Delia D'Ambra

In April 1999, when he attacked Jack and Danny, his parole had either just ended or was scheduled to terminate that summer.

The records are a bit unclear as to when exactly his parole was set to expire in 1999, but the point is, had he remained incarcerated and not been let out early, Danny Blumenthal would not have been murdered.

And I imagine that was a thought that passed through Betty Ann Van Balen's mind in April 1999, too.

You see, while listening to a radio program, she'd heard that a man named Larry Cole had been arrested for killing two park rangers in Oregon.

But she told the Daily Historian that she didn't think the story was referencing the same man who'd kidnapped her years earlier.

But of course, that was the case.

And what's worse, when Betty Ann realized it was the same guy, she was even more upset because she'd never been informed that Larry had been let out of prison.

She'd assumed for years that her abductor was still incarcerated for her kidnapping, but he wasn't.

While authorities built their murder case against Larry, park officials in Oregon attempted to reassure visitors and residents alike that the state's recreation spaces were safe, despite what had happened.

A spokesman for the Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department told a reporter it was unlikely that Oregon's longstanding policy to not allow rangers to carry firearms while on duty would change in light of the shootings.

The agency's official position on safety was for rangers to be defensive in nature and back off if a situation was headed toward conflict or violence.

The spokesman said it was going to be difficult to even try to implement change to the service weapon policy or opt to arm rangers because that would require the state fund employee training on how to handle and carry firearms.

To this day, state park rangers in Oregon still do not carry firearms or have law enforcement authority.

Now, regarding the issue of arming rangers or not, Jack Kerwin told the Daily Historian after the attack that he wasn't convinced rangers should be armed.

He remarked, quote, you're either a policeman or a park ranger.

With a gun, I wouldn't feel any safer, end quote.

In early May 1999, to commemorate Danny's legacy, hundreds of co-workers, loved ones, and park rangers from other states attended a moving memorial ceremony for him in Oswald West State Park.

His brother Stanley spoke at the service and said, "...our bond of brotherly love was shattered by a senseless act of violence perpetrated by a soulless and monstrous human being.

The evil in this world has taken him away from us all."

Around that time, law enforcement announced that they were no longer seeking information about the guy they'd been told went by the name Gary.