January 1, California family found dead on hike killed by extreme heat

The unusual case wherein a California family died while hiking in Sierra National Forest stumped law enforcement officers since Aug. 17. Now, officials have some answers.

Extreme heat and probable dehydration killed 45-year-old Jonathan Gerrish, his 30-year-old wife Ellen Chung, their one-year-old daughter Miju, and their dog, Oski.

Temperatures exceeded 109 degrees that day, and shade is scarce along the eight-mile trail.

“Heat-related deaths are extremely difficult to investigate,” Mariposa County Sheriff Jeremy Briese said.

The Gerrish-Chung family gave a statement, read by a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office.

“Our hearts will never forget the beautiful lives of Jonathan, Ellen, Miju, and, of course, Oski,” the statement said. “They will remain with us wherever we go and in whatever we do. In the future, when we sit beneath the trees listening to the wind soaring through the branches, we will hear them and we will remember.”

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California family found dead on hike killed by extreme heat, sheriff says