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Thread: Family Of Three + Their Dog Found Deceased In Mysterious Circumstances On Hiking Trail Near Devil's Gulch. Hazmat Scene Declared

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    Senior Member blighted star's Avatar
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    Family Of Three + Their Dog Found Deceased In Mysterious Circumstances On Hiking Trail Near Devil's Gulch. Hazmat Scene Declared

    https://www.kiro7.com/news/trending/...IGDXOKPB5SWKU/


    California family of 3, their dog found dead in remote hiking area

    Hazmat investigation launched in California family's hiking trail death

    The site where the bodies of a northern California family of three and their dog were found dead is now a hazardous materials investigation scene.


    August 18, 2021 at 1:44 pm PDT

    MARIPOSA, Calif. ? A northern California family that had been reported missing was found dead Tuesday on a hiking trail in a remote area of the Sierra National Forest.

    The bodies of John Gerrish, Ellen Chung, 1-year-old daughter Muji and the family dog were discovered near an area known as Devil?s Gulch in the South Fork of the Merced River, the Mariposa County Sheriff?s Office stated in a news release.

    A family friend had reported them missing Monday evening, and the family vehicle was located near where the bodies were found, The Mercury News reported.

    According to deputies, there was no clear cause of death for any of the victims, and the scene is being handled as a hazardous materials situation, KRON reported.

    ?It could be a carbon monoxide situation. That?s one of the reasons why we?re treating it as a hazmat situation,? Kristie Mitchell, a spokeswoman with the sheriff?s office, told The Mercury News.

    Mitchell also told the newspaper that the remote area where the bodies were found, close to Yosemite?s Hite Cove trail and known for its spectacular wildflower displays, had no cellphone service.

    Family and Dog Mysteriously All Found Dead, Prompting Officials to Declare a 'Hazmat Situation'

    Ellen Chung and Jonathan Gerrish, their 1-year-old daughter and dog, were reported missing over the weekend

    By Jason Duaine HahnAugust 18, 2021 07:26 PM



    Jon Gerrish, Muji, Ellen Chung
    CREDIT: ROSANNA HEASLETT


    A family of three from California was found dead near a remote hiking trail after they were reported missing earlier this week.

    According to the Mariposa County Sheriff's Office, John Gerrish, Ellen Chung, their 1-year-old daughter, Miju, and the family dog, were found dead in a remote area of the Sierra National Forest on Tuesday. Authorities began searching for the family after they were reported missing on late Monday night.

    "This is never the outcome we want or the news we want to deliver, my heart breaks for their family. Our Sheriff's Chaplains and staff are working with their family and will continue to support them during this heartbreaking time," Sheriff Jeremy Briese said in a statement following the heartbreaking discovery.

    The sheriff's office said the scene did "not indicate a clear picture of what occurred" and the situation is "currently being handled as a hazmat and coroner investigation." They are working with assistance from the California Department of Justice.


    A spokesperson for the sheriff's office told the Associated Press they are looking into carbon monoxide as a potential cause of death. Carbon monoxide killed two Colorado miners in 2013, the NPR reported, and deputy Kristie Mitchell told the Fresno Bee there are mines in the area where the family was discovered.

    "Coming across a scene where everyone involved, including the family dog that is deceased, that is not a typical thing that we have seen or other agencies have seen," Mitchell told the outlet. "That is why we're treating it as a hazmat situation. We just don't know."

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    Senior Member Pidge's Avatar
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    Are we going with carbon monoxide?

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    Scoopski Potatoes Nic B's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pidge View Post
    Are we going with carbon monoxide?
    From what I read, they weren't found in a mine or in their vehicle, they were out in the open? You can still die from that? I am so confused.


    Quote Originally Posted by marakisses View Post
    yes i said i will leave it under you storage he said cuddle with me i said shut up it over??? what am i doing wrong??
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    Happy Birthday! I hid a dead body in your backyard to celebrate. Good luck finding it under the cement. You can only use a stick to look for it.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Pidge View Post
    Are we going with carbon monoxide?
    Quote Originally Posted by Nic B View Post
    From what I read, they weren't found in a mine or in their vehicle, they were out in the open? You can still die from that? I am so confused.
    That was my first question. How do you die from CO poisoning while in the open air?
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    Cousin Greg Angiebla's Avatar
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    Were they maybe in a tent?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Angiebla View Post
    Were they maybe in a tent?
    Even if they were, wouldn't there still be enough oxygen to prevent it? Tents aren't air tight or anything. Maybe if they were all huddled over a fire or something. Did they try to create their own sweat lodge?
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    Quote Originally Posted by Boston Babe 73 View Post
    Even if they were, wouldn't there still be enough oxygen to prevent it? Tents aren't air tight or anything. Maybe if they were all huddled over a fire or something. Did they try to create their own sweat lodge?
    You may be on to something with the sweat lodge theory. That's dangerous if you don't know what you are doing. It's also possible they had some kind of stove or heater and were low enough or in a tightly sealed tent that gases collected. It's possible to be poisoned outside sometimes. It could be some kind of weird suicide too.
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    lol at Nestle being some vicious smiter, she's the nicest person on this site besides probably puzzld. Or at least the last person to resort to smiting.
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    Cousin Greg Angiebla's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by puzzld View Post
    You may be on to something with the sweat lodge theory. That's dangerous if you don't know what you are doing. It's also possible they had some kind of stove or heater and were low enough or in a tightly sealed tent that gases collected. It's possible to be poisoned outside sometimes. It could be some kind of weird suicide too.
    The first thing that popped into my head was suicide. I hope Im wrong.

    "The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man" -Charles Darwin

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    Senior Member Pidge's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by puzzld View Post
    You may be on to something with the sweat lodge theory. That's dangerous if you don't know what you are doing. It's also possible they had some kind of stove or heater and were low enough or in a tightly sealed tent that gases collected. It's possible to be poisoned outside sometimes. It could be some kind of weird suicide too.
    Weird suicide/murder was my first thought.

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    Moderator puzzld's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Angiebla View Post
    The first thing that popped into my head was suicide. I hope Im wrong.
    Quote Originally Posted by Pidge View Post
    Weird suicide/murder was my first thought.
    We know from hanging around here that it happens way too frequently.
    Quote Originally Posted by bowieluva View Post
    lol at Nestle being some vicious smiter, she's the nicest person on this site besides probably puzzld. Or at least the last person to resort to smiting.
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    Why on earth would I smite you when I can ban you?

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    Quote Originally Posted by raisedbywolves View Post
    If they went in to the water, that would do it. It doesn't sound like suicide to me. I would think that the Nanny or other family members or someone would know if there was an issue where he or she wanted to take the entire family out.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Boston Babe 73 View Post
    If they went in to the water, that would do it. It doesn't sound like suicide to me. I would think that the Nanny or other family members or someone would know if there was an issue where he or she wanted to take the entire family out.
    I agree. It's never seemed like suicide to me.

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    Quote Originally Posted by raisedbywolves View Post
    I agree. It's never seemed like suicide to me.
    I don't think it was foul play either. With no marks on any of their bodies and no evidence of a struggle or anything amiss, it would be near impossible to pull off. One or the other or the dog would put up a fight and there would be evidence of that. By the sounds of it, they were all there dead and pristine. CO poisoning does that which is why I think they maybe thought of that, but the algae bloom is a good contender. If they somehow weren't aware and came in to contact with it and ingested it, that would do it. However, how would they all go out at the same time? Surely either the baby or the dog would exhibit symptoms first and they'd react to that in some way.

    This one is eating at me. Hopefully the ME will have some answers.
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    Moderator puzzld's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Angiebla View Post
    The first thing that popped into my head was suicide. I hope Im wrong.
    Quote Originally Posted by Pidge View Post
    Weird suicide/murder was my first thought.
    Quote Originally Posted by Boston Babe 73 View Post
    I don't think it was foul play either. With no marks on any of their bodies and no evidence of a struggle or anything amiss, it would be near impossible to pull off. One or the other or the dog would put up a fight and there would be evidence of that. By the sounds of it, they were all there dead and pristine. CO poisoning does that which is why I think they maybe thought of that, but the algae bloom is a good contender. If they somehow weren't aware and came in to contact with it and ingested it, that would do it. However, how would they all go out at the same time? Surely either the baby or the dog would exhibit symptoms first and they'd react to that in some way.

    This one is eating at me. Hopefully the ME will have some answers.
    Yeah, that's my problem with the algae bloom theory. It just seems odd that it would take all of them so simultaneously. CO2 or some kind of noxious fumes that worked while they slept makes more sense.
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    lol at Nestle being some vicious smiter, she's the nicest person on this site besides probably puzzld. Or at least the last person to resort to smiting.
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    Mysterious Deaths of Family on California Hiking Trail Now Homicide Investigation

    https://toofab.com/2021/08/18/myster...-remote-trail/

    UPDATE 8/21/2021 9:53 AM

    The investigation is now being treated as a homicide.

    While there is still no evidence to suggest foul play, in the absence of any other explanation, County Sheriff Jeremy Briese said he had no choice but to treat the case as such.

    "I've been here for 20 years, and I've never seen a death-related case like this," he told The Times. "There's no obvious indicators of how it occurred."

    "You have two healthy adults, you have a healthy child and what appears to be a healthy canine all within a general same area," he added. "So right now, we're treating the coroner investigation as a homicide until we can establish the cause."

    The HAZMAT declaration on was lifted Wednesday, as the bodies of the three — as well as their dog, Oski — were finally airlifted from the scene.

    The already-outlandish theories of toxic algae or a gas leak from the mines below have even begun to lose weight.

    "We have not found any old mine shafts near the area," the Sheriff said. "There are some mine shafts, but we can't confirm if that's the cause yet."

    Police must now wait on toxicology reports from the autopsies, which could take as much as six weeks.

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    Administrator mydeathspace's Avatar
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    Exactly why I never leave the house. Can't even go on a family hike without being mysteriously killed.....








    ...... by aliens.

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    Cousin Greg Angiebla's Avatar
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    Were they all poisoned? Im just not getting it.

    "The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man" -Charles Darwin

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    What do you care? Boston Babe 73's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mydeathspace View Post
    Exactly why I never leave the house. Can't even go on a family hike without being mysteriously killed.....








    ...... by aliens.
    Well, this theory is as valid as any other at the moment. Even if one of them (or both) poisoned themselves in some bizarre murder/suicide you'd find signs of that ie vomiting, frothing etc.

    Speaking of aliens, it's been so long since you've been here that I thought you had been abducted.
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    Gas Leak Ruled Out as Cause of Mysterious Death of Cali Hiking Family

    https://toofab.com/2021/08/18/myster...-remote-trail/

    They were not killed by any form of weapon, either.

    UPDATE 8/27/2021 12:34 PM

    The family were not killed by a gas leak from a mine — nor were they killed by any kind of weapon, police have determined.

    In its first update on the bizarre case in a week, Mariposa County Sheriff's Office revealed it had ruled out two causes of death — but still had not found any answers. Homicide had already been crossed off the list.

    The department also provided a more detailed timeline of events leading up to the mysterious deaths; dad Jonathan Gerrish had researched the Hites Cove hike on a phone app on August 14, the day before they set out. Investigators revealed the family had completed most of the grueling 8.5-mile loop and were on their way back to their truck when they died on a steep switchback.

    Gerrish was found in a seated position on the trail, with his infant daughter and eight-year-old dog next to him; Chung was discovered a little bit further up the path, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

    Because of the 2018 Ferguson Fire, some five miles of the trail has little or no foliage coverage or shade, meaning the family had been exposed to between 103 to 109 degree heat during the trek.

    Toxic algae still has not been ruled out; detectives are still waiting on toxicology reports back from the autopsies; a camelback of water the couple were carrying is also being tested, as are samples of water taken from the nearby creek.

    Warrants for the couple's phones and social media accounts were obtained and are currently being scoured by the FBI; searches of their truck and home have turned up nothing of significance so far.

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    Senior Member Pidge's Avatar
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    Premature to rule out homicide when toxicology isn't back yet

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    Senior Member Pidge's Avatar
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    Also, if it was algae bloom, how did they miss this sign(s)?



    What about heat stroke? Experienced hikers but why would they choose to hike with a baby and a dog when it's 103-109 degrees?

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    What do you care? Boston Babe 73's Avatar
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    The fact that he was further up the trail with the baby says something. Normally a mother wouldn't let a baby out of her sight unless it was in distress and he was the only one able to get it to safety. If they were in a bad state, including the baby, and one had to be left behind because they were worse off, they'd hedge their bets by having the stronger party go ahead with the baby to hopefully make it to safety. I mean..... It could be heat stroke? It's been pretty hot, but not THAT hot. Did they eat some kind of tainted food? Salmonella? She couldn't go further and sent him ahead to get help? It's possible that they both died from some kind of food poisoning and that the dog and baby died from exposure. The baby because it couldn't move on it's own and the dog because he wouldn't leave them.
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    That is too pretty to be shoved up an ass.
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    You can take those Fleets and shove them up your ass



  24. #24
    Senior Member Pidge's Avatar
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    "Chung was discovered a little bit further up the path"
    She was ahead of him, the child and the dog.

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    What do you care? Boston Babe 73's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pidge View Post
    "Chung was discovered a little bit further up the path"
    She was ahead of him, the child and the dog.
    Okay, so I got it backwards. Doesn't make much sense unless she was sent ahead for help? This shit bugs me. Reminds me of Dyatlov Pass except modern day and less eyes missing.
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    That is too pretty to be shoved up an ass.
    Quote Originally Posted by Nic B View Post
    You can take those Fleets and shove them up your ass



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