Sheriff: French pair who died in New Mexico desert likely saved son

House said deputies and rangers were able to find David and the couple’s son by following tracks which led them to the man and boy.

“He was well hydrated, compared to the other two.”

The deceased couple were later identified as David, 42, and Ornella Steiner, 51, of Bourgogne.

Authorities did not immediately release the names and ages of the three, their hometown in France or their relationship to one another. An autopsy to determine the official cause of death was pending, according to the state medical investigator’s office.

The White Sands National Monument, located about 26km southwest of Alamogordo, is known for its white sand dunes composed of gypsom crystals.

There is no vegetation or shade, and the National Park Service warns summertime visitors to hike only in the cool hours and carry at least 1 gallon (3.8 litres)of water per person.

The boy, speaking through an interpreter, told authorities that his mother fell ill during the hike and turned back toward the auto. However, Ornella would only make it about 100 yards before collapsing in the heat as her husband and son pushed forward not knowing of her fate.

He stated the daddy and son have been unaware that she was in hassle and continued on the path, making it about 2,000 ft earlier than the daddy collapsed.

Upon arrival deputies learned Ornella was found unresponsive by park rangers doing a routine patrol, he said.

The sheriff’s workplace ed the French consulate in Los Angeles and officers there notified the household’s family members. The New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department took custody of the boy, he said, and would be returning him to his grandmother.

A French man and woman who died hiking in southern New Mexico’s White Sands National Monument – leaving behind a surviving 9-year-old boy – apparently headed into the dunes without water and quickly succumbed to the extreme heat.

Sheriff Benny House added: “I don’t think they were prepared for the heat”. But he might not have made it were it not for a sheriff’s deputy who was first called to help the child’s mother.

He said Otero County Sheriff’s Office investigators learned through investigation that the couple had two 20 ounce bottles of water with them during their hike Tuesday.

The boy, named in French media as Enzo, was dehydrated but conscious and was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

“There are a lot of unknowns”, Otero County Sheriff Benny House told CBS affiliate KDBC in El Paso.

According to the Alamogordo Daily News, House said temperatures had been between 100 and 101 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius).