Robert Stuart Pluta died with his son during a sweltering hike in Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico, authorities said after their bodies were found this week.
Pluta, 57, and Robert "Bobby" Neal Pluta, both of Corpus Christi, Texas, had not been heard from since June 14, according to KIII-TV. Lillian Pluta reported her husband and son missing Monday after they did not check out of their hotel room at the Fairfield Inn in Carlsbad, the Carlsbad Current-Argus reported.
Lillian Pluta said she had tried to contact both of them during the weekend but they did not respond, the Current-Argus reported, adding that they were hiking in 100-degree temperatures.
New Mexico state police ordered a rescue mission when Plutas' Ford F-150 truck was found at the Rattlesnake Canyon trailhead.
Bobby Pluta's body was found at 10:05 p.m. Monday about two miles northwest of the Carlsbad Caverns National Park Visitors Center. His father's body was discovered the next day at 10:42 a.m. about a mile away, officials told the Current-Argus.
New Mexico State Police spokesman Officer Carl Christiansen told the newspaper that the bodies were being transported to the Office of the Medical Investigator to determine the cause of death.
"Robert and Bobby were just looking forward to this Father's Day trip they put off a couple times and finally decided to go," Pastor Mark Behrendt of Galilean Lutheran Church, told KIII-TV. "To have this happen is just overwhelming.
"Robert though, was always grinning. He was always great to be around, and he and his boys actually came to several of our Men in Missions Build-A-Bench workshops for our camps up north. And Bobby had just become over the last half a year the guy who was recording our worship services," Behrendt continued.
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