On Tuesday, a missing northern California family of three and their pet dog was found dead on a hiking trail in a remote area of the Sierra National Forest.
According to authorities, search teams found the family’s vehicle near a gate to the forest and then discovered their three bodies.
John Gerrish, Ellen Chung, their 1-year-old daughter, Muji, and the family dog were found near the Devil’s Gulch area in the Southfork of the Merced River, the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office reported.
Before the family was discovered dead, a family friend reported them missing on Monday morning, CBS News reported.
Autopsies have yet to provide clues as to what caused their deaths.
Authorities have no clear cause of death, Kristie Mitchell, a spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office, stated. “It could be a carbon monoxide situation.
That’s one of the reasons why we’re treating it as a hazmat situation,” she said.
The California Department of Justice is investigating the death alongside the sheriff’s office.
“This is never the outcome we want or the news we want to deliver, my heart breaks for their family. Our Sheriff’s Chaplains and staff are working with their family and will continue to support them during this heartbreaking time.” Sheriff Jeremy Briese said.
Briese also said there are some abandoned mine shafts in the area, which can release dangerous gases. However, that has not yet been ruled as a confirmed factor.
“We have not located a mine nearby,” Briese said. “But in the beginning of the investigation, when we put out our release, that’s why we are taking it slow and methodically for the safety of the rescuers.
The sheriff also said the trail the family was on did have warning signs about toxic algal blooms in the Merced River. The remote area where the bodies were found had no cellphone service, Mitchell added.
