Missing California man found dead in Death Valley weeks after text to family
A California man sent a text to family weeks ago that he was heading to Death Valley National Park.
On June 1, his body was found in the park, rangers said.
John McCarry, a 69-year-old from Long Beach, was found dead in a remote section of the national park on Wednesday, June 1, park rangers said.
He had been missing for weeks after sending a text to a family member that he was visiting the park.
“The Long Beach Police Department issued a public information bulletin on May 26,” the National Park Service said in a June 2 news release. “Park rangers located McCarry’s vehicle on Lake Hill Road in Panamint Valley on May 31.”
Search and rescue officials scoured the area looking for McCarry. For two days, they searched on the ground and in helicopters and planes.
His body was found about a quarter-mile from his car on June 1.
No foul play is suspected in his death.
Death Valley encompasses more than 3 million acres of desert land near the California-Nevada border, according to the National Park Service. It’s the largest national park in the continental U.S., and 93% of the park is considered wilderness.
The park sits below sea-level, and it’s consistently smashing heat records.
“Death Valley is famous as the hottest place on earth and driest place in North America,” park rangers said. “The world record highest air temperature of 134°F (57°C) was recorded at Furnace Creek on July 10, 1913.”
Multiple people died in the park in 2021.
In November, a line of footprints led rangers to a 27-year-old hiker’s body in Death Valley, park officials said. The woman became separated from her aunt and went off on her own before she was reported missing.
In January 2021, two Death Valley tourists discovered a body in a hot springs source pool, according to the National Park Service.
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