Katharina Buczek
Last month, a seventy-four-year-old hiker from Prescott Valley, Arizona, embarked on a trip up Mingus Mountain with his dog.
Sadly, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office has since reported that the man– named Donald Hayes– was found deceased on the mountain.
In a press release shared on Facebook, the Sheriff’s Office detailed the events leading up to Donald’s tragic passing.
Donald was last seen at a Mingus Mountain trailhead on May 13. Later that afternoon, he contacted his wife and shared that he had become lost with his dog, Ranger.
Unfortunately, Donald could not pinpoint where exactly he went off course.
The authorities were contacted and got in touch with Donald around 2 p.m. He was instructed to wait for a search and rescue team. However, Donald allegedly said he “did not want to wait” and decided to continue down a ravine.
He also reassured authorities that he still had food and water. But, Donald wanted to save his phone battery and decided to turn off his device.
After that last phone call, neither Donald’s wife nor authorities were able to reach him again. His whereabouts also could not be ascertained using GPS tracking.
Facebook; pictured above search and rescue teams look for Donald
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