Mysterious death of family and their dog in forest shakes California

The deaths of a couple, their one-year-old baby and their dog, found dead last week in Northern California, are now a real mystery to investigators in the case, who have found no sign of beatings, bites, poisoning or illness.

The family, made up John Gerrish, 45, his wife Ellen Chung, 31, their one-year-old daughter, Miju, and their pet Oski, He was found dead in a remote area known as Devil’s Gulch, near the Sierra National Forest and Yosemite National Park.

A few months earlier, John and Ellen had moved to Mariposa, in central California, because they wanted to get Miju away from the big city and hoped to change the hustle and bustle of San Francisco Bay for the tranquility of nature, explained a friend.

The first sign that something had gone wrong was when the couple’s babysitter arrived at their home on Monday and couldn’t find anyone there. Your hike was only supposed to last one day, as “John worked Mondays and never showed up “a related friend. Fearing the house was empty, she reported her disappearance on August 16.

“Everyone is dead at the scene”

Police quickly found his vehicle at the start of a hiking trail and aThe next day they located to the family: the man was seated next to his son and the dog, while the mother was higher.

The bodies of family members and their dog showed no physical injuries, no signs of trauma and no suicide notes indicating it was intentional, police said. Fox News.

“There, everyone died. No gunshot wounds, no drug vial, not a single clue. It’s a great mystery “Mariposa County Sheriff Jeremy Briese acknowledged when the discovery was announced.

“Finding a scene in which everyone involved, including the deceased family dog, is not something typical that we have seen or that other agencies have seen,” he acknowledged.

Hot? Toxic algae? Lightning? Carbon monoxide?

California media believe the deceased may have been dehydrated, since the on the day of his death there were temperatures of near 43 ° C, but that seems unlikely, as paramedics confirmed they were carrying water.

Investigators are trying to determine whether the victims died of poisoning, either carbon monoxide escaping from a disused mining shaft or from toxins released by “blue algae” growing in a nearby river.

These cyanobacteria can thrive in aquatic environments unbalanced by high concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus, often under the influence of heat. The US Forest Service warned in July of toxic algae in the Merced River and urged visitors not to swim or allow their pets to drink the water.

“Researchers wondered if poisonous gases, poisonous algae and carbon monoxide from abandoned mines near the area may have contributed to the deaths. “Sheriff’s spokeswoman Kristie Mitchell told Fox News.

The researchers are also considering rattlesnake bites, but Mitchell said they had not found any physical evidence to support this as the cause of death. “It is a tragic and frustrating case for us”, he admitted to CNN.

“We are not focusing on a specific cause at the moment. There are still so many that we cannot rule out. We analyzed the lightning in the area. We analyzed the storms … the weather, the animals. We are analyzing the whole area as a whole, ”the official said.

The sheriff’s department always you are awaiting toxicological results and an autopsy is underway on the dogAlthough investigators said no other dead animals were found in the area. They do, however, recognize that this is a “very unique and very strange” case and consider that it may be “a very long and thorough investigation, as it is not as clear as in d ‘other cases”.

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