Wednesday, September 1, 2021

Mariposa sheriff: New info about family deaths near Yosemite | The Fresno Bee

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

Mariposa sheriff shares update in mysterious family death case in Sierra near Yosemite

Weapons or "chemical hazards" along a trail have been "ruled out" as a possible cause of death in a mysterious case of a Mariposa family found dead while hiking in Sierra National Forest over a week ago.

"ALL other potential causes of death remain," the Mariposa County Sheriff's Office said Thursday while sharing a brief timeline of the investigation into the deaths of Jonathan Gerrish, 45, Ellen Chung, 30, and their 1-year-old daughter, Aurelia Miju Chung-Gerrish and 8-year-old dog, Oski, described as an Aussie-Akita mix.

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.

Autopsies for the family and dog were completed two days later.

"The pathologist currently is issuing an autopsy finding of 'pending toxicology,'" said Kristie Mitchell, spokesperson for the Mariposa County Sheriff's Office.

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.

Multiple water samples were taken in the area for testing. There is a known toxic harmful algal bloom on the south fork of the Merced River, a couple miles from where the family was found dead, which is among hazards still being considered in their deaths. Mitchell said some water samples were sent to labs for testing Aug. 19, and additional water samples were collected Monday from "along the trail area" where they were found. Water the family was carrying also is being tested. Results from those tests also are pending.

Mitchell said samples were sent to both the California State Water Resources Board Board and independent labs for testing, and that "further assistance for additional testing" is being coordinated with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the California Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.

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

"Cases like this require us to be methodical and thorough," Briese said, "while also reaching out to every resource we can find to help us bring those answers to them as quickly as we can."

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. Sheriff officials said temperatures there appeared to range from 103 and 109 in certain parts of that trail between 11:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Aug. 15, the day the family is believed to have been hiking it.

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

"Detectives continue conducting interviews and investigating all potential possible explanations for the death of the Gerrish/Chung family," Mitchell said in a news release issued Thursday afternoon.

Law enforcement first treated the area where they were found dead as a hazmat situation because of the strange circumstances and old gold mines in that region. The hazmat declaration was lifted the next day. Briese said mines weren't found close to the family.

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.

Investigation timeline from Mariposa sheriff about family death case

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."