Charges have yet to be filed in the case of a vandal who painted images in national parks including Crater Lake, Yosemite, and Zion/Screen grab via Modern Hiker

The investigation into a case of vandalism that left painted images on rock outcrops in at least eight Western national parks is continuing with charges yet to be brought in the case, National Park Service officials say.

Though a 21-year-old woman identified by the Park Service last October as the prime suspect has been cooperating with officials, the complexity of the case has been behind the delay in charges being filed, Park Service spokesman Jeff Olson told the Traveler via email Thursday.

"We became aware of the violations October 21, 2014, and immediately opened a criminal investigation. The United States Attorney'™s Office has been involved with the investigation from its onset," Mr. Olson said. "A suspect was immediately identified and interviewed within a week. The suspect is cooperating with investigators. Thousands of pieces of evidence are being examined.

"Investigation of natural resource crimes, by their nature, take time. Crime scenes must be identified, located, accessed, processed, and damage assessments conducted," he added "After the investigation and documentation is complete, a referral is made to the United States Attorney'™s Office for a determination on prosecution. It is not uncommon for this process to take years."

The case was brought to public light a bit earlier in October by bloggers who tracked the crimes via photos on an Instagram account that documented paintings scattered throughout the park system. National Park Service investigators confirmed that images were painted on rocks and boulders in Yosemite National Park, Death Valley National Park, and Joshua Tree National Park, all in California; Rocky Mountain National Park and Colorado National Monument, both in Colorado; Crater Lake National Park, in Oregon; Zion National Park and Canyonlands National Park, both in Utah.

The woman used the nom de plume "creepytings" on her Social Media accounts that displayed some of her images. With strokes of blue, white, brown and red paint, as well as markers, she sketched faces for all to see. A bald-headed face with a snake for a tongue was apparently painted on a rock near the Mist Trail in Yosemite. Another of a blue-haired dude appears on an outcrop with Crater Lake in the distance, while another face -- with zig-zagging lines not unlike those you might see on prehistoric rock art -- is said to have been placed on a rock atop Telescope Peak in Death Valley.