A 10-year-old child who died due to heat-related illness after hiking South Mountain Tuesday was identified by the Phoenix Police Department.
Police reports show that 10-year-old Cortinez Logan, originally from Missouri, had been hiking South Mountain with his family at around 2 p.m. when fire crews and police helicopter pilots rescued the boy after overheating on the trail. Logan was then airlifted off the mountain and transported to the hospital in critical condition, where he died later that night as a result of the medical event, officials said.
Detectives continue to investigate what led up to Logan’s death.
With a recorded high of 113 degrees on Tuesday, the National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat watch for the upcoming holiday weekend, with temperatures expected to rise as high as 116 degrees by Monday.
In an effort to keep individuals safe during “dangerously hot” days this summer, the city of Phoenix has issued extended trail hours for certain hiking trails throughout the Valley, including Pima Canyon Trailhead in South Mountain, to encourage hiking after 7 p.m.