Texas man on trip to spread father’s ashes dies of heat stroke in Utah’s Arches National Park

2024-12-25 14:09:49 source: category:Contact-us

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Texas man whose body was found in Utah’s Arches National Park is believed to have died of heat stroke while on a trip to spread his father’s ashes, according to his sister.

James Bernard Hendricks, 66 of Austin, was hiking in the park and likely became disoriented from a combination of heat, dehydration and high altitude, according to sister Ruth Hendricks Bough.

Hendricks had stopped in Utah while journeying across the West to the Sierra Nevada region of Nevada and California to spread his father’s ashes, he said in social media posts prior to his death.

Rangers found his vehicle at a trailhead parking lot after Hendricks was reported overdue the morning of Aug 1, according to park officials. Hendrick’s body was found nearby off-trail and his water bottle was empty, Bough said in a social media post.

“He was loved by countless people because he was an unusually kind, sweet person who made friends easily. Now all these people are grieving. It was a horrible shock,” the sister told the San Antonio Express-News.

The National Park Service and Grand County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the death.

Arches National Park, located in a high-elevation desert north of Moab, Utah, is known for its natural sandstone arches.

Temperatures topped 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) in the area on the afternoon before Hendricks was reported missing.

More:Contact-us

Recommend

NFL playoff picture Week 10: Lions stay out in front of loaded NFC field

Every week for the duration of the 2024 NFL regular season, USA TODAY Sports will provide timely upd

And Just Like That's David Eigenberg Reveals Most Surprising Supporter of Justice for Steve

Sex and the City fans aren't the only ones rooting for David Eigenberg's character Steve Brady.In fa

Dawn Goodwin and 300 Environmental Groups Consider the new Line 3 Pipeline a Danger to All Forms of Life

Leeches love Northern Minnesota. The “Land of 10,000 Lakes” (technically, the state sports more than