A Florida man and his teenage stepson died Friday after hiking in Big Bend National Park, according to officials.
The 31-year-old man and his two stepsons, ages 14 and 21, were on Marufo Vega Trail in “extreme heat” with temperatures reaching 119 degrees when the younger son lost consciousness, a news release from the National Park Service said.
The stepfather returned to their vehicle to try to find help while the 21-year-old tried to carry his brother back toward the trailhead.
The National Park’s Communications Center received an emergency call related to the incident about 6 p.m. and roughly an hour and a half later, park rangers and U.S. Border Patrol Agents found the teen dead along the southwest Texas trail, according to the release.
The park, about 25 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border, is in Brewster County.
The strenuous trail the family was on winds through rugged desert and rocky cliffs within the hottest portion of the park, according to the NPS, and Big Bend is currently experiencing extreme heat with temperatures reaching 110 to 119 degrees at low elevations.
An investigation into the deaths is ongoing.
