Woman found dead on Tubbs Hill

COEUR d'ALENE - Tubbs Hill was closed by police nearly all afternoon Sunday after a woman was found dead on the southeast point of the popular park, and a police investigation determined she died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The woman was not identified by name, pending notification of next of kin, but was a 41-year-old Coeur d'Alene resident, said Lt. Rob Turner with the Coeur d'Alene Police Department. Identification was found in her purse.

With the park closed, all hikers leaving the hill were asked for their name, date of birth, and other personal information. Dozens of hikers were turned away from entering the popular trails.

Turner said police collected the hikers' information in case the woman's death turned out to be a homicide. It wasn't determined for several hours whether it was likely a suicide or homicide.

Two male hikers found the woman's body and called emergency personnel just before 2 p.m., he said.

She was found off of the main trail that circles Tubbs Hill, near what's called marker 14 on that main trail, he said. The marker is about a half mile south on that trail from Tubbs Hill Eastside Park. She was near a cliff by the lake, he said.

There appeared to be a single gunshot wound to the head, he said.

"Hikers heard a single gunshot," Turner said. He said that shot was heard between 1 p.m. and 1:40 p.m.

A 9 mm pistol was found near the body, Turner said. No notes were found at the scene, he said.

"Everything points to suicide," he said. A coroner and prosecutors will make the final determination, he said.

The hikers who discovered her thought she might have fallen before soon discovering her injuries were more serious, Turner said. One of the hikers who heard the gunshot also discovered the body, he said.

The Park reopened around 6 p.m., following the completion of the investigation and removal of the woman's body from the scene. Police maintained a perimeter around the park during the investigation.

Police were working to notify the woman's family Sunday night.