Mariposa County officials are set to announce what killed a former San Francisco family on a deadly hike in Sierra National Forest this summer.
The Mariposa County Sheriff's Office said in a release on Wednesday they will hold a press conference on Thursday at 2 p.m. in which they will reveal the Gerrish-Chung family's cause of death. Officials said it will be the "final investigative update."
John Gerrish, 45, Ellen Chung, 31, their 1-year-old daughter, Miju, and their dog were found dead on Aug. 17 on a remote hiking trail a day after being reported missing.
Detectives last month ruled out a number of potential causes of death, yet left open the possibility the family died of heat exhaustion or exposure to toxic algae.
The family, which moved to Mariposa from San Francisco during the COVID-19 pandemic, hiked on a day when officials said the temperature reached as high as 109 degrees. Tests conducted downstream from where the family was found showed high levels of toxic algae, forcing officials to close 28 miles of the Merced River in early September.
Sheriff’s officials said they worked closely with toxicologists, environmental scientists and even the FBI, among others, as part of the investigation. Most toxicology reports had been completed by the end of September, but the sheriff’s office said at the time "key results" were still pending.
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