Heat blamed for death of woman on Arizona hike

Official cause of death to be determined

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Police in the Phoenix suburb of Scottsdale are investigating the death of a Rhode Island woman whose body was found on a hiking trail.

Detectives say it appears 57-year-old Donna Miller died from a heat-related illness and environmental exposure, but it will be up to the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the cause of death.

Police say the body was located Sunday night in the Brown’s Ranch hiking trail system north of the trailhead.

The woman's husband called 911 when he couldn’t find her at their meeting spot after a planned separation on the trail. The couple had started their hike shortly after noon Sunday.

Miller’s body was found by county Mountain Rescue Team members about 9 p.m. after an extensive search of the area.