In the latest development in the deaths of a California family on a hiking trail, the couple likely made attempts to save their baby.
In August, John Gerrish and his wife, Ellen Chung, were on a remote hiking trail in the Sierra National Forest along with their one-year-old daughter, Miju, and their eight-year-old dog Oski. But their one-day trip took a tragic turn as they were all found dead near Hite’s Cove in the forest. After they didn’t return from their trip, a family friend had reported them missing. Gerrish, a software engineer, also missed work.
Many called their deaths mysterious and came up with theories that ranged from possible exposure to toxic gases from nearby abandoned mines to homicide, reported Fox News.
There were 77 pages of reports on the family's deaths that were obtained by The San Francisco Chronicle, and investigators said that all the evidence "kept pointing back to heat exposure and lack of water."
Bodies of Gerrish, the baby and their pet were first located by the authorities whereas Chung's body was discovered "on the upside of a hill," about 13 feet higher than her family members. Chung carried a knife, a snakebite kit, a bug spray, extra diapers, first aid kit, two empty sippy cups and a teething wafer wrapper in her backpack that was found by the investigators.
She also had an Osprey Hydraulics LT water bladder, which investigators said had only a "few remaining drops" of water left inside, and no toxins were found in the water. No evidence of foul play was found by rescuers.
Detectives are still trying to access a Google Pixel 4 mobile phone found in the front pocket of shorts that Gerrish was wearing.
In the summer months, the temperature on the trail is brutal and the couple didn’t seem to have taken enough water with them.
Their "clock was ticking" the moment they went on the hike, a doctor reportedly told investigators. According to a survival trainer, the couple was probably "caught off guard," and once they realized the situation they were in, they died while making attempts to save their baby and each other. The trainer said that it is likely the little girl started to succumb first, which "hurried the parents’ efforts up the hill." When one could no longer go on, they stayed behind to take care of the girl and the dog while the other tried to move ahead and get help.
One US Forest Service volunteer, who is said to have hiked the trail more than a dozen times, said that the family appeared "completely unaware of the dangers" they faced. Locals generally "stay clear" of the trail in the summer, said a Forest Service employee familiar with it.
About two months ago, the Mariposa County Sheriff's Office said that probable dehydration and hyperthermia had led to the tragedies, according to PEOPLE.
On Aug. 16, the family was first reported missing after their babysitter didn't find anybody in the home. The family's car was found at the trailhead the following day.
