73-year-old cyclist who called wife about flat tire found dead in desert, AZ cops say
A cyclist found dead in the desert after getting a flat tire and failing to meet his wife likely died from heat, Arizona police said.
James Van de Voorde, 73, of Buckeye, went for a bike ride near Sun City Festival on Sunday, July 16, the Buckeye Police Department said in a July 17 Facebook post.
After getting a flat tire in the desert, police said Van de Voorde called his wife, and the two agreed he would walk to a fire station “where she could pick him up.” He didn’t show, and his wife called 911.
Police and fire crews found Van de Voorde dead in the desert, officials said.
Though the medical examiner’s office is investigating the cause of death, it is believed to be heat-related, police said.
The high in Buckeye on July 16 was 112 degrees, according to The Weather Channel.
“Buckeye police encourage everyone to please be safe in this extreme heat,” police said. “We are saddened by the loss of a community member in, what appears to be, a heat-related death.”
Buckeye is about 35 miles southwest of Phoenix.
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