June was the deadliest month on record for heat-related deaths in Pinal County, according to data obtained by InMaricopa from the Pinal County Medical Examiner.
The records show 19 confirmed heat-related deaths through mid-July, with 16 of those occurring in June alone. That is nearly twice the nine heat-related deaths reported during June last year.
PCMEO Division Manager André Davis said the total could still increase as toxicology reports come back. One of the recent deaths was 84-year-old Vernitta Alexander, who died June 23 after collapsing in her hot home, where the air conditioner was present but turned off, according to Davis.
Alexander’s death came three days after Maricopa’s first heat death of the year. Garry Folta, 75, died June 20 while inside another overheated home, and both cases involved health conditions that can make people more vulnerable to extreme heat.
According to a 2023 interview with former chief medical examiner John Hu, older adults with conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity or cirrhosis are at higher risk. Heart disease was listed as a factor in 84% of this year’s heat-related deaths, or 16 of the 19 cases reported so far.
