Former Marine Dies In Death Valley After Running Out Of Gas

A former Marine Corps captain from California who appeared to be searching for help on foot after his car ran out of gas has been found dead in Death Valley National Park on Tuesday, June 14, the National Park Service (NPS) announced.

The body of 67-year-old David Kelleher was found amid 123-degree temperatures, near Zabriskie Point in the national park just 30 feet from an obscured highway, the NPS said in a statement.

Kelleher had apparently been walking from Zabriskie Point toward Furnace Creek when he collapsed near State Route 190, the park service said.

His body was found six days after his vehicle was first noticed in the parking lot.

On the morning of June 8, a park ranger had noticed a single vehicle in the parking lot at Zabriskie Point. Three days later, the same park ranger noticed the abandoned vehicle again and began an investigation.

A crumpled note found inside his vehicle, which was in, read, “Out of gas,” the agency said.

During an investigation, authorities learned that Kelleher had not been reported missing. A records search also showed that he had been ticketed for driving off-road on May 30.

Kelleher had reportedly told the park ranger that he was running out of gas.

An air and ground search for him was limited by the extreme weather. The search focused on the Golden Canyon and Badlands Trails, not where he was later found.

Kelleher was a proud veteran who served in the US Marine Corps for 22 years. He retired as Captain in 1994 at his last duty station at Camp Futenma in Okinawa, Japan.

The region where Kelleher was found dead is considered one of the hottest places in the world during summer. A heat wave recently swept through the area, causing record temperatures of up to 123 degrees, or 50 degrees Celsius, park authorities said.

“The National Park Service encourages park visitors to stay safe in the summer by not hiking at low elevations after 10 am, staying within a short walk of air conditioning, drinking plenty of water, and eating salty snacks,” the news release read.