Heat and Dehydration Likely Cause of Mysterious Hiking Deaths in California This Summer

Mariposa County Sheriff ’s officials believe they now know what likely led to themysterious deaths of a California familyof three and their wienerwurst while hiking earlier this summer : heat and dehydration . The purpose came after months of concern that other possible causes , including toxic alga , may have posed a continued threat to hikers in the expanse .

In mid - August , the bodies of married mates John Gerrish and Ellen Chung , their 1 - yr - sometime daughter , Miju , and their dog were discovered along a tramp track in the Sierra National Forest of Northern California , follow a admirer ’s miss mortal composition . They were located some distance off from their car and had no visible signs of trauma or other meter reading of what pour down them .

official were measured to note from the first that they had no undivided theory as the family ’s cause of death . But onepossible culpritwas exposure to toxins produced by certain species of blue - green algae from a nearby water rootage , a known peril in the area . In early September , tests didfindhigh degree of a particular toxin in a river close to where the family was found , though official again urged that this did not of necessity signify it was responsible for their death .

A vehicle entering the Sierra National Forest northeast of Fresno in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains on Sept. 11, 2020, during a forest fire in the area.

A vehicle entering the Sierra National Forest northeast of Fresno in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains on Sept. 11, 2020, during a forest fire in the area.Photo: Frederic J. Brown (Getty Images)

Finally , at a newsworthiness conference this Thursday , Jeremy Briese , Mariposa County sheriff and coroner , announced the conclusion of their investigating , which included postmortem of the family and toxicology tests . Near as they can tell , the most likely cause of death was exposure to extreme oestrus , make love as hyperthermia , and likely desiccation as a resultant . Though the hotdog ’s death was n’t specifically determined , they do conceive hotness probably killed it as well .

“ This is an unfortunate and tragic event due to the weather condition , ” Briesesaid , according to The Fresno Bee .

Briese noted that the track they were establish on , the Savage Lundy Trail , could be an arduous journeying even for experient hikers , as both parents were . Around their suspect time of decease on August 15 , the temperature in the area had climbed to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit ( 38 degrees Celsius ) , he added . Worse still , the part of the trial they were on had niggling shade , due to an early forest flak . Union data show this was California ’s hottest summer on track record , a symptom of the climate crisis . ( So , too , are wildfires . ) The group had apparently also only brought along one water container to partake .

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As for the algae , despite its nearby presence , officials found no evidence that the family had been disclose to it , including by drinking contaminated river water . Notably , while toxic rosiness can be mortal to wildlife and pet , no human last have been linked to the specific toxin find in the national woodland , known as anatoxin - a , Briese articulate . Parts of the trail are still scheduled to stay on unsympathetic to the public through the end of the calendar month .

There are particular left unknown about the kinsperson ’s net moments , near the end of the trail and less than two miles by from their vehicle . official say they ’re working with the FBI to look at Gerrish ’s phone data in hope of finding more clues . But for now , the probe has largely come to a close . subsister of the family , for their part , give thanks the officials for their body of work .

“ They felt our pain , shared the distress of our going , and responded with sympathy , empathy , and total loyalty trying to encounter some answers for us , ” the family said in a statement shared at the news conference .

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