The world was stunned after hearing about the deaths of John Gerrish, Ellen Chung, and their 1-year-old baby daughter, Miju. Their bodies were located on August 17, 2021, and authorities couldn't piece together what happened. Even scarier, the bodies were joined by their family dog, who had also been on the hike with them.
Initially, investigators thought that toxic algae blooms might have been the cause of their deaths. They were hiking around abandoned mines, and it was thought that it might have been linked. But that was later ruled out. The trio and their dog showed no obvious signs of distress, nor did it appear that a fight had occurred between them. There were also no signs that animals had challenged the couple and their child while they were on the trail.
Luckily, their families did get closure, as their deaths were ruled an accident caused by hyperthermia and dehydration.
Sheriff Jeremy Briese reported the findings. Authorities learned that the family was hoping to hike an 8-mile loop. But due to the heat, they only made it to the sixth mile before passing out.
The story is tough to swallow, since the couple did everything right at first. The temperature ranged in the 60s to 70s when they first started the hike. But as time went on, the temperature quickly rose up to the 100s, creating extra danger.
"This is an unfortunate and tragic event due to the weather," Briese stated.
Hiking is all about preparedness, and while this family thought they were covered, they ended up being surprised by the severe temperature changes. While the family had brought water, they underestimated the amount they needed. In fact, many hiking professionals believe that you should be properly hydrated even before hitting the trail.
Watch the video to learn more about the investigators' findings.
