CA - Jonathan Gerrish, Ellen Chung, daughter, 1 & dog, suspicious death hiking area, Aug 2021 #3

[NSamuelle]

Yes -- I think it's important to remember that we're inclined to extrapolate from the few specifics that have been made public. It would be good for us to be on guard against that.

For example:

Knowing when he/they bought various houses, and knowing when they physically moved there, does NOT mean that they were unfamiliar with the area before those dates.

They may have visited the area multiple times per year for several years before buying homes there, for all we know. Etc.

MOO

LE has given us so little information that I’m dreading the next few weeks while we wait for tox and keep spinning our wheels. Don’t get me wrong, I love reading everyone’s thoughts, but I’m frustrated by how little we have to go on.

 

[SophieRose]

Mariposa County has an agreement with Stanislaus County (Modesto) Sheriff's Office Coroner's Division for Forensic Pathology Services to perform forensic pathology services with respect to post mortem examinations and autopsies of deceased persons.

 

[Rocky Mountain Hi]

Sorry, which post are you referring to?

Post 133, by NSamuelle.

 

[Rocky Mountain Hi]

It was actually in numerous articles, including the Washington Post article from 8/23/21. If you do a Google Search for "Gerrish Mariposa Pandemic," the preview will come up as: "Gerrish and Chung moved to Mariposa from San Francisco in March 2020, Jeffe said." Link (paywall) https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/08/23/mariposa-family-death-mystery/

From the Fresno Bee (not paywalled) - https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article253574829.html - "The family had moved from San Francisco to Mariposa County during the pandemic."

I think they owned property in Mariposa going back to 2017 (or earlier) and were working on renovations, but did not live there full time. If you look at EC's IG post from 8/10/18 (Login • Instagram), she refers having some "downtime" in the country. In a comment, she talks about renos and installing HVAC.

OK, so it looks like their primary residence was in SF, until they made their definitive move in 2020, after enjoying a weekend/vacation home in Mariposa for a few years. And then they bought a second house for themselves (vs. rentals--also reported early on in the case) near the Hite's Cove trailhead.

 

[annpats]

It doesn't really matter if they lived there since 2020 or 1920. The fact is, mistakes, miscalculations, accidents and unpreparedness can occur and happen to anyone at any time, from newbies to long standing residents or people born and bred there.

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

He was from the UK and had lived in SF so not a huge amount of experience with heat outside of adventure tourism and Burning Man, which may have given him/them a false sense of confidence re: heat.

 

[Satchie]

Kristie Mitchell, Mariposa County sheriff spokesperson, said the family didn’t leave for their hike until mid-morning Sunday

https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article253616898.html#storylink=cpy

Just commenting on this, I agree with the idea that mid-morning would be between 8-10 am.

For outdoors people and many dog walkers, early morning is from first light (ie about 6 in Mariposa) to 8 am. Especially in a hot climate, that's the only safe time to hike. But that's when I hit busy trails, to avoid crowds. Late morning is 10-noon.

JMO

 

[Scrapper18]

Autopsies on the family and a necropsy on the dog were inconclusive while toxicology results remain pending. Some results could come as early as Wednesday, Kristie Mitchell, spokesperson for the sheriff's office, told CNN.

Search warrants for the family's home and cars turned up no significant evidence. Their phones have been collected and are undergoing data extraction by the FBI.
Trails and campgrounds near Yosemite where a family and their dog were found dead have been closed because of 'unknown hazards,' officials say - CNN

I’m not a medical professional. Does anyone know if heat related deaths would show up on an autopsy?

 

[Parsnip]

I would like to know who had the car keys. If the mom had them, it would be further suggestive—though not definitive—that the mom was going for help.
If there are any locals on the thread, I would also like to know about any potential cell coverage between the family’s house and the trail head. She was not reported to have her phone with her. Of course, she might have, but it just hasn’t been reported. If there was no service, that might explain why she didn’t have her phone (if she didn’t) and why she didn’t take her husband’s phone.
I have been trying to work out a narrative for myself since thread 1 that accounts for the family’s positions and relative locations on the trail.

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

I’m not a medical professional. Does anyone know if heat related deaths would show up on an autopsy?

Signs are impacted by things like the bodies being exposed to high heat after death, they were exposed until Tuesday mid-day. Often it is a finding of exclusion, thus the wait for the tox report. There have been good articles about the forensics linked, think it was in Part 2, both re: humans and canines.

 

[woods]

I’m not a medical professional. Does anyone know if heat related deaths would show up on an autopsy?

Here’s what I found online:
Firstly, pre-terminal or terminal body temperatures are often not available. Additionally, naked-eye and microscopic findings are non-specific or inconclusive (particularly if the survival interval is short) and depend on the duration of survival after exposure.

The diagnosis of hyperthermia is based on scene investigation, the circumstances of death, and the reasonable exclusion of other causes of death.

The non-specific post-mortem findings in cases of fatal heatstroke include: pulmonary and cerebral oedema, necrosis of the liver, neuronal degeneration of the brain, rhabdomyolysis (breakdown of muscle), tubular casts in the kidneys and signs of disseminated intravascular coagulation e.g. fibrin thrombi in small blood vessels

pathophysiology of heat-related illness and death :: www.forensicmed.co.uk

To me, it seems like they are doing process of elimination, and because that area is known for potential hazards, it's taking longer than an incident at a trail without those hazards would take. It’s also important to note that signs of multiple organ failure can be caused by a number of things which is why toxicology tests are being performed.

 

[HannahJJJ]

My second post...maybe I'm becoming a web sleuth...he doesn't look well to me. Also, how many times had he been married, does anyone know? Was this his first marriage?

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

I wonder if her tags #jellon adventures and #jellon was a combo of their names? At first I thought it might be an adventure tourism company but she uses the hashtag on things like photos of Burning Man too. Anyone have any idea if it is some term related to yoga?

 

[Satchie]

I wonder if her tag #jellon adventures was a combo of their names? At first I thought it might be an adventure tourism company but she uses the hashtag on things like photos of Burning Man too. Anyone have any idea if it is some term related to yoga?

To me, it would be like 'Brangelina', a fun combo of their two names

 

[NSamuelle]

My second post...maybe I'm becoming a web sleuth...he doesn't look well to me. Also, how many times had he been married, does anyone know? Was this his first marriage?

It was his second marriage; I’m not sure whether he had children with his previous wife.

 

[RedHaus]

I wonder if her tag #jellon adventures was a combo of their names? At first I thought it might be an adventure tourism company but she uses the hashtag on things like photos of Burning Man too. Anyone have any idea if it is some term related to yoga?

I'd guess from my yoga travels, "Jellon" has nothing to do with yoga. But FWIW, "A user from Uganda says the name Jellon is of Nepali origin and means "Godly and Humor". A user from Nepal says the name Jellon means "Godly Humor"". https://www.names.org/n/jellon/about. JG and EC had been to Nepal, I believe.

 

[RedHaus]

Just looking at this from the dog’s perspective I really feel there had to be some signs that this wasn’t a good plan within the first mile... As a dog owner, avid dog hiker, & vet - that’s been the hard part of this for me to grapple with.

RS&BBM
Thank you once again, @Runswithdogs for your expertise and thorough explanation. And I agree with you, although I am a cat owner... but an all-animal lover.

Given what you've shared with us, I truly question whether Oski ever made it to the Merced River and thus, will be surprised if Oski succumbed to cyanobacterial toxins. That is of course unless JG carried Oski after the first 1/4, 1/2 or full mile to the river, rendering himself incredibly vulnerable to heat exhaustion / heat stroke early on.

Avoid Harmful Algal Blooms

 

[Mamamerced]

My second post...maybe I'm becoming a web sleuth...he doesn't look well to me. Also, how many times had he been married, does anyone know? Was this his first marriage?

What do you see that indicates to you he was unwell?

 

[EndoraXplorer]

#Jellon = Jon + Ellen

I feel like we're veering back into donut speculation.

 

[annpats]

#Jellon = Jon + Ellen

I feel like we're veering back into donut speculation.

That has just made me laugh out loud!