Yahoo Autos New Information Emerges in Report Detailing Deaths of Calif. Family of 3 Who Died on Hiking Trip
New details are emerging about the events surrounding the deaths of a California family on a hiking trail in a new report from The San Francisco Chronicle.
Ellen Chung, 31, Jonathan Gerrish, 45, their daughter Miju, 1, and their 8-year-old dog Oski were found dead along a hiking trail in the Sierra National Forest on Aug. 17, PEOPLE previously reported.
In October, the Mariposa County Sheriff's Office announced that the family had died from hyperthermia and probable dehydration.
According to records released to The Chronicle under California public records laws, investigators say, "All the evidence kept pointing back to heat exposure and lack of water."
RELATED: What to Know About the Gerrish Family Who Mysteriously Died on Hiking Trail in California
A woman walking her dogs had spotted the family's gray Ford F-150 Raptor parked at the trailhead, which was located just a few miles from their home, at about 7:45 a.m. local time on Aug. 15, the alleged day of the hike.
The temperature was 76 degrees early in the day but peaked at 109. Investigators said ground temperatures likely would have been higher due to the lack of shade from trees that were burned during the 2018 Ferguson Fire, per The Chronicle.
The family was first reported missing on Aug. 16 after their babysitter found the home empty, as PEOPLE previously reported. The Chronicle reports that the babysitter was the last person to see the family alive on the afternoon of Aug. 13 after cleaning their house.
The unidentified woman's final communication with Chung came later that evening, per the report, when she received a text from the mother featuring a video of Miju starting to walk.
Rosanna Heaslett John Gerrish, Ellen Chung and daughter Muji
RELATED: Cause of Death Revealed for Calif. Family Who Mysteriously Died on Hiking Trail
After arriving at the residence around 11 a.m., the babysitter reportedly discovered the couple's wallets, most of their cell phones, and a diaper bag that they typically kept with them.
The woman then called the building's construction manager, who joined her in sending out calls and texts, per The Chronicle. A deputy wrote that the construction manager was not initially worried by the babysitter's report as he considered Chung and Gerrish to be a "very active family."
The two reportedly drove around the area in search of the couple at 5 p.m., but with no luck. At 11 p.m. — 12 hours after the babysitter came upon the empty house — the pair called the sheriff, and a search was initiated.
The family's car was found at the trailhead on the morning of Aug. 17. The Chronicle reports that the bodies of Gerrish, Miju, and Oski were located roughly 1.6 miles below "on a series of steep switchbacks of the Savage Lundy Trail."
