DESERT DEATH MYSTERY: Missing California Woman Found Dead Near Scottsdale Trail

REPORT: The body of a 31-year-old woman from California was discovered near a hiking trail in Scottsdale, Arizona late last month, officials announced.

The 31-year-old vanished during a solo trek at Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve; search teams located her body just 600 yards from the parking lot.

The mystery surrounding a California woman who disappeared while hiking in the Arizona desert has ended in tragedy. Rangers and police confirm the 31-year-old’s body was discovered off the popular Gateway Trail loop outside Scottsdale after an overnight ground-and-air search.

Investigators say the experienced hiker set out alone on a day when temperatures topped 100 °F. When she failed to meet friends later that afternoon, a missing-person report triggered an intensive operation involving drones, bicycles, foot teams and a sheriff’s helicopter. By midday the next day, the air crew spotted the victim roughly six football fields from the trailhead car park.

Detectives found no signs of foul play or trauma. Preliminary findings point to environmental heat exposure—an all-too-common killer in Sonoran summers—though the county medical examiner will issue the final ruling. Rangers stressed that even seasoned outdoors enthusiasts can underestimate rapid dehydration and dazzling sun on exposed desert ridgelines.

Authorities urge hikers to start at dawn, carry extra water, monitor weather alerts and share real-time location data with loved ones. Officials also remind visitors that shaded rest areas and emergency call boxes are located at all major Scottsdale trailheads.

For More Information

• KTLA 5 Los Angeles: Early newscast on the recovery and investigation
• FOX 10 Phoenix: Cause-of-death update and heat-safety tips
• KFI AM 640: Timeline of the disappearance and search effort

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