Well before Nationality Day, the National Park Service (NPS) had declared on their website that it will not be honoring the death of Eliana Castro. NPS said that they would honor the wishes of the family and that the agency “does not have jurisdiction over decisions made by independent managers of the park”. In a statement issued by the National Park Service, they explained that they had received information from the Castro family regarding their daughter’s status. The family had told them that they did not want to see Eliana Castro buried at the park preserve due to fears of how her body would be handled once she was buried.
The circumstances surrounding the death are very important, but the question we should ask ourselves is if there was anything we could have done to prevent it? As a nation, we spend millions of dollars each year to care for our parks and to protect them from abuse. Yet in this case the actions of family members have resulted in the removal of a woman who was supposed to be a hero for standing up for what she believed in. Had this been a man we might have had some options available to us regarding this, but as it is there is nothing we can do to save a life when another human being attempts to take advantage of our kindness.
The National Park Service has a history of taking action where they have been legally obligated to take action. This is a prime example of where bureaucracy trumps common sense. Had the Park Service known that Eliana had been struggling with alcohol and drug problems, perhaps they might have stepped in to help her. What a terrible mistake it would have been to let this happen, on the most important day of her life. Perhaps we should all give the Park Service for the benefit of the doubt and allow them to carry out their duties.