ARIZONA NEWS

Arizona climber found dead, covered with bee stings

May 8, 2013, 8:29 AM | Updated: 9:02 am

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) – A Tucson climber was found dead, hanging from a southern Arizona cliff in his climbing gear and covered with bee stings.

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office says 55-year-old Steven Johnson was found in the Santa Rita Mountains south of Tucson late Monday.

Cause of death hasn’t been determined yet, but officials say Johnson was covered with stings when he was found.

Johnson was last seen Friday when he went hiking, and friends became worried when he didn’t go to work on Monday.

Search and rescue teams found both Johnson and his dog dead. The dog was on the top of the cliff.

Sheriff’s Lt. Raoul Rodriguez says Johnson may have disturbed bees by hammering a spike into the cliff.

(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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Arizona climber found dead, covered with bee stings