Kathleen Patterson, 60, was last seen leaving her home around 7.30am on Sunday to hike at the Spur Cross Trail in Cave Creek, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. Volunteer searchers found her body on Wednesday morning, according to Fox10.
Law enforcement said that Ms Patterson called her family around 10.30am the day she left for her hike.
Ms Patterson’s husband, Steve, Said that she texted him that she had “gotten off route” but assured him she was fine and that she had an adequate amount of water.
“My sense is she’s still here but off the trail injured and can’t respond,” Mr Patterson said at the time. He noted that she had never hiked the Spur Cross Trailhead.
More than 200 people volunteered to search for her after her disappearance.
A cause of death has not been disclosed.
The Spur Cross Trailhead is located about 32 miles north of Phoenix near Cave Creek, which abuts the surrounding desert.
The high temperature in Phoenix on Sunday was 103F (39C). On Monday the high rose to 105F.
It’s unclear how much water Ms Patterson had with her, but the US Centers for Disease Control recommends drinking around a quart of water each hour while doing physical activity in extreme heat.
According to KOLD, an Arizona broadcaster, the Southern Arizona Rescue Association received two hiker rescue calls each week, the majority of which are the result of heat exhaustion due to heat exhaustion.
Earlier this month, a hiker in Arizona died from heat exhaustion and five others were rescued after running out of water on the same trail where Ms Patterson went missing, according to The New York Times.
