By Marlyn Montilla
16 Jul 2024, 11:25 AM EDT
Three people died over the weekend in suspected cases linked to the heat wave at Utah state and national parks, including a father and daughter who became lost on a hike in Canyonlands National Park in triple-digit temperatures.
The 52-year-old father and his 23-year-old daughter texted 911 to alert dispatchers that they were lost without water while hiking the 8.1-mile Syncline Loop, described by the National Park Service as the most challenging trail in the southeastern Utah park’s Island in the Sky district.
The two set out Friday to navigate steep switchbacks and scramble through boulder fields with limited trail markers as air temperatures soared above 100 degrees F.
Park workers and a Bureau of Land Management helicopter crew began searching for the missing hikers early Friday afternoon, but they were found dead.
The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office identified them Monday as Albino Herrera Espinoza and his daughter, Beatriz Herrera, of Green Bay, Wisconsin.
According to the Green Bay Press Gazette, the father is the owner of El Sarape, a well-known Mexican restaurant in the city.
“The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office thanks our allied partners for their assistance with this tragic incident and extends our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Albino and Beatriz,” the office said in a statement.
Because of the uneven terrain, authorities used a helicopter to remove the bodies and transport them to the state medical examiner’s office Saturday morning, the sheriff’s office said, and the department and the National Park Service are conducting separate investigations into their heat-related deaths, CBS News reported.
“While temperatures will remain high this summer, park visitors are advised to carry and drink plenty of water and avoid strenuous activities during the midday heat,” the park service said.
On Saturday, rescuers responded to a report of two more hikers “who suffered a heat-related incident” at Snow Canyon State Park in southwestern Utah.
A search party found two hikers suffering from heat exhaustion. While they were being treated, another hiker passing by reported an unconscious person nearby.
First responders discovered a 30-year-old woman dead, officials said. The Santa Clara-Ivins Department of Public Safety is investigating her death. Her identity has not been released at this time.