Found Deceased AZ - Nathan Atkinson, 25, Phoenix, 28 March 2017

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Missing Phoenix man last seen at South Mountain Park, search efforts underway
KNXV%20Nathan%20Atkinson_1491085293625_57689955_ver1.0_640_480.jpg

Nathan Atkinson, 25, was last seen on Tuesday near 13th and Clarendon avenues, police said.
His car was found abandoned and running at South Mountain Park near the Kiwanis Trail.

http://www.abc15.com/news/region-ph...t-south-mountain-park-search-efforts-underway
 
Hmmm car was abandoned and running? That's a first for me I think.
 
Ummmm I don't get it. He fell? His car was running.
 
Here is a description of the trail he was parked near. Website also has a map. I can't tell if there are any cliffs or anything along the trail.

https://www.phoenix.gov/parks/trails/locations/south-mountain/trail-descriptions-and-map

Kiwanis Trail

Driving Directions: Kiwanis Trailhead – Just past the Ranger Station, which is ½ mile down road from main gate, make a left turn at the dip in the road (Central Avenue entrance), then proceed straight through the next intersection and follow the road back to a paved parking area. The Kiwanis Trail is one of the more extensively used trails inside South Mountain Park. This trail is suitable for most levels of hikers and can be used as an introduction for those wanting to get acquainted with desert mountain hiking. This trail travels through a rock-studded canyon, which is home to a variety of Sonoran Desert plants and animals, and also reveals two rock wall dams built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930’s.* Although, not a very long trail, it does offer direct access to the National Trail and Telegraph Pass Trail ... once you reach the roadway at the trail’s end.

Distance: 1.0 mile

Difficulty: Moderate - steep towards the top end.

Elevation Change: Approximately 480 feet.
 
Aw Nellie, I'm so sorry it ended this way :/

What a perplexing situation - there is definitely missing information here. The trailhead appears to be pretty flat and at the bottom of the hills. I can think of plenty of reasons he would go there, but why leave the car running? Going to take a quick snap of the sunset and your dog is in the car? Drug-induced paranoia? If this is not suicide someone else must have been there for it to make sense otherwise.
 
Aww. He and his fiancée just got engaged and there are two babies. So sad. Hope they can piece together what happened.
 
reportedly a hiking accident. Knowing that area, it's a possibility but that trail is used for a lot of things. And if the car was running, how was he off hiking? Regardless, sad for those who knew and loved him. So young, so sad.
 
http://www.azfamily.com/story/35055862/police-id-body-recovered-from-south-mountain

Investigators believe Nathan Ryan Atkinson committed suicide. His body was located and recovered from a particularly rugged area Saturday afternoon.

I am really saddened by families that feel keeping suicide a secret is the right thing to do. Acknowledging it is, and can only serve to help others. Not acknowledging the negatives in life, including depression in our loved ones, can't ever lead to healing or prevention.
 
http://www.azfamily.com/story/35055862/police-id-body-recovered-from-south-mountain



I am really saddened by families that feel keeping suicide a secret is the right thing to do. Acknowledging it is, and can only serve to help others. Not acknowledging the negatives in life, including depression in our loved ones, can't ever lead to healing or prevention.

First, thanks for digging deeper than I had. Second, thanks for your words here. They are very powerful words and the sentiment important.
 

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