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Authorities said Thursday that a family and their dog in Northern California were mysteriously found dead in a remote hiking area, most likely due to hyperthermia and dehydration.
The Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office previously stated that the latest news regarding the deaths of John Grish, his wife Alan Chung, their 1-year-old daughter Miju, and their 8-year-old Australian/Akita hybrid dog Oski will be the final investigation. Case update.
California authorities turn to mobile phone data and social media in mysterious family death
John Gerrish and Ellen Chung recently moved to the Marisopa area with their 1-year-old daughter and dog. Authorities said on Thursday that the family and the dog had died of extreme heat and dehydration. (Steven Jeff)
The family was found dead on August 17 on the Savage Lundy Trail near the Merced River in the Sierra National Forest. After Gerrish, a software engineer who previously worked at Google, failed to go to work, a friend reported that they were missing.
Mariposa County Sheriff Jeremy Briese said the temperature in the area where they were hiking was between 107 and 109 degrees, and there was almost no shade.
He said: "Due to the weather, this is another unfortunate and tragic incident." "Deaths related to high temperature are extremely difficult to investigate."
He said that Grish and Zhong were wearing shorts and vests during the hike, and their water containers were empty. They were found to be more than 1.5 miles away from their vehicle.
The hiking route map shows where the Geriish family was found dead in August. (Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office)
In a statement from the Gerrish-Chung family, they said that the death of a young child exacerbated their pain of losing a loved one.
"The question'Why?' will never be answered and will stay with us," the family said. "Our hearts will never forget Jonathan, Ellen, Miju, and of course the good life of Oski. No matter where we go, no matter what we do, they will be with us."
Since foul play was ruled out, these deaths confused investigators. The authorities said at the time that the bodies showed no signs of wounds or trauma.
The high content of toxic algae in rivers is a theory studied. In July, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife warned that "water quality testing along the Merced River near Hites Cove...showed that algae bloomed."
The other possible cause of death is believed to be toxic gases in the area.
These deaths caused the Bureau of Land Management to close the campground and recreation area between the towns of Brisborg and Bagby, 28 miles along the river, when water samples downstream of the place where the family died showed high levels of toxic algae.
Sierra National Forest. A family in Northern California was found dead while hiking with their dog in the forest. (United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service)
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Autopsy of family members and autopsy of dogs are considered uncertain. Investigators collaborate with toxicologists, environmental experts, and other experts.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Do not publish, disseminate, adapt or redistribute this material. ©2021 FOX News Network Co., Ltd. all rights reserved. Quotes are displayed in real time or delayed for at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Supported and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Notices. Mutual fund and ETF data is provided by Refinitiv Lipper.