John Gerrish, 45, was from Lancashire, in the U.K., and moved to the US several years ago, working as a software engineer for Google in San Francisco. The Savage Lundy Trail is a 2.8-mile long trail and is the most difficult trail in the area near the south fork of the Merced River and the Devils Gulch. From there, they walked 1.9 miles to the Savage Lundy Trail, then ended up on a steep incline where temperatures reached 107 to 109 degrees due to a lack of shade and high elevation. Serious burns seldom occur.". Miss Manners: I shouldn't call because the phone scares people? Briese said that his deputies were working to support the victims devastated families. We're not focusing on one specific cause at this point. Now hes under review, Blizzard conditions close major highways and roads in Lake Tahoe area, trigger avalanche, Last wave of winter storm hits Southern California, bringing snow, hail, rain. It was extremely hot that day with local temperatures reaching around 107 to 109 degrees, investigators say. They continued walking along the 20E01.4 trail that parallels the South Fork of the Merced River for about 1.9 miles toward the intersection with the Savage Lundy Trail, where the elevation is about 1,800 feet and approximate temperature at the time was 99 to 103 degrees, the release said. The family also had a backpack with a Camelback bladder that held a small amount of water and this was sent for testing in case it was in some way contaminated. It has been sent to the FBI to determine if it can provide any insight into the familys last hours. About a month before the family was found dead, the U.S. Forest Service warned that "a high concentration of algae bloom" had been found in the Merced River near Hites Cove, where Gerrish and. On August 26, the Sheriffs Office says it had ruled out weapons or chemical hazards along the Savage-Lundy Trail, as possible causes of death, but emphasized that, ALL other potential causes of death remain.. The trail had posted warnings about toxic algae blooms. "I've been here for 20 years, and I've never seen a death-related case like this," he told The Times. A deputy later found the family's vehicle at the Hites Cove trail head. A helicopter hovers over a remote area northeast of the town of Mariposa, Calif., on Wednesday, Aug. 18. Their 1-year-old daughter, Aurelia Miju Chung-Gerrish, and dog, Oski, were with them. The trail was closed until September 26, or sooner "if conditions change" around the area. A family of hikers were found dead in . Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasn't followed: What should you do? Inside the crisis transforming the Southwest, Woman in her 70s found stabbed to death in Lake Forest home, Yosemite breaks decades-old snowfall record, closing national park indefinitely, San Diego federal judge had defendants 13-year-old daughter handcuffed. Back when these mines were in operation, their operators could just simply abandon them without removing hazards. . Record-breaking "heat domes" hit Oregon and Washington killing at least 100 people, but likely far more. Lightning strikes were eliminated, and investigators considered suicide and drug or alcohol use before moving on. "Our Sheriff's Chaplains and staff are working with their family and will continue to support them during this heartbreaking time.". The bodies were found on Tuesday on a remote hiking trail. Those details support the findings of a heat related incident.. . The deaths led the Bureau of Land Management to close campgrounds and recreation areas along 28 miles of the river, between the towns of Briceburg and Bagby, when water samples downstream from where the family died showed high levels of the toxic algae. A Mariposa County sheriffs deputy walks in a remote area near where a family and their dog were found dead Aug. 17. The married couple, Jonathan Gerrish and Ellen Chung, along with their 1-year-old daughter, Miju, and the family dog, Oski, were all found dead, inexplicably, on Aug. 17 on a steep switchback trail roughly 1.5 miles from where they parked their car. The Mariposa County Coroner is awaiting toxicology results from the bodies, which could take several weeks. Gerrish and Chung took multiple photos throughout the hike, deputies said. Water not far from the trail later tested positive for toxic algae including anatoxin-a, also known as Very Fast Death Factor (VFDF). Investigators combed the lower section of the trail for unreported mines, but experts said it likely would take an exposure inside a mine shaft to kill a family. Scott Adams faces 'consequence culture' as U.S. newspapers drop Dilbert, Tom Cruise's 'ditching' of Suri showcased by Judd Apatow's 'co-parenting' joke, ex-Scientology exec says. "This is a very unusual, unique situation," Kristie Mitchell, a spokesperson for the Mariposa County Sheriff's Office, told the San Francisco Chronicle. "So right now, we're treating the coroner investigation as a homicide until we can establish the cause.". Fatal lightning strikes are rare, but do occur; 17 Americans were killed by lightning last year alone. Almost four months later, those answers are in. While algal blooms are not attached to anything, algal mats cling onto the bottom of water, such as on rocks. Northern California family's mysterious deaths on hiking trail: The official cause Temperatures on Mariposa County route reached 109, sheriff said The remote canyon area northeast of the town. Our current priorities remain supporting and informing the Gerrish / Chung family during this tragic time," he said. Feds charge two with robbing two San Francisco banks during the same day, Winds shred tarp, leave historic San Jose building exposed to elements, RFK assassin Sirhan Sirhan up for parole again, brother says he can live with him in Pasadena, One charged with murder, second suspect released, in mass shootout that killed teen at Oakland music video shoot. "We respect and understand the need for information and details regarding this case. Several Western states reported record heat this summer. Five phone calls were attempted to multiple phone numbers within the span of 27 minutes, the last being sent at 12:36 p.m. None were made to 911. On savage lundy trail heading back to Hites cove trail. But by 10 AM, the search was over: all four bodies were discovered in the open on a trail near the Devil's Gulch area in the South Fork of the Merced River drainage. ", "Our hearts will never forget the beautiful lives of Jonathan, Ellen, Miju and of course, Oski," the statement said. Theres also very little shade along that portion of the trail due to the 2018 Ferguson Fire, the release said. While the average since records began is 41 fatalities per year, the trend has been sharply. John and Ellen married in 2019 and had moved to Mariposa County from San Francisco after the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, to enjoy the outdoors, after starting working from home on a permanent basis. The Hite Cove Trail is a wonderful adventure in the Sierra National Forest that boasts awe-inspiring views of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. At 8:40 a.m., additional teams began down the Savage Lundy Trail. Fatal lightning strikes are rare, but do occur; 17 Americans were killed by lightning last year alone. Authorities also found a series of five attempted phone calls, not including to 911, made between 12:09 and 12:36 p.m. As with the attempted text message, none of the calls went through. Temperatures reached as high as 109 by midafternoon. The area was so remote, rescuers had to hike back out to get satellite phone reception to report their grim find. There were no signs of damage to their bodies. If people breathe in these gases, their muscles stop responding normally, thinking becomes clouded and a person can become unconscious and die. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). The water bladder was empty when the bodies were found, he said. Family members of Gerrish and Chung released a statement included in the news release thanking the Sheriffs Office for the time and resources dedicated to the investigation into the deaths. "There are some mine shafts, but we can't confirm if that's the cause yet.". According to the Mariposa County Sheriff's Office, the area is reported to be where a family and their dog were found dead. Yasemin is a staff writer at Live Science, covering health, neuroscience and biology. Authorities found eight photos of the river and of the couple taken from 9:35 to 9:39 a.m. At 10 a.m. and 10:16 a.m., they took two selfie-style family photos. The family had gone hiking on a trail near the Merced River in the Sierra National Forest and were found dead Aug. 17 after a family friend reported them missing the previous night. But algal mats, because they're clinging onto the rocks, wouldn't flow down the stream. "There were no signs of trauma, no obvious cause of death. Mariposa County Sheriff's spokeswoman, Kristie Mitchell, said "Coming across a scene where everyone involved, including the family dog that is deceased, that is not a typical thing that we have seen or other agencies have seen. Gregory Yee was a reporter for the Los Angeles Times. A map showing the route that the Gerrish-Chung family hiked on the Hite Cove Trail before they were all found dead near each other on Aug. 17. Designated recreation sites, roads, and trails in proximity and/or leading to this location will be off-limits to the public. Law enforcement are "investigating possible lightning strikes" in the Hite Cove area of the Sierra National Forest, along the South Fork of the Merced River, where Jonathan Gerrish, Ellen Chung, their 1-year-old daughter, Miju, and the family dog, Oski, were found dead, with no visible signs of trauma, on Aug. 17, the New York Times reports. Following the discovery of the bodies, although there was no sign of foul play or of trauma to the bodies, but in accordance with procedure, the investigation was classified as a homicide, pending results from the coroners post-mortem examinations and toxicology tests. Tuesday, Aug. 17: 1:55 a.m., a search and rescue mission is initiated. John was in a seated position, with the baby beside him along with the dog, and Ellen was just a little farther up the hill. you have two healthy adults, you have a healthy child and what appeared to be a healthy canine all within a general same area, deceased. The trail is open year-round and is . Jonathan Gerrish, 45, Ellen Chung, 30, and their 1-year-old daughter Aurelia, also known as Miju as well as their family dog Oski were found dead Aug. 17 in the Devil's Gulch area of the south fork of the Merced River in the Sierra National Forest, the Mariposa County Sheriff's Office said at the time. Birth records are available for 1811-1814, 1833-1898, marriages only for 1833-1887, and deaths for 1851-1928. The purpose of Forest Order No. The news sheds light on a case that has confounded investigators and the public and raised new questions about outdoor recreational activities in an era of rising temperatures and climate fueled extreme weather. "There's no obvious indicators of how it occurred. ", Jeremy Briese, the sheriff of Mariposa County, said the deaths had confounded him and his team, Ive been here for 20 years and Ive never seen a death, with any case, like this. The already-outlandish theories of toxic algae or a gas leak from the mines below have even begun to lose weight. One early theory centered on high levels of toxic algae detected in the Merced River. They're still waiting on toxicology reports and apparently also on a test of water taken from a water bladder backpack the couple carried. 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