The sheriff's office said the 51-year-old father was found dead in a creek near Rimrock.
YAVAPAI COUNTY, Ariz. — The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office is investigating the death of an Arizona man who was found dead during a camping trip with his 6-year-old son.
Officers were dispatched to Lawrence Crossing Campground near Rimrock Sunday night on a report of a man found deceased in a creek.
Spanish version: In Arizona, a dead father ran off with his young child.
Police determined that the 51-year-old man and his son had traveled from Tucson to Yavapai County for a few days of camping, after a relative reported receiving a call from the father reporting his sons were missing.
According to YCSO, the relative drove to Lawrence Crossing and found his father face down in the creek. The son told YCSO his father fell backwards into the creek and “was unable to get out.”
The child has been reunited with his mother and YCSO continues to investigate the incident.
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“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix metropolitan area, considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
Besides Phoenix, the Valley also includes other major cities such as:
- Mesa
- Chandler
- Scottsdale
- Tempeh
- Glendale
- surprise
- Peoria
- Gilbert
- El Mirage
- Avondale
- Litchfield Park
- Goodyear
- Buckeye
Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or the “West Valley” depends on where it is located in relation to Phoenix.
According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the Valley region's cities have a combined population of 4,845,832, making it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country, behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.
How big is Maricopa County?
According to the 2020 census, Maricopa County has a population of 4,485,414, making it the fourth most populous county in the United States.
The county is home to approximately 63% of Arizona's population and covers an area of 9,224 square miles, which means the county is larger than seven U.S. states: Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.
Maricopa County is also home to one of the largest park systems in the country. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks, including hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers, campgrounds, and more.
The county seat is Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the fifth most populous city in the United States according to the census.
The county was named for a Native American tribe called the Maricopa or Piipache.
