No charges expected in case of Boy Scout who died on troop hiking trip

No criminal charges are expected after a 16-year-old Boy Scout collapsed and died last month while on a troop hiking trip in the southern Arizona desert, officials said.

Joshua White, of Goodyear, a suburb west of Phoenix, died April 27 while at Picacho Peak State Park with two adults and five other teens. White’s family said in a statement released Friday night through the Boy Scouts that the teen, his fellow scouts and their leaders were experienced hikers who were “fully prepared” for their planned activities.

White ran out of water when he got to top of the trail, the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office said, adding that one of White’s scout leaders was also having trouble with the heat.  The park features the distinctive 1,500-foot Picacho Peak.

The scout leaders immediately called for help and first responders took life-saving measures, but the boy was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the sheriff’s office.

White’s cause of death was not immediately available, but sheriff’s officials said the boy showed signs of extreme dehydration.

He was a member of the junior varsity football team at Estrella Foothills High School, according to his obituary. A memorial service is scheduled for May 10.