The Mariposa County Sheriff disclosed during a press conference on Thursday that a family of hikers who died inexplicably two months ago along a hiking trail in California perished from hyperthermia and probably dehydration.
On Aug. 17, the bodies of John Gerrish, Ellen Chung, their 1-year-old daughter Miju, and their 8-year-old dog Oski were discovered near the Merced River in the Sierra National Forest along the Savage Lundy Trail. Their bodies showed no evidence of trauma, and authorities were unable to pinpoint a cause of death right away.
"Heat-related deaths are extremely difficult to investigate," Mariposa County Sheriff Jeremy Briese said at the press conference.
Since the bodies were discovered, the Mariposa County Sheriff's Department has collaborated with the FBI, toxicologists, environmental experts, and others to determine what caused the unfortunate deaths. The investigators looked into several possibilities, such as whether the family was poisoned by toxic algae in the Merced River or gases from adjacent abandoned mines.
According to Briese, there is no proof that the family members swallowed any of the contaminated water or gained access to the neighboring mines. Other possible reasons of death, such as a lightning strike, gun wounds, or suicide, have recently been ruled out by the investigators.
The autopsy report, the date of their disappearance, the temperature that weekend, the trail they took, the lack of shade along the trail, and their lack of drink all pointed to hyperthermia and, most likely, dehydration as the cause of death.
"We're confident of our findings," Briese said.
The cause of death for the dog Oski is "undetermined," but evidence shows he died from heat exhaustion, he said.
The bodies were found 1.6 miles (2.6 kilometers) from their car, at the start of an 8-mile (12.8-kilometer) loop that included the Hite Cove and Savage Lundy trails. An empty 85-ounce (2.5-liter) water bladder was discovered, but no other water container or water filtering device. They also discovered some snacks as well as a little bit of infant formula. It's unclear whether they all died at the same time.
According to The National Institutes of Health, hyperthermia develops when the body's temperature regulating mechanisms fail due to extreme external temperatures. When the body's temperature rises above 105 degrees Fahrenheit (41 degrees Celsius), it can induce brain and organ damage, muscle cramps, weariness, weakness, dizziness, and death.
