Alessandra Luckey

The Republic | azcentral.com

A young Navajo man who hitchhiked around the country and posted on social media about his travels was killed earlier this month outside Bakersfield, Calif., according to authorities and family members.

Dallas Peterman of Kayenta was struck and killed by a semitruck on Highway 395 near Ridgecrest, according to the California Highway Patrol.

His family traveled to Bakersfield with a white cargo trailer, in which they planned to bring Peterman's body back in to Arizona. However, the trailer was stolen from their hotel parking lot, according to a report filed with Bakersfield police.

According to Facebook posts made by Peterman's father, Anthony Peterman, Dallas' body was brought back to his Arizona home on Tuesday.

A GoFundMe page set up for the family to pay the costs of funeral and burial expenses has raised $10,500 as of noon Tuesday.