Body of woman discovered in park identified

The body of the woman found in Rock Bridge Memorial State Park on Monday was identified as a part-time Columbia College student.

Sue Holst, spokeswoman for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, said the woman was Jennifer Boyd, 21, a native of Houston who had been living in Columbia.

Boyd’s body was discovered by five West Junior High School students who were on an orienteering outing Monday afternoon.

The cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest, said Eddie Adelstein, acting chief medical examiner of Boone and Callaway counties. Adelstein could not confirm the time of death.

A gun was found near Boyd’s body, and a suicide note was discovered in her car, which was parked near the Sink Hole Trail where her body was found, Holst said.

“Jennifer took the weight of the world on her shoulders and ultimately couldn’t bear the load,” her father, Larry Boyd, wrote to the Missourian in an e-mail. She “was a loving child and very special to us,” he wrote.

Boyd was an Air Force reservist and nursing student at Columbia College, Holst said. Though she had completed one evening course at the college, she had not officially applied to the nursing program, said Sonya Galbraith, Columbia College associate director of public relations and marketing.

Members of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Boone County Sheriff’s Department and State Park Rangers are currently conducting a joint investigation, Holst said. “That is standard in any incident that happens in a state park,” she said.

The investigation “will continue until we’re satisfied that all leads have been investigated,” Holst said.

Sink Hole Trail was reopened Tuesday, said Kathryn DiFoxfire, interpretive resource technician at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park.

“We’re very sorry for the way Jennifer was discovered and hope the students involved will be able to cope with this tragic event,” Larry Boyd said in the e-mail.

West Junior High staff had notified a crisis team to help students deal with the incident, assistant principal Jeff Beiswinger said.