Family of 3 found dead in Yosemite died of hyperthermia, probable dehydration: Sheriff
A family of three found dead on a hiking trail in the Sierras was killed by hyperthermia and probable dehydration, with their dog also most likely suffering a heat-related death, authorities announced Thursday in unraveling a month-long mystery.
The couple was found with an empty 85-ounce water container, Mariposa County Sheriff Jeremy Briese told reporters at a press conference. Temperatures ranged from 107 to 109 degrees Fahrenheit that day.
It was Aug. 17 when John Gerrish, his wife, Ellen Chung, their 1-year-old daughter, Miju, and their dog were found near a hiking trail in the Sierra National Forest after a family friend reported them missing.
The long-awaited cause of death notice came after weeks of speculation and testing that ruled out a number of things, including violence from a gun or any other weapon, extreme heat, a lightning strike, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, cyanide exposure, illegal drugs, alcohol or suicide. There were no signs of trauma on any of the victims. Mariposa County Sheriff’s investigators have been working with toxicologists, environmental specialists, the FBI and other experts, according to The Associated Press.
One early theory that has not been ruled out is whether high levels of toxic algae detected in the Merced River played a role. Investigators have results from water samples taken in the area but were still waiting for other test results to help determine if the levels were high enough to kill them.
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 toxic algae.
