A man identified as Steve Curry, a 71-year-old from Sunland, Los Angeles, was found dead at a trailhead in Death Valley National Park. Curry was discovered collapsed outside a restroom at Golden Canyon amid a heatwave with local temperatures hitting 121°F.
According to the Inyo County Coroner’s Office, Curry was likely hiking on the popular trail shortly before his death. He was also interviewed by a Los Angeles Times reporter at Zabriskie Point earlier in the day, where he was photographed seeking shade.
Despite CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) use by Park Rangers, Curry could not be saved. Although the official cause of death has not yet been determined, heat is suspected to be a major factor given the extreme temperatures in the region.
This incident has brought attention to the potentially dangerous triple-digit temperatures in Death Valley and serves as a somber reminder for visitors to be cautious when sightseeing or hiking, particularly at low elevations after 10 a.m. Curry’s death is the second heat-related fatality in the park this summer, highlighting the real dangers of extreme heat conditions.