The bodies of two women were discovered in Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada on Saturday, July 22. 

The women ventured on a park trail in the morning hours and when they failed to return as expected, their absence was noted by another group of hikers who promptly alerted the authorities.

The Nevada State Police launched an investigation at around 2:45 pm. Their search led to a chilling discovery – one woman was found dead on a hiking trail. The grave nature of the situation led park rangers to call for backup from a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police search and rescue team to find the second woman. Unfortunately, she was also found deceased in a canyon, according to police.

Valley of Fire State Park, situated approximately 45 minutes northeast of downtown Las Vegas, witnessed extreme heat that day, with temperatures reaching into the triple digits. This incident follows closely on the heels of the death of a 71-year-old hiker in Death Valley National Park, when temperatures reached close to 120 degrees.

With the ongoing heatwave in Las Vegas, the Clark County Coroner’s Office has already reported at least 16 confirmed heat-related deaths this week. However, the death toll could be higher.