San Francisco man drowned in Death Valley hot spring after entering illegally

Ryan Dickinson

DEATH VALLEY, CA – Inyo County Sheriff’s Office and the National Park Service report an accidental death of a man at Saline Valley Warm Springs on December 20, 2020. Donald Vanneman III was a 63-year-old resident of San Francisco.

Warm Springs Campground, along with all other Death Valley National Park campgrounds, is temporarily closed due to California’s Regional Stay at Home Orders. The volunteer campground host noticed Mr. Vanneman’s vehicle, but was unable to find him early on December 20. Later that day, two park visitors discovered his body in the Palm Springs source pool.

National Park Service regulations prohibit entry directly into the source pool at Palm Springs. Bathing is normally allowed in the man-made soaking tubs, however those are currently drained and closed due to COVID restrictions.

Related News:   In New Jersey, Leaving the Scene of a Dog Bite Incident Could Soon Land You In Jail

You appear to be using an ad blocker

Shore News Network is a free website that does not use paywalls or charge for access to original, breaking news content. In order to provide this free service, we rely on advertisements. Please support our journalism by disabling your ad blocker for this website.