Body Found at State Capitol a Day After Another Was Found in the Same Vicinity
An individual was found dead Wednesday on the grounds of the Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix.
The body was the second found in the general area of the Capitol in two days as the region is being battered by a heat wave.
The Arizona Department of Public Safety did not disclose the gender or identity of the individual, only that the body was found near 12th Avenue and Washington Street at about 6:45 a.m., according to KNXV-TV.
The Department of Public Safety offered no indication if the death was considered suspicious.
The Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the cause of the individual’s death.
Phoenix police said that on Tuesday night, a man was found dead near 9th Avenue and Jackson Street.
Police said there was no trauma to the body and said an investigation is under way.
According to the Associated Press, seven heat-related deaths took place in the Phoenix metro area last week.
Prior to a storm that ripped through the area Thursday, Phoenix had been enduring daytime highs that exceeded 110 degrees Fahrenheit while lows only dipped into the 90s.
Maricopa County has said that through Saturday, 25 heat-related deaths took place, with another 249 under investigation.
KTAR-FM noted that this year’s pace was behind last year’s pace, when at of this point in July, 38 heat-related deaths were reported.
“It feels like an oven,” said Eric Brickley of Feed Phoenix, an organization that works with the homeless and distributes ice and water, according to NPR.
Phoenix has seen at least 26 days in a row of temperatures exceeding 110 degrees. At least 18 have died from the heat. https://t.co/wyPKx7hWzM
— 12NewsNow (@12NewsNow) July 27, 2023
“It is basically the only thing that keeps someone from perishing. Some of the places people are living are so hot and deadly that without ice, even in the shade, they will die,” he said.
Dean Scheinert — executive director of Justa Center, a daytime center for homeless seniors — said needs are rising along with the temperature, according to KJZZ.
“We’ve seen about a 20 percent to 25 percent increase in members coming in each day,” he said, noting that people who sleep outdoors are struggling.
“And that’s the worst part, trying to sleep outdoors when it’s 90 degrees. So, we see members come in with sleep deprivation.”
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
