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

[RedHaus]

Death by touching fentanyl is not supported. Can you die from just touching fentanyl? Doctors say no.

Thanks for that edification, @NSamuelle... there is certainly a lot of hysteria out there in MSM about the hazards of "touching fentanyl".

ETA: But actually, @NSamuelle, I would imagine death by inhaling fentanyl if it was airborne as dust from the ground would be supported. Toxicology will tell.

 

[woods]

Sheriff Briese said one Rescuer was treated for a health issue related to the heat but was OK.

https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article253577919.html

 

[NSamuelle]

But then why be climbing the hill toward the vehicle?
I'm just not feeling the murder-suicide or joint suicide event. Of course I very well might be wrong. My son is in the same camp as you.

For me, the fact that Ellen didn’t have a phone defeats the “going for help” angle.

 

[bpeterson912]

For me, the fact that Ellen didn’t have a phone defeats the “going for help” angle.

If she was leaving for help, she was likely doing so in an extremely weakened and confused state. Otherwise, she would have made it more than 30 yards up the trail. The fact that she didn't have the phone with her doesn't tell us much, imo.

 

[Snoopster]

I'm surprised that we haven't really talked about the Sierra National Forest closures that just went into effect. Someone else posted about it. It seems significant.

Sierra National Forest issues Forest Order No. 05-15-51-21-18,
Merced River Recreation Site, Road and Trail Closure
CLOVIS, CA., August 28, 2021 - Sierra National Forest (SNF) issues Forest Order No. 05-15-51-21-18 Merced River Recreation Site, Road and Trail Closure. The purpose of Forest Order No. 05-15-51-21-18 is to provide for public safety due to unknown hazards found in and near the Savage Lundy Trail, within the Bass Lake Ranger District. Designated recreation sites, roads, and trails in proximity and/or leading to this location will be off limits to public. This Order will be effective from August 29, 2021, through September 26, 2021.

Links: Sierra National Forest - Alerts & Notices
https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd948383.pdf
https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd948384.pdf
https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd948385.pdf

Hmmm....this doesn't seem to imply that they believe it was simple heat stroke.
Is there a date on these Notices?

 

[Seni]

Hmmm....this doesn't seem to imply that they believe it was simple heat stroke.
Is there a date on these Notices?

"This order will be effective from August 29, 2021, through September 26, 2021."

 

[anya]

Regarding Ellen not having a phone on her, perhaps she had on an Apple Watch or similar wrist device which she could text/call from while also logging her hike via gps, elevation, oxygen, heart rate, speed, temp, etc, etc.

Has there been any word of her possibly having such a device? Or maybe fell off?

 

[annpats]

<modsnip - quoted post was removed>

Jonathan and Ellen didn't go on their hike on the 21st August. It was earlier than this. They went on Sunday 15th August. Not the same date as the online Burning Man Festival.

 

[EndoraXplorer]

Interesting pictures of the family, especially the little girl, Miju. She would have turned one year old on August 20, 2021. She looks very small in the picture, almost like a preemie. I wonder if she was medically fragile? Preemies usually are for quite awhile.

Hi there, the little girl was born on 8/4/20. See: Login • Instagram

 

[mickey2942]

Hi there, the little girl was born on 8/4/20. See: Login • Instagram

Sorry, a few weeks off...but still, she is super tiny. Totally less than 4 pounds, if that. My babies were giants (8 pounds) compared to this little one.

Interesting, no more pictures...more pictures of the dog, than the baby.

 

[NSamuelle]

Regarding Ellen not having a phone on her, perhaps she had on an Apple Watch or similar wrist device which she could text/call from while also logging her hike via gps, elevation, oxygen, heart rate, speed, temp, etc, etc.

Has there been any word of her possibly having such a device? Or maybe fell off?

There’s been no mention of such a device, whereas LE specifically noted that John’s cell phone was found in his right front pocket and went to the FBI for analysis on 8/24. No devices from Ellen were referenced.

 

[sassyblue]

Sorry, a few weeks off...but still, she is super tiny. Totally less than 4 pounds, if that. My babies were giants (8 pounds) compared to this little one.

She does look small. My kids were both preemies and 5 pounders at birth but lost down to 4 before they finally stabilized and starting gaining weight and were able to come home and she looks very similar in size to them.

 

[NSamuelle]

"This order will be effective from August 29, 2021, through September 26, 2021."

Sounds like they’re covering the time period for tox to come back in case it was algae.

 

[starviego]

Closing off the area nearly two weeks later clearly implies that they are still suspecting something more than just heat stroke. Or did they just do that to keep looky-loos out of the area, possibly risking more heat-related emergencies?

 

[RickshawFan]

I’ve been tipped off that my Burning Man dates upthread are incorrect. They are. They bear no relation to reality.

I also got the day the couple went missing mixed up. Seriously, it was 2 weeks ago and not just one? COVID stay-at-home has left me untethered from the calendar. Bizarre.

Apologies!

 

[RickshawFan]

Closing off the area nearly two weeks later clearly implies that they are still suspecting something more than just heat stroke. Or did they just do that to keep looky-loos out of the area, possibly risking more heat-related emergencies?

My bet is looky loos. They probably have public people out there looking for “clues”. LE/SAR don’t like anyone except trained folks in search areas. I guess if they make it official, they can deter folks with consequences like fines.
And you’re probably right that someone is likely to get hurt. Then SAR would have to make another trip down the trail to do a rescue. That puts SAR at risk. They might not be willing to take that risk, because it might very well be fatal. So, “off limits” seems very reasonable, but maybe not because there’s a lot of site investigation. Unless toxicology leads them to a new idea.

 

[anya]

There’s been no mention of such a device, whereas LE specifically noted that John’s cell phone was found in his right front pocket and went to the FBI for analysis on 8/24. No devices from Ellen were referenced.

Thank you for responding.
What a boon it would be for the investigation if there were one - or one was found. Perhaps they're conducting further searches in the area for more clues.

I hike a lot in areas with no signal and tend to carry an old school compass, among other things, but also like to use an app on my iphone which is strictly gps-based for things like vector maps, peak, elevation, altimeter, pace, etc. No social media or any of that stuff on it, though.
However, it does relay some of the info back to the built in Health app on my iPhone, though.

I wonder if he had something similar...

Do we know what kind of device he had?

 

[JustReading01]

About the idea of mines and mining claims:

So my info is out of date. I have no contacts with the rock hound groups in Mariposa, nor any mine owners there.

But AFAIK:

You don't scope out mines in person. If you are interested in the contents of a mine, there are legitimate sources you go to first. The owner of the mine never needs to know there is interest, but there is a lot of detail that is available on particular mines.

You don't enter a mine, ever. It isn't about gasses, it is that it really is private property. Then, especially in California, small earthquakes could have made even the mine entrance unpredictably unstable.

If someone is serious about buying a mining claim, you hire a mine specialist, mine geologist or someone similar that is recommended by a local.

If you don't have money to throw at it, then join the local rock hounding groups. They usually have trips into different areas, and have an astonishing amount of knowledge. Depending on the trip, the whole point is to pick up your own samples of precious or unusual rocks.

I would want LE trying to locate every single footprint that the family made. To check beneath any largish rocks. To notice and ask about local wildlife. There are search dogs that would be able to identify every rock or shrub that the family put a handprint on.

For all we know, an injured young male animal would not relinquish the trail, and they had to wait too long in the morning for the animal to leave.

Or a different situational scenario. Realizing that the heat was too much, they used the trail shelter just off the Savage Lundy one. They stayed there, until the sun was nearing dusk. They went up the trail but the poor conditions of the trail caused them to take too long and they absorbed too much heat.

There is so much we don't know. These were two bright vibrant people who had excellent judgement previously. Please also remember that the family might be reading the thread.

 

[Seattle1]

https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article253770788.html

Aug 26, 2021

The family was found dead by a search and rescue team on Aug. 17 along the Savage-Lundy Trail in Devil’s Gulch near Hites Cove, a remote location in Sierra National Forest that’s northeast of Mariposa and southwest of Yosemite National Park.

[..[

Toxicology tests are not yet complete. The sheriff’s office has not shared what toxins are being tested for in the toxicology tests. Samples from the dog were sent to multiple labs for testing.

[..]

Mariposa Sheriff Jeremy Briese said detectives are working “round the clock” to find answers for Gerrish’s and Chung’s family and friends.

[..]

The sheriff’s office said the entire Savage-Lundy Trail loop, where the family was found dead, is approximately 8.5 miles, with 5 miles of that being a “steep southern exposure path with little-to-no trees or shade” in the 2018 Ferguson Fire burn scar.

[..]

The family started their hike from a trailhead down Hites Cove Road north of Jerseydale in Mariposa County.

[..]

The sheriff’s office plans to share another update when toxicology results are back, and “there is no current timeframe for that.”

On Aug. 20, Mitchell said toxicology results can take up to six weeks, and sometimes longer.

[..]

The Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office also shared the following timeline of recent events and their investigation.

• Saturday, Aug. 14: Jonathan Gerrish researches Hites Cove hike via a phone app.
• Sunday, Aug. 15: 7:45 a.m., witness sees the Gerrish/Chung family traveling toward the trailhead in their vehicle.
  
  
• Monday, Aug. 16: 11 p.m., a family friend reports the family missing.
• Tuesday, Aug. 17: 1:53 a.m., the family’s car is located down Hites Cove Road north of Jerseydale.
• Tuesday, Aug. 17: 1:55 a.m., a search and rescue mission is initiated.
• Tuesday, Aug. 17: 11 a.m., the family is found dead on the Savage-Lundy Trail by a search and rescue team.
• Thursday, Aug. 19: Autopsies are completed on the family and dog, “all currently pending toxicology.”
• Friday, Aug. 20: Search warrants issued for a phone found with the family.
• Friday, Aug. 20: Search warrants issued for the family’s home and cars. “Nothing significant” is found.
• Monday, Aug. 23: Additional water samples are collected from water sources “along the trail area.”
• Tuesday, Aug. 24: A cell phone is delivered to the FBI for data extraction, “awaiting results.”
• Wednesday, Aug. 25: Search warrants issued for “possible social media access.”

ETA: Taking note that in this updated edition of the story under the same title, the Sheriff's Office provides that the entire Savage-Lundy Trail loop, where the family was found dead, is approximately 8.5 miles, but does NOT say that they believe the family completed the loop or most of the loop.

 

[katydid23]

I've been "outdoorsy" my entire life, and have probably hiked tens of thousands of miles in the parks and mountains of California.

When going on a backpacking trip, I tell others where I'm hiking and when I expect to return. But when going on a day hike with my family, I often don't tell anyone where we're going. To be honest, it ordinarily wouldn't even occur to me to do so.

The fact that Jonathan and Ellen didn't tell others where they planned to hike that day does not strike me as strange or weird.

I agree. Going on a family day hike, with your cell phone, a mile from your home---maybe it didnt occur to them because they didn't think it was risky?