Iraqi war vet killed himself in treacherous cave

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Updated: February 7, 2012 11:28PM

LEAVENWORTH — An Iraq war veteran and carving enthusiast who was reported missing four months ago died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside a treacherous cave in southern Indiana, authorities said Tuesday.

Kevin Eve, 25, of Georgetown, Ind., was last seen Oct. 1, and his car was found two days later in Harrison-Crawford State Forest about 30 miles west of Louisville, Ky. His body was spotted Sunday by other cavers inside Breathing Hole Cave in the state forest along the Ohio River.

“Evidence suggests that Kevin Eve’s trip to that cave was a planned effort to end his own life,” Indiana Conservation Officer Cpl. Terry Allen said in a news release. “There were no signs of a struggle or entrapment at the scene.”

Crawford County Coroner Chris Brown said the cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

After Eve’s disappearance, emergency workers and volunteers searched hundreds of acres of wilderness and dozens of caves before suspending their search Oct. 23.

A group of college students exploring the Breathing Hole Cave found the body Sunday afternoon and contacted police. Rescue workers had to climb through narrow passages and down a 154-foot drop to recover the body,

“There were some very small passages in the cave that were difficult to navigate. The removal ... was very demanding,” Conservation Officer Jim Hash said Monday night after Eve’s body was removed from the cave.

The caves are closed to stop the spread of “white-nose syndrome,” a fungal disease that kills bats, the News and Tribune reported. Conservation Officer Jeff Milner told the newspaper that detectives interviewed the cavers who discovered the body, but no charges are expected for illegally entering the cave.