The Sierra National Forest announced it is closing multiple hiking trails and sites due to "unknown hazards" discovered in and around the Savage Lundy Trail, the area where a young family and their dog were mysteriously found dead over two weeks ago.
The closure went into effect on Sunday and lasts until September 26, though the park noted it could terminate the order early should conditions change.
The closure impacts nine trails, six picnic sites, and the road which lead to the 8.5 mile Hites Cove trail loop.
John Garrish, Ellen Chung, their one-year-old daughter Miju and their golden retriever, Oski, were found dead near the Hites Cove trailhead on August 16 and the case has baffled investigators even since. The bodies did not show any signs of trauma and there were no smoking gun clues at the scene.
Last week, officials ruled out both the use of a gun or other weapons, and exposure to chemicals from a mine, however they maintained that all other potential causes of death remain possible.
One of the most discussed theories involves exposure to toxic algae bloom, which the California Department of Fish and Wildlife warned in July was present in the water around the area where the family was found. Investigators tested the rivers and lakes at the scene and are awaiting full results.
"We are uncertain of the causes of death. We still haven’t gotten the results from the case," said Leak Pen, assistant recreation officer at the Bass Lake Ranger District, which oversees that portion of the Sierra National Forest, told the San Francisco Chronicle. "So, as a precaution, let’s go ahead and close it because we know there’s some form of hazard to the public."
Pen revealed that one of the samples came back positive for toxic algae, however other tests did not reveal any toxic substances and some are still outstanding.
It is unclear when all the test results, including toxicology reports from the family and their dog, will be available.
"Because of the heat there’s a chance they may have drank the water or tried to treat the water, but we don’t know," Pen explained, in reference to the reported 109 degree temperatures in the area on the day the family died. "It’s very mysterious and we’re all just waiting for the results."
Related
