On Thursday, Qucsai’s brother, Carl, posted via social media that rangers had found Bob.
“This is the hardest post I’ve made to date on this site. This past Tuesday, I received (a) phone call from the Chief Ranger that him and his team after 13 long months had finally located Bob. It appears that Bob had a fall after trying to get a closer picture of the waterfall,” Carl Qucsai wrote on the Bring Home Bob Qucsai Facebook page.
Kim Schofinski, deputy communications director for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, confirmed today that Qucsai had been found.
“I can confirm that human remains were found in a remote, rugged area at Cummins Falls State Park on March 29. The remains were sent to the medical examiner’s (ME) office in Nashville, where a positive identification for Mr. Qucsai was made,” Schofinski said.
The 42-year-old arrived at Cummins Falls State Park at about 1:30 p.m., parked in the visitors’ lot and hiked in to see one of his favorite outdoor sights — a frozen waterfall. In the car were Qucsai’s wallet, identification and credit cards.
Rangers have searched for months to find him.
“My hat goes off to Chief Ranger Shane Petty and his awesome team and hundreds/thousands of volunteers who dedicated their time and sacrificed time away from their families and risked their own (lives) to help bring our brother, son and friend home to us. Thank you, “ Carl Qucsai said in the post.
In a July interview with the Journal-News, Carl Qucsai said he and their father talked to Bob 4:30 p.m. the day he went missing.
“He was already in the middle of the park. He had just sent us a beautiful picture before we talked to him. He was upbeat,” Carl said.
Rangers called about 6:30 p.m. because they had closed the park and they had found Qucsai’s car.
“We didn’t think anything at the time, we had just talked to him two hours prior. We told them he’s probably wandering the woods, doing his thing. I told them he’ll be back soon and that was it, Carl said.
Carl traveled to the park in Blackburn Fork State Scenic River near Cookeville, Tenn., to pick up his brother’s car and belongings, and said he hiked the rugged trail to the 75-foot waterfall.
“There are crevices in a lot of the sheer rock. I think he had made it to the bottom of the waterfall and he tried to get to the top of the waterfall to get another picture and fell into a crevice or into the waterfall,” Qucsai said.
Because of the time of the year, there were only seven or eight visitors to the park that day. Rangers and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation found no evidence of foul play.
Qucsai is a graduate of Fairfield High School and he lived in Trenton. He was admitted to the Ohio Bar in 2004 and worked as a public defender in Butler County Common Pleas and Juvenile Courts.
He was remembered by fellow attorneys as outgoing with a zest for life.
“I always loved summers. Bob would come barreling into the court parking lot with his convertible top down and rap music blaring. He was a fantastic mix of complicated and wonderful,” said attorney Traci Combs.
She added via social media, “I am heart broken ... I can take comfort in knowing Bob lived a life he loved and died in a beautiful piece of this earth.”
Assistant Butler County Prosecutor Brad Burress said, “I am saddened by the news about Bob. (He) was a conscientious lawyer and a pleasure to work with. He will be missed by many.”
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