Huntington Beach man found dead in Death Valley National Park

The body of a Huntington Beach man was found dead in Death Valley National Park on Tuesday, after officials believe his car ran out of gas and he started walking.

Park visitors found the body of David Kelleher, 67, on Tuesday afternoon, according to a news release. He was about 30 feet away from Highway 190, obscured by terrain and a mesquite tree.

Kelleher appeared to have been walking from Zabriskie Point toward Furnace Creek during record temperatures up to 123 degrees. On June 8, his car was noticed by a park ranger as the only one in the parking lot of Zabriskie Point, a popular viewpoint within the park.

The vehicle, registered to Kelleher, was still there three days later on Saturday. Park rangers initiated an investigation and found that Kelleher had not been reported missing, though a records search showed that a ranger had cited Kelleher for off-road driving on May 30.

According to the release, a crumpled note in the vehicle read, “out of gas.”

Officials said that a ground and aerial search was limited by hot weather. Kelleher’s body was found about 2½ miles from his vehicle.

Kelleher’s son posted on Facebook on Wednesday that David Kelleher was a 22-year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps who retired as captain in 1994. The family is asking those who wish to express sympathy to consider making a donation to the Wounded Warriors Family Support.

This is the second recent fatality in Death Valley National Park, which was forecast to reach 116 degrees on Thursday. John McCarry of Long Beach, 69, was found deceased in Panamint Valley on June 1.

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