The surviving friend told deputies that they had been out since 7:30 AM Saturday morning, hiking Peralta trail for what was supposed to be a day hike. After a few hours of hiking, they ran out of water. When the victim started exhibiting signs of heat illness, the friend called 911 for help. His condition worsened and eventually he became unconscious and never recovered.
The Sheriff said, “I want to express my sincere condolences to the family of this young man who died today. This is a tragic reminder that the extreme heat of our summers are something that we all must respect. Sheriff Babeu went on to say, “Our Search and Rescue teams have responded to three heat-related emergencies within a four hour period today in the Superstition Wilderness. The other two incidents resulted in successful rescues with only minor heat-related illness. It’s important to remember that each time we are called to rescue hikers off the trails, our rescuers are being exposed to the same severe heat to affect these rescues. I caution anyone who plans to do outdoor activities to limit exposure during the heat of the day.”
Pinal County Sheriff’s Detectives and Medical Examiners Office will investigate the death, but it is believed that the man died from exposure to extreme heat.