Gail Palmgren's Jeep won't be taken off mountain today

Sunday, December 4, 2011

MORE ON PALMGRENRemains believed to be Gail Palmgren's removed from Signal Mountain crash site

More cable is needed to get Gail Palmgren's Jeep off the side of Signal Mountain, so the work will have to be done Monday or later, officials said.

Workers were cutting down trees today on the side of the Mountain, trying to make a path to remove the 2010 Jeep Rubicon. The plan was to hook wrecker cables to the vehicle and winch it about 300 feet from where it now sits to the W Road.

But a crew from Yates Wrecker Service determined that more cable was needed to winch the car and that can't be done until Monday.

Palmgren, 44, was last seen on April 30, when she dropped off her two children at their Signal Mountain home.

Weather could influence whether the Jeep is removed Monday since rain is expected to move into the area tonight and linger until Wednesday.

Authorities also recovered the Jeep's event data recorder - the "black box" of autos - and it showed that Palmgren wasn't wearing her seat belt when she went off East Brow Road on Signal Mountain, Hammond said.

It also showed that the first impact on the Jeep was a 200-pound boulder sitting on the edge of the bluff, he said.

As she went off the mountain Palmgren apparently hit the boulder, which was found near the severely damaged Jeep.

Palmgren's remains were taken off the mountain Saturday and will be sent to the University of Tennessee's Anthropological Research Facility, commonly known as the Body Farm, where a positive ID will be made. Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Hammond has said he is "98 percent" sure the remains are Palmgren's.

Story developing, check back for updates.