Cause of mysterious deaths of California family to be revealed two months after bodies were found along trail
Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office to hold a press conference over mystery deaths of Jonathan Gerrish, Ellen Chung, their one-year-old daughter Aurelia Miju Chung-Gerrish and dog Oski
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The mystery surrounding the deaths of a California family will finally be put to rest on Thursday, two months after their bodies were found along a remote hiking trail in the Sierra National Forest.
The Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office announced it will hold a press conference at 2pm local time (5pm ET) on Thursday afternoon “regarding the cause of death” of Jonathan Gerrish, Ellen Chung, their one-year-old daughter Aurelia Miju Chung-Gerrish and their pet dog Oski.
The family vanished while hiking along a trail close to the Merced River back in August and were reported missing by a friend.
Their bodies were discovered on 17 August along the Savage-Lundy Trail in Devil’s Gulch near Hites Cove.
Since then, the case has baffled authorities and their cause of death remained a mystery.
Multiple causes of death have been ruled out during the investigation including: suicide, being caused by a gun or other weapon, alcohol, illegal drugs, a lightning strike, extreme heat and exposure to cyanide, carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide.
One theory that remains is that they were killed by toxic algae found in the nearby water.
Investigators have been working with toxicology experts to determine whether the high levels of toxicity could have poisoned the family.
The Sheriff’s Office said Thursday’s briefing will be the “final investigative update” in the case.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments