North Highway, Death Valley National Park. (Google Maps image)
A tourist was found dead Monday in his car in Death Valley National Park, and investigators believe he was overcome by heat.
The body was found around 10 a.m. by a National Park Service maintenance worker who went to check on a car that was about 30 yards off North Highway, the road to Scotty’s Castle.
The victim was a 65-year-old man from the San Diego area, a park news release said.
Tire tracks indicate the car ran along the road’s shoulder and the berm before veering onto the rocky desert flats. It didn’t crash but had two flat tires when it stopped.
“The initial investigation suggests that heat-related illness may have caused the driver to run off road,” the park report said.
Sunday’s high temperature was 126, and the overnight low was 98. The driver’s window was down, and the car’s air conditioning was found to be non-functional.
Originally published at Bay Area News Group