By Laura L. Myers
SEATTLE, Jan 3 (Reuters) - An Iraq war veteran who was founddead at Mount Rainier National Park in the U.S. Northwest a dayafter he killed a park ranger drowned in a creek after sufferingfrom hypothermia, a medical examiner's spokeswoman said onTuesday.
The body of Benjamin Colton Barnes, 24, was found partiallysubmerged in the park's frigid Paradise Creek on Monday in asnowy, rugged area, dressed only in jeans, a T-shirt and onetennis shoe, Pierce County Sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said.
An autopsy on Barnes' body attributed the immediate cause ofdeath to drowning with hypothermia contributing, the countymedical examiner's spokeswoman said, reading from the report.
The heavily armed suspect had initially eluded about 200federal, state and local law enforcement officials in the368-square-mile (953-square-km) park after authorities said heshot and killed park ranger Margaret Anderson at a roadblock.
The Pierce County Medical Examiner's autopsy reportindicated that Anderson, who was married to another ranger whowas on duty at the time, died from multiple gunshot wounds.
Troyer said the agency's swift-water rescue team, dressed inwet suits, found Barnes "face down, totally in the water" aftera widespread overnight search that trapped about 150 touristsuntil they were escorted out at midnight by police.
Barnes had a handgun and weapon magazines in his pocket andofficers recovered a rifle about 100 yards (metres) upstream,Troyer said.
Earlier on Sunday, Barnes had been one of two people whofired shots at a New Year's party in the Skyway neighborhoodnear Renton, Washington, south of Seattle, the King CountySheriff's Department said. Four people were injured in thatincident, two of them critically.
Barnes was discharged for misconduct in November 2009 afterbeing charged by civilian authorities with driving under theinfluence and improperly transporting a privately owned weapon,Army officials have said.
He served one tour of duty in Iraq, according to the Army.
A National Park Service team flew to Rainier to counseltraumatized rangers and grieving park staff on Tuesday, as thefamed park remained closed for a third day.
About 1.7 million visitors traveled in 2010 to Mount RainierNational Park. More than 35 square miles (91 square km) ofpermanent ice and snow cover Mount Rainier, 14,410 feet (4,400metres) above sea level. (Editing by Dan Whitcomb and Cynthia Johnston)