According to authorities, a missing Northern California family was found by search teams dead on Tuesday along with their dog in a remote hiking trail of the Sierra National Forest.
Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office said the bodies of Ellen Chung, John Gerrish, their infant daughter Muji along with their dog were found near an area near the Merced River known as Devil’s Gultch.
Kristie Mitchell, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, said, “We’re treating it as a hazmat situation; it could be a carbon monoxide situation,” according to The Fresno Bee.
This assessment was prompted due to a lack of clear cause of death, as told to The Mercury News.
The sheriff’s office is investigating the deaths along with the California Department of Justice.
A family reported missing in Mariposa County late Monday was found dead, according to the Sheriff's Office. https://t.co/ynABqNFJCQ
— KRON4 News (@kron4news) August 18, 2021
The remote area where the bodies were found had no cellphone service, Mitchell said.
It was close to the Hite Cove trail, known mainly in springtime to have spectacular wildflower displays.
