Runner’s puzzling death in California park could be explained by data from smartwatch

GPS data from a smartwatch could shed insight on the death of a runner who went missing for a month in a California park, according to authorities.

Philip Kreycik, who disappeared last month while running in Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park and whose body was identified by his family Aug. 5, could have died from a heat stroke, according to GPS data from his smartwatch, the Mercury News reported.

Kreycik could have died around 4.5 hours after starting his run and wavering off course, according to the publication.

“Some experts in this field looked at the data and explained to us that it’s very possible that he had a heat stroke-related incident,” Sgt. Ray Kelly, spokesman for the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, told the San Francisco Chronicle. “This can cause people to hallucinate and act out in irrational ways before they become unconscious.”

Kreycik went for a 6- to 8-mile run on the morning of July 10 and left his wallet and phone inside his car. He didn’t return home.

An autopsy report obtained by the Chronicle found “no signs of traumatic injuries” and suggested that Kreycik could’ve “experienced an altered mental state.”

East Bay Regional Park District Police Department Capt. Lance Brede said the body was not “readily visible from the trail” and was far from any trail, SFGate reported.

“We believe that Philip was located in a very remote area of the park,” Brede said, according to SFGate. “It is not a designated trail. He was located 250 yards off the trail, near a tree.”

Police said they were worried because temperatures reached triple digits the day Kreycik disappeared, and search teams, including scent hounds, were called to look for him, according to NBC Bay Area.

This story was originally published August 25, 2021 at 11:31 AM with the headline "Runner’s puzzling death in California park could be explained by data from smartwatch."