Investigators have ruled out two causes of death in the mysterious case of the Mariposa family who died in Sierra National Forest last week.
The use of a gun or other weapon and exposure to chemicals from a mine were both officially ruled out by the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday, the SF Chronicle reported.
The department has yet to determine what the true cause of death is, stating that "all other potential causes of death remain."
On Aug. 15, Jonathan Gerrish, 45, Ellen Chung, 30, their 1-year-old daughter Aurelia Miju Chung-Gerrish and their dog Oski set out on a 8.5 mile hike in Mariposa County. Investigators believe they hiked for 5 miles in 103 to 109 degree heat with little to no trees or shade.
The family’s bodies were found on Aug. 16 just before 10 a.m. near Devil’s Gulch, 15 miles from Yosemite. Along with the three family members, their dog Oski was also found dead, prompting investigators to treat the area as a hazmat scene.
"We know the family and friends of John and Ellen are desperate for answers," Mariposa County Sheriff Jeremy Briese said in a news release collected by the newspaper. "Our team of detectives is working round the clock. Cases like this require us to be methodical and thorough while also reaching out to every resource we can find to help us bring those answers to them as quickly as we can."
Autopsies on all three victims have been completed as well as a necropsy on the dog, KNTV reported.
Toxicology results for the couple and dog are still pending as are water samples from the water they were carrying and from rivers and lakes in the area.
It is not yet clear when those results will be available, Sheriff officials said.
Authorities have also conducted a search of the family’s cars and phones, but nothing significant was located.
Related
