Overview
- A 68-year-old French visitor, Pierre Michel Formosa, was found dead and pronounced at the scene after becoming stranded in Death Valley National Park when his vehicle got stuck on Aug. 17.
- Formosa and a travel companion walked across the park’s salt flats toward Badwater Road; the companion reached help and reported the situation shortly after 2 p.m., which prompted a search by park rangers and an Inyo County deputy.
- A California Highway Patrol helicopter joined the response and located Formosa later that afternoon about 1.5 miles from Badwater Road; the Inyo County coroner has not yet released an official cause or manner of death.
- Temperatures reached about 116°F (≈47°C) that day and the National Weather Service had an extreme-heat warning in effect, underscoring how quickly heat exposure can overwhelm people even on short hikes.
- Death Valley officials urged visitors to carry ample water, match vehicles to backcountry roads, use satellite communicators or emergency beacons when cell service is limited, and generally stay with a disabled vehicle to improve chances of rescue.