A Northern California family found mysteriously dead on a hiking trail in the Sierra most likely died from a combination of hyperthermia and dehydration. And after their bodies were found, authorities learned that the father had desperately tried to send an SOS text message, but the message was never delivered.
Software engineer Jonathan Gerrish, 45, his wife, Ellen Chung, 31, their 1-year-old daughter, Miju, and dog, Oski, were all found dead on a remote Sierra National Forest hiking trail in August.
For two months after the mysterious death, authorities were unable to explain the tragic incident, with a number of causes considered but ruled out, including carbon monoxide poisoning, exposure to gas from former gold mines, a lightning strike, suicide, and drugs.
However, before dying at Hites Gulch, Gerrish wrote a text to an unidentified friend asking for help, and for the first time, the undelivered text message was revealed to the public after “multiple months” in FBI possession.
The contents of Gerrish’s phone were revealed, showing failed phone calls and text messages, as well as photos, that paint a more vivid portrait of the family’s last moments.
Gerrish who worked as a Snapchat engineer sent the desperate text before noon on August 15, 2021, to a person whose name had not been reported. The text message said, “Can you help us” and added: “No water or ver (over) heating with baby.”
Investigators confirmed that the text message was never delivered. It also seemed that Gerrish had placed five calls that never made it through either.
At least 17 photos were taken on Aug. 15 over the span of four hours. Many were photos of the trail, the river, and the family — but the final photo, taken two hours after the last photo of a river, was a screenshot of the family’s location from a trail app they used to navigate around the Savage Lundy and Hites Cove trails.
Authorities finally determined that the family died from extreme heat stroke. The temperatures in the area were as high as 109 degrees Fahrenheit, and a previous wildfire had burned down all the trees that could have provided shade. The family had run out of water while on the mountainous terrain and was unable to cool themselves down.
“The loss of the family is pain beyond words,” relatives said in a statement. “When that pain is compacted by lack of knowledge about their death, the questions of where, why, when, and how to fill the void, day and night.”
Source: AWM
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