A 68-year-old man is dead after wandering nearly two miles off the nearest road in Death Valley National Park in temperatures that peaked at 118 degrees.
The Inyo County Sheriff’s Office and park officials said Douglas Branham’s body was recovered at 2:25 p.m. Wednesday by a California Highway Patrol helicopter crew. According to family members, he planned to hike from Badwater to West Side Rd. and back, which amounts to 12-mile round-trip hike across salt flats.
Branham missed a scheduled flight home on Tuesday, family members confirmed.
A subsequent search of The Inn at Death Valley revealed his belongings still in his room. His vehicle was found in the Badwater parking lot.
Officials believe Branham went hiking on either Sunday or Monday when temperatures topped triple digits with humidity up to 91%. The temperature was 115 degrees when his body was discovered.
The Inyo County Coroner’s Office is investigating the cause of death.
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