16-year-old with diabetes dies in hiking fall, Las Vegas mom says. ‘Don’t hike alone’

When 16-year-old Quinn Fike set out for a solo hike at 6 a.m., it was just another morning, her mom said.

The Las Vegas teen “wanted to spend every day outside,” Tonia Fike told KLAS. She told her daughter, who had recently been diagnosed with diabetes, to stay close to home.

But when she checked Quinn’s blood sugar monitor remotely later Wednesday, June 8, she found her daughter’s readings were off, Tonia Fike told KSNV. Quinn, who sounded “tired and in distress” when her mother called, had hiked to the top of a mountain near Lake Mead.

Quinn told her mother she planned to “hurry down,” Tonia Fike told KLAS. Hours passed but her daughter never returned home.

Searchers later found the 16-year-old’s body, Las Vegas police told KVVU.

Tonia Fike said she was told her daughter had died after falling and hitting her head, KSNV reported.

“Quinn was the light of our lives – intelligent, creative, beautiful, and dedicated to making an everlasting impact in this world. We will miss her forever,” she told KVVU in a statement.

“When it comes to safety, please listen to your parents. Don’t hike alone,” Tonia Fike told KSNV.

This story was originally published June 12, 2022 at 4:46 PM with the headline "16-year-old with diabetes dies in hiking fall, Las Vegas mom says. ‘Don’t hike alone’."