Dody Fugate at her home near Santa Fe (Photo: Brad Trone)
At the time, Dody lived in Tucson, about two hours west of the Chiricahuas, while Paul lived at the monument, in a spartan cobblestone cabin where he might stay for a couple of weeks at a stretch. That weekend he had a houseguest visiting, a seasonal employee who asked not to be named in this story—I’ll call her Bonnie—and when he didn’t return after dark, she grew concerned. Earlier that day, Paul had driven Bonnie up to the Massai Point Trailhead so she could hike downhill to the visitor center. At about 8 P.M., she notified Ted Scott, the monument’s superintendent, who rounded up two colleagues and set out with a flashlight, trudging through the surrounding canyons, calling Paul’s name the whole way.