Desert Tragedy Questionable

 Angela Tramonte, 31, from Saragus, Massachusetts was found dead four hours after a search was commenced on Camelback Mountain, Arizona her body located Echo Canyon Trail near a home. Authorities believe the woman collapsed while seeking help for heat exhaustion and dehydration. 

Angela Tramonte, 31

She was with a man, Dario Dizdar, 37 whom she met on Instagram just a few months before she decided to fly to Phoenix to meet him and go hiking on Camelback Mountain. 

Dario Dizdar, Phoenix law enforcement & 1st responder

The temperature high that day was 104 degrees, yet according to report, neither had brought had brought water with them. Friends of Angela stated that it was peculiar that Angela had no water with her because she was adamant about daily consumption of water, especially when exercising. 

While the Phoenix coroner has deemed her death an accident, there are many questions brought up by Angela's family and friends.

First, Dizdar is not only a police officer, but a first responder. So why did he continue up the trail while she decided to return to the vehicle, as he stated? What kind of police officer and first responder would let a female companion experiencing heat exhaustion to return on her own? What kind of man would do that for that matter. 

A GoFundMe page, ‘Justice for Angela’ set up by Tramonte’s friends also demand police investigate further. Her friends want answers and stated:

She woke up early every morning to go the gym. She did weekly meal planning and was obsessed with drinking water,’ the GoFundMe page reads. ‘There are many inconsistencies in the timeline and facts that just don’t make any sense. We just want justice for our friend.

So far Angela's friends have raised $42,000 in order to find out the truth concerning her death, pointing to the irresponsibility of Dizdar's actions and flimsy story. Phoenix police say "no foul play" and insist it was an accident. 

As a cop, as a first responder, you’re supposed to help people. If somebody’s walking up a mountain and you’re seeing her in distress and she’s not feeling well and she’s exhausted – why wouldn’t you walk her back down?’ Tramonte’s friend Stacey Gerardi told CBS Boston. ‘Why would you continue to walk back up? It doesn’t make sense.

“He allowed her to walk down that mountain knowing she’s never hiked before, but he still allowed her, him knowing the conditions and the heat and what that would do to a person but you still allowed her to walk down that mountain alone,” said friend Sarina Viola.

 Phoenix Police Officer Dario Dizdar has been with the force since 2007, and was disciplined in 2009 for lying to Arizona police about his name and age during a criminal investigation, according to internal affairs documents reviewed by The Daily Beast. 

Foul play or not, this is an example of what can happen in just a matter of hours in the deadly heat of a desert. Whether hiking or driving in a 4-wheel vehicle - always have ample water (at least a filled 2-quart desert canteen) and wear proper clothing (not dark colors) - and definitely a hat, preferably a wide-brim with ventilation in the crown. The Arizona sun will cook one's brain. I have dealt with deserts in various geographic locations, desert training at Fort Irwin and Arabian Desert of Persian Gulf. One cannot take for granted the intensity of the sun in those regions.