ARRESTED

Two Ohio Teens Arrested in Death of Photographer Hit by Falling Tree Branch

Victoria Schafer was photographing several high-school seniors on Sept. 2 when she was fatally struck by a falling tree branch.

Two teenagers have been arrested in connection with the death of a photographer who was fatally struck by a tree branch in an Ohio state park last month. Victoria Schafer, 44, was taking pictures of several high-school seniors on Sept. 2 when she was struck by a falling tree branch at Hocking Hill State Park. Two teenagers, who have not been identified, allegedly confessed to detectives from the Hocking County Sheriff’s Office that they were involved in Schafer’s death. Authorities said during their initial investigation with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources that they’d found evidence suggesting the falling branch was not a “natural occurrence.”

“We are not out for vengeance,” Schafer’s sister, Cathy Muth, told WSYX last month. “We just want to know what happened, and we want to prevent it from happening again.” The pair, ages 16 and 17, are currently being held at a juvenile detention center in Lancaster, Ohio.