Out-of-town hiker found dead after getting lost in Arizona regional park

PHOENIX – A California man hiking in northwestern Arizona was found dead over the weekend after he got separated from his group, authorities said Monday.

Kyle Matthew Movius, 31, of Irvine, California, was located Saturday morning in Lake Havasu City after searchers worked through the night to find him, the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office announced.

Movius was part of an out-of-town group of four people who started their hike Friday in the 1,100-acre SARA Park. They weren’t familiar with the regional park’s trail system or the dangers of hiking in the heat, the sheriff’s office said. Friday’s high temperature in Lake Havasu City was around 105 degrees.

The hikers couldn’t continue after they ran out of water and started showing signs of dehydration and heat exhaustion, so they called 911 for help around 2:30 p.m.

Lake Havasu City Fire Department responders located three members of the party, but Movius had already gone off on his own to try finding the trailhead.

Two women, ages 63 and 27, were immediately transported to receive treatment for severe dehydration. A 61-year-old man was taken to a command post.

The sheriff’s office deployed its search and rescue unit, with ground teams on foot and bicycles and in vehicles. Two Arizona Department of Public Safety helicopters also scanned the area.

Searchers found Movius’ body around 10:20 a.m. Saturday in the wilderness outside the park’s marked trail system.

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