Heat Suspected in Death of Woman Who Was Hiking in Big Bend National Park

A woman died after going on a hike Sunday in Big Bend National Park where temperatures soared above 100 degrees, officials said. The 46-year-old woman started showing signs of heat distress and dehydration around noon while she and her partner hiked on the Dog Canyon trail, the San Antonio Express-News reported. Her partner went for help about 2:30 p.m. Officials found the woman's body two hours later. The woman's death is believed to be heat-related, though an investigation has not yet been completed, park spokeswoman Jennette Jurado told the newspaper. The woman, whose identity has not been released, is the first person to die in the park this year. Last year, four people died in Big Bend: one fell of a cliff, another had an allergic reaction, and two more had heart attacks, Jurado said. "Big Bend National Park's staff is saddened by this loss of life, and extends their sympathies to the friends and family of the deceased," the park said in a statement to KWES.Temperatures in the park at low and mid elevations can be above 100 degrees this time of the year, with heat indexes sending them above 115, according to an alert on the park's website.   Continue reading...