Cause of Death Revealed for 16-Year-Old Boy Scout Joshua Michael White

A stock photo shows an ambulance with lights flashing. Joshua Lott/Getty Images

An autopsy has revealed the cause of death for Boy Scout Joshua Michael White, who died last month during a hiking trip in the southern Arizona desert.

The Pinal County Medical Examiner’s office said that White, 16, who died on April 27, was due to dehydration and hyperthermia, or overheating, reported The Associated Press.

The report said that the boy drank two quarts, or 32 ounces, on the way up and another two quarts on the way down, AP reported. They hiked for six hours in all.

Temperatures on that day reached 96 degrees Fahrenheit with low humidity. The report said that he weighed nearly 300 pounds, and he had no known medical problems.

Local news outlet AZFamily.com reported that he began exhibiting signs of dehydration on the way back. Later, a park ranger responded after a member of the group called 911.

The Avra Valley Fire Department pronounced White dead on the scene.

White also had belonged to the junior varsity football team at Estrella Foothills High School in Goodyear.

“It is with heavy heart that we let you know that we lost a student to a hiking accident on (Saturday). CPR was performed, but the student was not able to be revived. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family. With respect for the student and the family’s privacy rights, we cannot release any further information on the situation. We want you to know that we will have counselors on hand when students return to school tomorrow to assist any students who may need to talk about it. We also want to make you aware of a few community resources that are available if a student is struggling with grief outside of school hours,” the high school wrote.

According to AZFamily, “I never saw him not put 100 percent into what he did. He always took that first step and always made his mark,” said J.P. Hassman, a classmate of his.

The Grand Canyon Council with the Boy Scouts of America also issued a statement about his death.

“This is a very difficult time for our Scouting family. We are deeply saddened by the death of one of our youth members. We offer our sincerest condolences to his family, and we will support them in any way that we can. Please join us in keeping his family and friends everywhere in your thoughts and prayers,” the statement said. “We are mindful of the impact this incident may have on Scouts and volunteers, and grief counselors are standing by to care for our youth members and adult leaders.”

No Sandals

In another incident, an Arizona sheriff’s office said it was forced to rescue a woman who wore sandals on a hike.

“This hiker failed to take the posted bilingual warnings seriously as she and seven others had to be rescued out of Fossil Creek yesterday. Definitely not appropriate footwear for the ten-mile hike,” the Gila County Sheriff’s Department said on Facebook and included of the woman’s feet in sandals.

A sheriff’s official told Yahoo News that the group of people were aged 10 to 36. They had already went about five miles down the trail before trying to climb back up.

“We arrived about 5:00 at the trail head and were able to get down to the bottom by 6:00. And then, once we got them some electrolytes and got them rehydrated, the rescue was just working our way out with them slowly,” Johnson said.