June was the deadliest month on record for heat-related deaths in Pinal County.

Data obtained from the Pinal County Medical Examiner last week show 19 confirmed heat-related deaths were recorded through mid-July. Sixteen of those deaths occurred in June alone.

That’s nearly double the nine heat-related deaths reported last June. PCMEO Division Manager André Davis said they anticipate seeing the totals increase pending toxicology reports.

Two of those deaths occurred in Maricopa.

Vernitta Alexander, 84, died June 23 after she collapsed in her “notably hot” home, Davis said. Heart disease and diabetes also contributed to her death.

“Although the home was equipped with a functional air conditioning system, the unit was set to ‘off.’ Outdoor temperatures reached highs of 107 degrees Fahrenheit in the days leading up to her death, and extreme heat warnings were in effect,” Davis said.

Alexander’s death occurred just three days after Maricopa’s first heat death. Garry Folta, 75, died June 20 also while inside a sweltering home. Outdoor temperatures reached 112 degrees that week.

Folta also had similar health conditions, something PCMEO’s former chief medical examiner John Hu said easily contribute to a heat death.

In a 2023 interview with InMaricopa, Hu said older adults with underlying conditions like heart disease, diabetes, obesity or cirrhosis were more susceptible to a heat death. The Sonoran Desert’s extreme temperatures cause the body to exhaust itself in attempts to cool down.

“They have a lower tolerance, so the heat and the disease contribute to each other,” he said at the time. “Usually, it is an unfortunate situation, like they are in a home without air conditioning.”

Heart disease was a factor in 84%, or 16, of this year’s heat deaths.