PICACHO PEAK, AZ — Authorities have released the report which adds new details about the death of a teen on a trail at Picacho Peak last month.
The Pinal County Sheriff's Office says the 16-year-old was hiking the Sunset Vista trail with his Boy Scout troop on April 27 when he collapsed on the way back after reaching the summit.
The group was about a mile from the trailhead when the teen passed out and 911 was called at 1:30 p.m. The responding deputy said the park ranger reached the group first and started CPR until firefighters from Avra Valley arrived and took over.
A paramedic pronounced the teen deceased just before 2:30 p.m.
The group, comprised of six scouts and two scout masters, had started hiking the trail at 8 a.m., the sheriff's office said. The group reached the summit around noon, but by that time the teen had drank the two quarts of water he had brought on the hike.
The Sunset Valley trail is 3.1 miles long and starts gradually before increasing in difficulty as it approaches the top of the peak. Steel cables have been installed in parts of the trail to help hikers navigate the steep terrain, and it is not advised people hike the trail in hot weather, according to the Arizona State Parks website. According to the National Weather Service, the high that day was 94 degrees in nearby Tucson.
The scout masters refilled the teen's water at the top, and the group turned around. While hiking back, the teen collapsed and was helped up by other scouts. About 100 yards later, the teen collapsed again and did not get up, according to the sheriff's office.
Pinal County had previously said no charges would be filed as a result of the teen's death.
