A Long Beach man was found dead Wednesday afternoon in a remote area of Death Valley National Park, more than three weeks after his family last heard from him, park officials said.
John McCarry’s final text to his family on May 15 indicated that he was headed from Olancha—an unincorporated community in Inyo County with less than 200 people—to Death Valley National Park, according to a statement from the National Park Service. It is not clear why the 69-year-old Long Beach man was headed there.
After authorities found McCarry’s vehicle on Lake Hill Road in Panamint Valley on May 31, rangers, airplanes and helicopters were sent out to search the area for him. On June 1, McCarry was found dead about a quarter-mile from his vehicle.
The Inyo County Coroner’s office responded to the scene to recover the body. A cause of death was not revealed although foul play is not suspected, officials said.
Death Valley holds the record for the highest air temperature on the planet. The area often reaches temperatures of over 110 degrees and officials urge visitors to avoid hiking in the heat and drink at least a gallon of water a day.
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