CA - Jonathan Gerrish, Ellen Chung, daughter, 1 & dog, suspicious death hiking area, Aug 2021 #2

[wary]

They could have been found as far as they got, though. I don't think we can assume they made it down to the river.

From some of the news articles, it seems clear that the investigators are looking for, and found, footprints. I hope that all sections of the trail had the ability to show footprints. That should clarify their route.

 

[mickey2942]

I guess, just as a general question, this couple decides to go on a hike, in what seems to be a barren, desolate area, on a brutally hot day...with baby and dog.

I can't wrap my head around this, because there would have been major rebellion from me. No thanks. I wonder what the relationship dynamics were with this couple.

 

[rahod1]

They could have been found as far as they got, though. I don't think we can assume they made it down to the river.

I would think it would be relatively easy to spot the same tracks going in the opposite direction (down hill to the river)? AND/OR.... spotted going in the SAME direction (up hill) all the way back to the river. The only thing we don't know is did LE spot tracks on the other trail as well, which would support the *LOOP* scenario.

 

[d4i5y]

A question, please:
Is there any known, actual quote by Sheriff Brease where he states that this poor family was doing the entire loop???
If so, how would LE know that, I wonder...?
The only thing I can come up with here, is that LE somehow was able to confirm that there were no footprints/pawprints on the Savage-Lundy Trail on the stretch from where their Ford Raptor truck was parked at the gate and where the family was found further down the trail....
Any ideas?

Sorry, I missed this. I have replied in a post somewhere above to someone else asking. But no, I haven’t found a source with sheriff or any other authority saying they were doing the whole loop. There are a few sources (all unreliable to my mind) saying they were on “.. a day hike” but I think this is supposition. There’s no quote for anything on the route or that they’d taken the whole route.

Snipped for focus.

De rigueur: the standard "10 essentials". Even the National Park Service posts these in highly visible places. The "10 essentials" have been elaborated over the years, but the basic principle is the same.Ten Essentials (U.S. National Park Service)

You'd likely be okay with a PLB OR a GPS call device. However, a PLB would be a good plan, your cell phone, a GPS, a paper map, and a compass. You should have ALL of these. If you're in a popular area, the National Geographic maps that are based on the USGS maps are excellent. They are printed on Tyvek.

For the first hike or two, especially if you're in a National Park, sign up for a "ranger walk". This will get you situated on good trail protocol, how extreme the landscape can be, etc. Also see if the Sierra Club (or Appalachian Mountain Club) or local hiking societies have hikes you can go on. This is a great way to be with people who know what they're doing, learn how to make trail decisions, etc.

You are unlikely to be on a trail with conditions like the one this family was on. For starters, this is not a "high interest" trail, so if you were a visitor, it would be a no-fun waste of time. Most people have the sense not to be hiking in these conditions. I just don't get it. They have to have had something unique in mind.

Thanks so much for these tips as well. I’ll look into those clubs and the link to the 10 essentials is great too. Thanks very much

 

[Sunny Day]

All of us are speculating at the end of the day. The only true evidence will be the toxicology reports once they are in. Hopefully those will provide info on the real cause of death. I am curious why this will take several weeks though. Can't imagine anything taking that long in this time and age!

I wonder if maybe they already have the toxicology reports, but are taking their time revealing them to the public, for whatever reason.

 

[RickshawFan]

I initially thought something along those lines, but the more I've thought about the terrain & weather, I have a hard time seeing this scenario. The main reason is, I feel like if something like that were to have happened, wouldn't it have been done much sooner (earlier on the trail)? In this scenario, the one with the plot would have had put their own self through what just seems to me like an inordinate & unnecessary level of exertion. Just my opinion!

We have no information on at what point in their hike this event happened. It could have happened within an hour. They could have just been setting out. They could have just turned around. We just don't know.

 

[MrsEmmaPeel]

Reading some of your comments and projecting them onto the mindset of the unfortunate hikers has me pursuing another angle. That is; the perception of fear of toxic water, dismissing its life-giving properties, may have doomed this family. . . .The River: My, what a beauty! The Wild and Scenic South Fork of the Merced River. If you have an image by now of a toxic, scum-filled cesspool littered with dead trout, it’s time to rethink the Giver of Life. After descending in the morning heat, a welcome sight. Cool, clear water flowing between its gently-sloping shady banks. Attached to this idyllic setting, however, is a cautionary sign. . . .

Thank you, @sfinkz. This is one of the few posts that helps me imagine the Gerrish's mindsets. You make a good case that fear of the water may have played a part as a piece of the puzzle. But more importantly, that attraction to this beautiful river may have seemed like a reason to hike on a hot day.

 

[d4i5y]

If they actually were hiking the loop, they may have been in trouble, heatwise, before they even reached the river.

Once there, they may have tried various ways to cool off, including getting in the river or soaking their clothes, depending on their awareness/perception of the algae issue. Maybe there is good shade at the river if the fire didn't hit all the way down to the water?

They may have hung out down there trying to cool themselves off before tackling the climb back out, and of course the longer they delayed the hotter it got.

Even without food or much water left, I wonder if they would have had a better chance by hanging out all day and overnight and hiking out at dawn?

MOO

This is an interesting take. I was thinking on it early and that maybe they planned to take the baby down to the water for a swim and hang out a bit before returning on the same path but when they got there, the water wasn’t suitable and they’d under-estimated the hike and the heat gaining so quickly. Add to this that maybe they’d planned to get water as well (they may have known about the algae warnings but also under-estimated) plus an increasingly hot and unwell baby and then it becomes a choice between continuing on or turning back. Maybe they went along the river trying to find a good pool of water (I see from Google maps it goes from shallow to big deep pools) but then gave up as they got to the Savage-Lundy trail. By now, panic has probably set in, the dog (having to walk on hot granite on the side of the river but unable to cool off) might be stumbling, baby is weaker, it’s hotter, they’re saving what water is left for the baby...

I mean, it just takes something like they misjudged on the water and the rest can very easily snowball.

 

[nathan.hogan21]

Have tried to keep up with this case from day to day, not sure if I had missed any mention of any theories like these but wanted to know if there had been any discussion in this case of these possibilities:

Could water sources or the ground soil itself become contaminated with Haloalkanes such as those used in Airborne Fire Retardents during the previously mentioned wildfires in the area? My reason for asking this is two-fold, could chemicals such as those have contaminated the water enough that it would still have been dangerous enough to consume? Alternatively, and this would probably require a chemist to explain it, can chemicals like that be absorbed or inhaled if someone were sitting on ground that had previously been saturated with them?

Has any study been carried out to identify if anything else had been dumped or jettisoned from the air in recent weeks? I am thinking primarily of Jet Fuel which in the past has caused illness among people caught under it when fuel is dumped in flight and secondly I am thinking of any contamination from chemical propulsion fuels used by the military as the Sierra National Forest is near several airports and bases and is regularly overflown.

Also additional to these two suggestions, can either Jet Fuel or Haloalkanes evaporate in extreme heat and form a gas that could have rendered the family unconscious?

I also wonder on a darker note, has any discussion been had of whether the family could have been killed elsewhere and moved to the site? Some cases I have read about in the past such as people poisoned by Potassium Cyanide or Helium gas before being moved to a location that wouldnt suggest a sinister cause come to mind. The fact that the Father was found in a sitting position reminded me of an old case on Forensic Files or Unsolved Mysteries where the theory was that because Rigor Mortis had set in while they were being moved it was impossible for the killer to position them any other way upon arriving at the scene.

Either way a very interesting case and like many here I'm sure we are all waiting for the toxicology results to be announced in the Hope's that explains the mystery.

 

[Smokingun]

They could’ve all succumbed to different things, too. The baby or dog could’ve been ill first. If they weren’t and the parents collapsed first, then both baby and dog would be lost to heat, dehydration, etc. With the parents, one could’ve collapsed from say an electrolyte problem or even an as yet unidentified health condition or water poisoning, the other from heatstroke. All told from last time sighted to found, about 40 hours had passed which is really a lot of time for all sorts of scenarios with not all perishing at the same time but possibly hours after one another. It’s awful to think about.

I’ve been thinking about this too, today and you’re right so awful. We are just strangers, really can’t imagine what it must be like to be their family and friends thinking through all of this.

 

[swedepete]

Sorry, I missed this. I have replied in a post somewhere above to someone else asking. But no, I haven’t found a source with sheriff or any other authority saying they were doing the whole loop. There are a few sources (all unreliable to my mind) saying they were on “.. a day hike” but I think this is supposition. There’s no quote for anything on the route or that they’d taken the whole route.


Thanks so much for these tips as well. I’ll look into those clubs and the link to the 10 essentials is great too. Thanks very much

Thank you for this clarification! So, basically we still have no clue whether the family was hiking the entire loop or only the Savage-Lundy Trail. Hopefully, LE has been able to clarify that.....

 

[Seattle1]

I posted about this earlier here:

I can’t find any quote for a day hike. Only two U.K. tabloids and People in the US (that looks like it’s in a syndicate with one of the U.K. tabloids). The other tabloid is also the one responsible for the confusing/misleading language on the dog being “attached” to the father so I suspect it’s also embellished here. As it is, there’s no verifiable source that the authorities believe they were on a day hike.

Seems you missed the links to thread #1 and/or the MSM articles included in my post which state the family was on a day hike. Fresno Bee and San Fran Chronicle are not tabloids. For your convenience, they're reposted below:

Initial Autopsy on Family of 3 Mysteriously Found Dead on Hiking Trail Turns Up No Clues

8/21/2021

The couple made the move after Gerrish, a Silicon Valley software engineer, began working from home, the family friend told The Fresno Bee. They wished to raise Miju away from a major city and hoped to trade in the bustle of the San Francisco Bay Area for the calm of nature, he explained.

The first sign that something had gone awry was when the couple's nanny arrived at their home on Monday and found no one there, Jeffe told the newspaper. Their hiking trip on Sunday was only supposed to last a day.

"You had to figure it wasn't an overnight hike because it's been hot and they had the baby with them," Jeffe told The Bee. "John was supposed to work Monday and never showed up. That raised more concerns."

[..]

By Tuesday morning, the family was found.

"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," Kristie Mitchell previously told the Fresno Bee. "That is why we're treating it as a hazmat situation. We just don't know."

______________

A couple, their baby and their dog died on a California hiking trail, and officials don’t know why

Updated Aug. 23, 2021 at 1:19 pm PT

The Mariposa, Calif., home of John Gerrish and Ellen Chung was quiet on Aug. 16 when their 1-year-old daughter’s nanny arrived. The family – including the dog, Oski – was nowhere to be found. Their truck was missing, too. As the hours wore on without a word from Gerrish or Chung, who had set out for a hike the day before, a sense of panic began to set in.

The couple’s house sat near the head of Hites Cove Trail, and hours after the family was reported missing at about 11 p.m., the trailhead is where police started looking. A sheriff’s deputy found the couple’s truck parked near the trail’s entrance around 2 a.m., the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Nine hours later and 1.5 miles from the family’s truck, in an area known as Devil’s Gulch, a search-and-rescue team found Gerrish, Chung, their daughter, Miju, and the dog.

They were all dead.

Gerrish was in a seated position with the baby and dog beside him, according to the Chronicle. Chung was a little farther up the hill.

Authorities still don’t know how it happened. An autopsy recently completed on the bodies yielded no conclusive results about the cause of the deaths, CNN reported. A toxicology report, which could take several weeks, is pending.

 

[Jinkasaurus]

Do we know what position the baby backpack/carrier was in when they were found? Was it lying on the ground, or was it put in the standing position, with the baby upright?

 

[rahod1]

Reading some of your comments and projecting them onto the mindset of the unfortunate hikers has me pursuing another angle. That is; the perception of fear of toxic water, dismissing its life-giving properties, may have doomed this family.

The Sign: It was prudent for the FS to post the cautionary sign—just that, cautionary, their lowest advisory—about the blue green algal mats/bloom cyanotoxin thing about a month before. It’s real, nothing new, particularly this time of year during recent brutal summers. I’m avoiding it, thanks for the reminder but I’ll still be able to safely enjoy the river—even if limited to soaking my feet as I enjoy a picnic—and yes dogs serve as a canary in the gold mine with these toxins.

The Prognosis: Heatstroke, most definitely I share the prevailing opinion. Why not retreat to the river, submerge and cool your core? Dehydrated and tapped out? Lap it up. We filter for intestinal parasites, which can be uncomfortable a week after exposure. (OK, OK someone will remind me how ‘poisonous’ it is). Many people carry only a 1L collapsible bottle and simple filter and use their judgment whether to filter from source-source but, again, that ain’t me.

This the actual sign posted in plain sight at the trail head. It's more than a *cautionary*
Image Link:
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/08/20/12/46900537-0-image-a-15_1629458704736.jpg

.

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

Snipped for focus

There's no evidence anyone was waiting for a chopper.
There are no trees and no shade. This is a burn area. It was over 100 degrees.

No trees makes such a difference. Over 109 was a registered temp (measured in shade) in the area, in the canyon with no shade it likely was hotter. I'm not sure a dog would be able to walk on the trail without burning his paws. With the Akita mix having a double coat, he likely would have suffered early. So sad. A local posted on FB that the climb up the SL trail is a 2000 foot change in elevation over miles, would be very difficult to climb that in extreme heat esp after being out for hours. They must have felt so panicked, very tragic.

Seems even a PLB may not have worked in this deep canyon, I had never considered that. Are there any alternatives to that or a satellite phone (which did not work for LE where they were found)?

 

[rahod1]

<modsnip - quoted post was removed >

"Last month, Sierra National Forest officials posted a warning about 'high concentrations' of algae which can produce 'extremely dangerous toxins that can sicken or kill people and animals' in the water in the Merced River at Hites Cove"

Did toxic algae bloom kill British software developer, his wife and one-year-old toddler? | Daily Mail Online

 

[sfinkz]

Yes, it is all speculative at this point. I posted in response to an earlier clumsy analogy I made comparing the symptoms of heatstroke and the ordeals of its victims to following this thread.

We know what we know which isn’t much. Bodies recovered, evidence collected, reports filed, media blitzed, autopsies performed, tests ordered, nothing further to add until toxic comes back in a week or two and a likely scenario sketched with a flood of new details. And then we can debate those merits, realizing we never will really know the entire twists and missteps. Until then, I’m laying low.

 

[sfinkz]

I’ll respectfully disagree. The sign ….<modsnip> it is a cautionary alert. Next level is: Danger. Last level: Restricted
But you have confirmed to me that it definitely will spook some.

 

[SophieRose]

I’ll respectfully disagree. The sign was placed mid-July, it is a cautionary alert. Next level is: Danger. Last level: Restricted
But you have confirmed to me that it definitely will spook some.

Here is the info:

South Fork of the Merced River
Latitude: 38 Longitude: -120
County: Mariposa Regional Water Board: Region 5 - Central Valley
Waterbody Manager: NA Land Manager: US Forest Service
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Incident Updated On: 8/19/21 First Report: 8/16/2021
Current Advisory: Caution
Advisory Recommendations: Stay away from algae and scum in the water. Do NOT let pets go in the water, drink the water, or eat scum on the shore. Keep Children away from algae. Do not eat shellfish from this waterbody.
Incident Description: 8/18/2021: Water Boards received report of suspected illness near the South Fork of the Merced River, about 2.6mi above the main stem. Trailhead in the area was previously posted (June) with toxic algae alert signs by USFS.

 

[Figuring]

We have no information on at what point in their hike this event happened. It could have happened within an hour. They could have just been setting out. They could have just turned around. We just don't know.

Thanks for saying that actually because I realized again I was not saying a whole thought! You’re right.
My prior comment had been presupposing the went the Hite route, which from what I read here seems it would have taken hours to get where they were found, if they stayed on it. That just seems like a lot to go through to eventually poison someone.

But say, just for illustration purposes, they left the car & went down the Lundy (switchback) trail to where they were found. I believe it’s about 3 miles in total. I think it was reported that they were about 1.5 miles from the car. How long, in your estimation would that take—walking in 1.5 miles? I mentioned it before to you but I know nothing about hiking lol. I know regular walking is something like 3km an hour (I’m in Canada). So if they went down the SL trail, is there a possibility it only took 15-30 minutes to get to their spot?

I guess I’m saying, what are the *minimum* times it would take to arrive at their location, approaching from either direction. (I know there’s absolutely no way to know if they stopped for a while or started on one route & double backed & went to the other.)

I ask this because if it was possibly something minimal like 15 minutes from their car direct down the SL trail to where they were found I would think about that theory a little differently.

I hope this makes sense!
Edited to make a little clearer lol