosley might have intentionally attempted a non-static line jump or whether he might have fallen before he had a chance to set up his jump.
“There was no line or evidence that’s what he was trying to do, stretch out the chute before he actually jumped,” Groves said. “Especially with low altitudes, once you jump, your chute doesn’t always have time to catch the air.”
Mosley’s body was found late Saturday morning by an employee of the Big Brutus complex and was taken to Topeka for an autopsy. Groves said preliminary autopsy results could be delivered as early as today.
