The California family that was found dead in August on a remote hiking trail in the Sierra National Forest likely succumbed to the extreme heat, the lack of water, and exertion, according to a report.
John Gerrish, his wife, Ellen Chung, their 1-year-old daughter, Miju, and their dog were all found dead in August on a hiking trail near Hite’s Cove in the Sierra National Forest. The couple’s friend had reported them missing after they didn’t return from their hiking trip on which they were supposed to spend just one day.
Gerrish, who is a software engineer, also missed work. While the family’s deaths were considered mysterious, conspiracy theories ranged from homicide to possible exposure to toxic gases from nearby abandoned mines.
According to 77-pages of reports obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle into the family’s deaths, investigators have come to the conclusion that there was a fatal combination of “disastrous choices” that led to the tragedies.
Investigators first discovered the bodies of Gerrish, the child, and the dog, the report said. Authorities continued the search for Chung and found her body “on the upside of a hill,” about 13 feet higher than her family.
It was determined that the couple apparently did not bring enough water with them as the temperature on the trail is brutal in the summer months. One doctor reportedly told investigators that their “clock started ticking” the moment they began their search on the hiking trail.
One survival trainer told investigators that he is convinced the couple was “caught off guard, and upon realizing the situation they are in, they died trying to save their child and each other.”
“It is likely the child began to succumb first, which hurried the parents’ efforts up the hill. When one could no longer continue, they stayed behind to care for the child and pet, while the other tried to forge on and get help for their loved ones. It is a tragedy of the highest order,” the trainer said.
