Father, son missing in Carlsbad Caverns National Park found dead

Adrian Hedden | Carlsbad Current-Argus

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A father and son were found dead Tuesday in Carlsbad Caverns National Park after a weekend of hiking in 100-degree weather.

Robert Stuart Pluta, 57, and his son, Robert "Bobby" Neal Pluta, 21, both of Corpus Christi, were reported missing by wife and mother Lillian Pluta on Monday after they failed to check out of their room at the Fairfield Inn in Carlsbad.

She had attempted to contact both men several times during the weekend, but never heard back, according to a news release from the New Mexico State Police.

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At about 4 p.m. Monday, searchers with the U.S. National Park Service found the Plutas’ red Ford F-150 truck at the Rattlesnake Canyon trailhead and state police ordered a rescue mission be initiated.

Another search at the hotel turned up no clues to their whereabouts, the release said.

By early Monday evening, law enforcement and emergency crews had begun searching the area near the trailhead and the surrounding Chihuahuan Desert.

Robert "Bobby" Neal Pluta was found dead at 10:05 p.m. Monday night about two miles northwest of the Carlsbad Caverns National Park Visitor Center.

Search efforts resumed at about 6 a.m. Tuesday and included personnel from New Mexico Search and Rescue, New Mexico Game and Fish, Eddy County Search and Rescue, the U.S. Border Patrol and the New Mexico National Guard.

Searchers used all-terrain vehicles to comb the desert area looking for the two men.

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A U.S. Customs and Border Protection Black Hawk helicopter was flown in Tuesday to assist in the efforts. Several other nearby medical and law enforcement agencies also assisted in the search Tuesday.

Robert Stuart Pluta was found dead at 10:42 a.m. Tuesday about a mile away from his son.

New Mexico State Police spokesman Officer Carl Christiansen said the bodies were being transported to the state’s Office of the Medical Investigator to determine the cause of death.

He said the investigation is ongoing and is being carried about by the State Police.

Trails along Rattlesnake Canyon and Upper Rattlesnake Canyon to Guadalupe Ridge Loop have been labeled moderate hiking trails, according to the National Park Service.

Both trailheads are on Desert Loop Road at interpretative marker No. 9.

According to the National Park Service, Rattlesnake Canyon trailhead descends into a side canyon. Upper Rattlesnake Canyon leads to Guadalupe Ridge Loop, which has been labeled as a difficult hiking trail.

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Backcountry camping in that area is only allowed west of Rattlesnake Canyon and south of the Guadalupe Ridge Trail.

Carlsbad Caverns spokeswoman Valerie Golkhe said it is typically advised that anyone hiking the backcountry trails of the park check in with park officials because of the dangerous weather and changing conditions.

Temperatures this past weekend soared above 100 degrees in the area where the two men were found.

"We have pretty extreme temperatures here," Golkhe said. "You need plenty of water. Dehydration happens quickly."

Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on Twitter.