Jon Johnson File Photo/Gila Herald: The road from Shannon Campground to MGIO is closed to general motor vehicle traffic during winter.
John Johnson
john johnson news@gmail.com
Mount Graham – Hypothermia was the most likely cause of death for a Tennessee man who attempted a hike from Shannon Campground to the Mount Graham International Observatory (MGIO) on February 1.
Pierre Romelus, 49, of La Vergne, Tennessee, was found by an Arizona Public Safety Ranger rescue team on February 3 after a two-day search. Romelus was found dead during contact in the Grant Creek area.
Graham County Sheriff’s Office agents and search and rescue teams were first dispatched on the night of Feb. 1 after Romers’ wife called county dispatches and informed them that her husband was missing. . She said Romelus was planning a hike to his MGIO and his last correspondence was a post on his Facebook on Feb. 1 around 12:00 pm, showing Romelus in the mountains with a telescope in the background. said to have posted a photo of
Romelus’ wife called dispatch at about 7:39 pm that night. After finding Romers’ truck in Shannon’s campground area, the SAR was called around 11:00 PM and followed the truck, checking cabins and other areas to begin a search.
Rangers joined the search the next day, but bad weather limited flight time and disrupted aerial search operations. Greenlee County Search and Rescue, the University of Arizona Police Department, and the U.S. Forest Service also assisted in the search, according to the release.
Rangers resumed the search from above after weather conditions improved on February 3, and the team located the truck. Rescue workers descended from the helicopter and found Romelus’ belongings and eventually Romelus himself.
According to the Pima County Coroner’s Office’s autopsy results, Romelus died of hypothermia, possibly from drowning. Romelus was found in the snow with his head submerged in a creek.
The report also provides additional information supporting hypothermia as a cause of death. Furthermore, the toxicology report did not show adequate results.
Romelus lives in La Vergne, Tennessee with his wife Arla, two sons Pierre Romelus Jr., Noah, and daughter Marley.
