BUCKEYE, Ariz. — A man in Buckeye has died in an apparent heat-related incident while out on a bike ride, according to the Buckeye Police Department.
Police said 73-year-old James Van de Voorde of Buckeye left on a bike ride Sunday afternoon in the Sun City Festival area and later failed to meet his wife at an agreed-upon location after getting a flat tire on his bike.
The man had been attempting to walk to the fire station on Wagner Complex Drive, so his wife could pick him up. The woman contacted police at about 1:45 p.m. after he did not show up.
Police and the Buckeye Fire Department began to search for the man and later found his body in the desert.
Police said it appears Van de Voorde's death was caused by heat, but the medical examiner's office will ultimately confirm if that's the case.
“We are saddened by the loss of a community member,” said Buckeye Police Department spokesperson Carissa Planalp. “There were no obvious signs of trauma and this individual who was found deceased, it appears to be a heat-related death.”
Authorities said his wife described Van de Voorde as a healthy person who would bike regularly. His family said he would often bike in the hot weather because it was something he liked to do.
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