[fruitbatz]

[suomynona]

A California couple and their 1-year-old daughter died from effects of heat stroke and possible dehydration while hiking in nearly 110-degree temperatures in the Sierra National Forest in August, a sheriff said on Thursday, solving a mystery that had confounded investigators for more than two months.

When search teams found the bodies of Jonathan Gerrish and Ellen Chung, along with that of their daughter, Miju, on the morning of Aug. 17, they had no water on them, Jeremy Briese, the Mariposa County sheriff, said during a news conference.

Sheriff Briese said that an 85-ounce CamelBak water bladder that the family had been carrying was empty. Their bodies, along with that of the family’s dog, Oski, an Aussie-Akita mix, were found about 1.6 miles from their vehicle, he said.

“Heat-related deaths are extremely difficult to investigate,” Sheriff Briese said, adding that a multitude of state and federal agencies spent weeks trying to determine what could have led to their deaths.

“From the beginning, the Gerrish and Chung families have been our top priority,” the sheriff said. “Our office received an overwhelming number of tips, suggestions and investigative requests that were all reviewed and taken into consideration. We’re confident of our findings.”

The family had completed most of an eight-mile trail loop, but was overcome by the heat, steep terrain and a lack of shade, according to the sheriff, who said that temperatures had ranged from 107 to 109 degrees on the afternoon that they had been hiking. There was no cellphone service for the family, who had been carrying snacks and baby formula, to call for help, the sheriff said.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/21/u...ths-cause.html

[Pyramid_Head]

Originally Posted by kellyhound ↗

It wasn't carbon monoxide from a gold mine so the only thing remaining imo is toxic algae blooms. Maybe the dog jumped into some water filled with toxic algae and when coming out of the water shakes its fur and there you go. Toxicology reports can take up to over a month, sometimes even longer.

Huh, that's actually a really good theory.

[gimlet]

Originally Posted by kellyhound ↗

The temperature at the time, according to the sheriff's office, ranged from 103 to 109 degrees. With a 1 year old and a dog going hiking

I feel sorry for the dog and baby, they should have ditched those fruitcake parents before they went hiking in no shade with 109 temp...

[D3ATHF3YD]

A lot of people suck at life once the soft comforts and safety of civilization is gone. I think that the majority of disappearances are probably related to poor training and preparation. A notional park is not an amusement park.

That being said I've seen research and that thing is not Harry and the Hendersons. That thing could easily kill a family. Not to mention bears, cougar, wolves, snakes, and other critters that can be quite formidable on their own.

[chris]

I followed this case closely. I think they finally determined it was heat stroke. Which just blows my mind that it happened to them all roughly around the same time.

[pinkyziolk]

This was a tragic but simple case imo. Nature doesn’t fuck around. It was hot, they were unprepared. The baby likely was the first to be effected, the parents panicked. They didn’t have enough water and it was way too hot to be out. Heat can kill in hours. Don’t mess with nature, it will always win.