Coroner: Hypothermia caused Arellano’s death

UPDATE: 5-20-19

Bannock County Coroner Ely Taysom said the cause of Arellano’s death was hypothermia and a contributing factor was incapacitation from drug toxicity.

Taysom said there were high concentrations of multiple drugs found in his body.
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On Tuesday, the Bannock County Sheriff’s Office asked people in the City Creek area to be on the lookout for a blue sweater, a khaki bag, a black shoe and a cell phone.

These items were some of the personal effects that were missing when authorities located Ariel Arellano’s body on the trail in April.

Authorities noted that Arellano had these items with him in a photo that was taken at a local store shortly before he was reported missing. On Tuesday night, shortly after the sheriff’s office announced it was searching for the items, someone called in and told authorities he had seen them on the trail.

As of Wednesday, all of the items, except the shoe, have been recovered.

According to Bannock County Sheriff Lorin Nielsen, it is still unclear exactly what led to Arellano’s death. “There was no signs of trauma, there was no wounds, injuries,” Nielsen explained, saying that it currently seems hypothermia is the most likely cause.

Nielsen said his office wants to make sure they do it right and leave no stone unturned, part of the reason he believes the results of the toxicology report will be so vital.

Bannock County coroner Ely Taysom confirmed that the physical evidence didn’t show any signs of foul play or any “red flags.”

He also said hypothermia was a likely cause, though he hasn’t ruled any cause out, but mentioned that despite there being several inches of snow on the ground and lower temperatures during the time in question, it would have been difficult to succumb to hypothermia.

“It would have been unusual for him to die of hypothermia under those conditions unless he was incapacitated in some way,” Taysom explained.

Due to the fact that it’s currently unclear what, if anything, was in Arellano’s system at the time of his death Taysom is eager to get the results back.

“All of these tests are gonna tell us exactly what happened and when we get the results back it’ll clear everything up,” he said.

Toxicology reports generally take a few weeks to process and both Nielsen and Taysom expect to have some answers soon.

“Given the evidence that we have, I am very confident that the toxicology will give us the answers we’re looking for,” Taysom said.