Boston Woman Dies After Suffering Heat-Related Illness While Hiking In Arizona Mountain

KEY POINTS

The woman was on a hiking trip with a man she met on Instagram
Police ruled out foul play in her death
Tramonte's friends believe the circumstances surrounding her death are suspicious

A Boston woman who went hiking in an Arizona mountain trail last week died after she reportedly suffered a heat-related illness.

The woman, identified as Angela Tramonte, 31, of Saugus, went on a hiking trip in the Camelback Mountain on Friday with a friend whom she met on Instagram, WHDH-TV reported, citing Tramonte's friends. Halfway into the hike, Tramonte became overheated and decided to stay back, but her hiking partner, who her friends say is a police officer, wanted to continue to the top, according to CBS Boston.

After returning, the man was unable to find Tramonte in the vehicle. Fire officials told ABC 15 that her belongings were in the vehicle but Tramonte was nowhere to be seen.

Phoenix Fire Department rescue teams searched the mountain and discovered Tramonte's body off of the trial at around 5 p.m. ET. Authorities told ABC 15 that the woman may have tried to alert someone before she collapsed. "If you start as a group, you should end as a group," Phoenix Fire Department Captain Rob McDade told 12News.

Police ruled out foul play in Tramonte's death, AZ Central reported. The exact cause of her death will be determined by the Medical Examiner's Office. "Just another reminder of just how unrelenting and unforgiving the elements of the Sonoran Desert can be," Captain Rob McDade of the Phoenix, Arizona Police Department, told CBS Boston.

Tramonte's friends, however, believe the circumstances surrounding her death are suspicious. "If anybody knew Angela, she wouldn’t go anywhere without a gallon of water in her hand, and I heard she was found without any water," Tramonte's friend, Melissa Buttaro, told CBS Boston.

"As a cop, as a first responder, you’re supposed to help people. If somebody’s walking up a mountain and you’re seeing her in distress and she’s not feeling well and she’s exhausted – why wouldn’t you walk her back down," another friend of Tramonte, Stacey Gerardi, told the outlet. "Why would you continue to walk back up? It doesn’t make sense."