Authorities in Arizona believe the death of an Oregon lady who went missing while hiking was caused by extreme heat.
Police reported 34-year-old Jessica Christine Lindstrom missing after she went hiking on Friday at 8:30 a.m. local time, according to the Phoenix Fire Department.
According to the Phoenix Police Department, Lindstrom was last seen on foot at the Deem Hills Recreation Area at the intersection of 51st Drive and Deem Hills Parkway.
After five hours of searching with technical rescue teams and drones, Lindstrom’s body was found on a secluded route on the north side of the park, according to Fire Department Captain Scott Douglas.
The fire officials assured The Arizona Republic there was nothing suspicious about the finding of her death.
Preliminary evidence shows Lindstrom was overpowered by the heat while trekking, but Douglas stressed that it would be up to the Medical Examiner of Maricopa County to establish the official cause of death.
Reports later showed that Capt. Scott Douglas, a spokesperson for the Phoenix Fire Department, indicated that the heat was the reason for Lindstrom’s death.
Lindstrom, previously called Peoria, Arizona, home, was working as a licensed nurse in Oregon. Her dad informed local media that Jessica had come to town for her son’s baptism and that she was a seasoned hiker.
According to the park’s website, nearly a thousand acres of the Sonoran Desert make up Deem Hills, an area famous for its unusual volcanic rock structures.
The Deem Hills Circumference Trail is 5.8 miles long and circles the whole park, providing hikers with breathtaking views over the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Ridgeline route is the highest and longest route in the network at 1.5 miles. From there, you can choose from a variety of routes ranging in length and difficulty.
A ranking system from “most easy” to “most difficult” is provided for the trails. But when the mercury hits the triple digits, things are much more challenging.
