Heat death of boy on South Mountain ruled an accident

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The cause of death of a young boy who died after being rescued from South Mountain in Phoenix last month has been announced.

The Maricopa County Coroner's Office determined that 9-year-old Cortinez Logan Jr. died of “environmental exposure to heat” and ruled his death an accident.

Logan collapsed after hours of hiking with his family during the day in temperatures of around 40 degrees Celsius. There were complaints of heat sickness before his collapse, but it is not known what symptoms he exhibited.

The report noted that Logan was not accustomed to the desert heat, as the family had moved from Missouri to Arizona just the day before this incident.

On July 2, firefighters were called to the Mormon Trailhead near 24th Street and Baseline Road around 2 p.m. because Logan was overheating. The family said their hike began around 9:45 a.m. and Logan reportedly had a water bottle and a fan with him.

After Logan collapsed, the family was unable to reach emergency services due to poor cell signal. When they got through, the Phoenix Fire Department sent a helicopter to the rescue.

The medical examiner said Logan was found without a pulse and was taken to a local hospital, where he arrived unconscious. He also had first and second degree burns on his hands and feet. Despite attempts at resuscitation, Logan was pronounced dead in the emergency room.

The death report contained no suspicious information and the coroner ruled Logan's death an accident.

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