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

[katydid23]

It’s strange that the dog didn’t go with Ellen if she was indeed walking away from them and especially if he saw her collapse, unless the dog was already incapacitated at that point.

I think the dog and the baby would be the first one to be in heat distress. The parents would be using all their water on the baby and trying to hurry to get back to the car---and then their own symptoms probably kicked in. JMO

 

[happyday]

"authorities believe the family left for their hike Sunday afternoon. The last known communication was with a friend earlier that morning." - 'Not one clue': The mystery is only deepening around the family found dead on a Sierra trail

Thank you! You beat me to it!

 

[Figuring]

That's the million dollar question ... I trust LE has more to go on than we do, but I'd sure like to hear a reporter ask why LE thinks it was an afternoon hike.

I'm wondering something, based on your post. Maybe LE has already seen data about what time their phone(s?) left their residence, & even maybe info from initially at the parking lot or early part of the trail (while they had/still had reception).

It's even more perplexing to me if they set out in the afternoon. You think they'd have some a sense of the temperature, or at least in general that wouldn't be an ideal time.

 

[katydid23]

I’m wondering if this family and dog were killed/ poisoned, somewhere else, maybe at home? Then moved to this location. The bodies were placed in these positions. Made to appear like a hiking issue caused the death. It would explain how everyone died at the exact same time and in the neat positions… like frozen. The question is, who would benefit from the deaths…. Motive?

How many people would it take to manage that?

 

[happyday]

Thank you. It is not very clear why the authorities believe that if they have not yet analyzed the phones and the last known communication was earlier that morning (presumably referring to that 6.45 am pic of the baby carrier). If I am up early in the morning on a Sunday posting a pic of a baby carrier/backpack, I am most likely going to be leaving for a hike with that backpack soon after. Not 6 hours later. They didn't sleep in on Sunday. So why delay the hike to the afternoon?

I had assumed all along they left early in the morning because of the 6:45am pic and also the forecasted heat. But if authorities do believe they left in the afternoon, they must have reason. It could be data from their truck, security cameras at their house, they may have told someone their plans—a number of ways they could know that. It threw me for a loop.

 

[katydid23]

I'm wondering why they wouldn't have a PLB if they hiked so much?

Is that a satellite phone? Because that its what I've been wondering. I now many hikers that go way off the grid use sat phones just in case.

 

[Knox]

I'm wondering something, based on your post. Maybe LE has already seen data about what time their phone(s?) left their residence, & even maybe info from initially at the parking lot or early part of the trail (while they had/still had reception).

It's even more perplexing to me if they set out in the afternoon. You think they'd have some a sense of the temperature, or at least in general that wouldn't be an ideal time.

I have to think they have some sort of preliminary information which makes them state that. Perhaps the friend they sent the picture of the backpack to, or the things you pointed out make sense too. It's so puzzling I agree.

 

[happyday]

I'm wondering something, based on your post. Maybe LE has already seen data about what time their phone(s?) left their residence, & even maybe info from initially at the parking lot or early part of the trail (while they had/still had reception).

It's even more perplexing to me if they set out in the afternoon. You think they'd have some a sense of the temperature, or at least in general that wouldn't be an ideal time.

Not to mention if they started hiking in the afternoon, they would immediately be blasted with heat. It wouldn’t be pleasant from the get-go. It’s perplexing to me too!

 

[armchairagatha]

I'm wondering something, based on your post. Maybe LE has already seen data about what time their phone(s?) left their residence, & even maybe info from initially at the parking lot or early part of the trail (while they had/still had reception).

It's even more perplexing to me if they set out in the afternoon. You think they'd have some a sense of the temperature, or at least in general that wouldn't be an ideal time.

Especially with the Philip Kreycik incident that was all over the news just the week before this incident. That should have been a warning (if they needed one) to not leave in the peak heat for a hike especially with a baby in tow. Maybe they were planning to leave early in the morning but something happened that changed those plans (baby fussy etc) and caused them to leave later than planned.

 

[woods]

One reason I don’t believe foul play is involved is because the family was on their way back to the truck based on the shoe and paw prints that would be found all over the trail (investigators likely got a good look at how far they hiked up to). It would be highly suspicious if the family had just started their hike 1.5 miles in and suddenly dropped dead on the ground, with their shoe and paw prints ending right there.

 

[armchairagatha]

One reason I don’t believe foul play is involved is because the family was on their way back to the truck based on the shoe and paw prints that would be found all over the trail (investigators would be able to get a good look at how far they hiked up to). It would be highly suspicious if the family had just started their hike 1.5 miles in and suddenly dropped dead on the ground, with their shoe and paw prints ending right there.

I am not clear how this rules out foul play? If their food/drink was tainted, it might have taken some time for the toxins to take effect and immobilize them.

 

[Figuring]

Especially with the Philip Kreycik incident that was all over the news just the week before this incident. That should have been a warning (if they needed one) to not leave in the peak heat for a hike especially with a baby in tow. Maybe they were planning to leave early in the morning but something happened that changed those plans (baby fussy etc) and caused them to leave later than planned.

That's a good point, about Philip Kreycik. I can totally see a baby changing someone's plans! I'm so curious as to why the time of day didn't give them pause or have them change their plans to an easier trip of some kind.

 

[armchairagatha]

I think the time they set out for the hike is very important. If it was early morning, I would go with poisoning (either from algal blooms or tainted food/drink) as the cause of death. If it was afternoon in peak heat, then heat stroke is more likely.

 

[charminglane]

IMO, the dog was on the leash because of the algae bloom.
Easier to control the dog from running into the water or drinking it.
They were aware of the danger of the natural water.

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

Was the mom’s body found closer towards the vehicle than the rest?

Yes

 

[armchairagatha]

IMO, the dog was on the leash because of the algae bloom.
Easier to control the dog from running into the water or drinking it.
They were aware of the danger of the natural water.

Do we know the dog was leashed when found?

 

[RickshawFan]

IMO, the dog was on the leash because of the algae bloom.
Easier to control the dog from running into the water or drinking it.
They were aware of the danger of the natural water.

It's possible the dog was on the leash because he'd run off. This might also have caused them to be on the trail longer than planned.

 

[lilithblue]

I've been having a hard time finding historical data for that specific area for that day, but looking at surrounding areas on that day, I really don't think it was anywhere near 107-109 that day... even at the hottest point on that day, which would've been late in the afternoon. I also find it hard to believe experienced hikers with a baby and dog would have left in the afternoon. I don't care what that SF article reported. Reporters are known to stretch the truth or re-word things for dramatic effect.

If they had left that late in the day at that high of a temperature, that would have been uncomfortable carrying a baby pack from the start. I can't see someone continuing on a hike before they even left the parking lot. I also think it would be fairly obvious to LE it was heat related if all those factors existed. They're baffled, it doesn't make sense to them.

I live in an area where toxic algae is a problem in many bodies of water, usually when drought is at its worst in what wouldn't ordinarily be stagnant water. Typically it's dogs that suffer the most, but I've known a few people who have swam in an affected lake and had some minor issues, such as mild blistering around the mouth (they did not intentionally ingest any water, just swam). No smart hiker would ever drink straight from a river like that. They would have had to be in serious trouble to begin with to even consider drinking it. I could believe swimming in it, if you were not aware, but wasn't it marked? I would think most dog owners would know how toxic it is to animals especially.

All of these things could have happened, but they're not likely... not with seemingly very intelligent and experienced hikers. Could they have eaten something toxic on their hike? Possibly, but again not likely. I don't know these people, so there's a possibility they're a bit of risk takers, but I don't see it. If you're a forager, you know you don't eat random mushrooms on a trail.

I'd believe they possibly ended up in a little bit of trouble and things spiraled to the point of heat stroke and then death, but I think the real question is what happened to put them in that position in the first place. I just don't believe the conditions existed for that to have happened to them all in a short period of time. What surprises me most is that this trail has been described as "popular," so how is that no one came across them in that entire Sunday afternoon and all day Monday?

 

[woods]

I am not clear how this rules out foul play? If their food/drink was tainted, it might have taken some time for the toxins to take effect and immobilize them.

It would be helpful to know how many hours they were there hiking for.

 

[LifeIsAMystery]

This looks like a huge climb for a couple with a dog and a baby. It looks like a climb. Perhaps I need to look at a topographic map too?

I read the change in elevation is 1400 feet.