Cause of death for Mariposa family remains undetermined; a timeline of the ongoing investigation has been released

Case Updates Cause of death for Mariposa family remains undetermined; a timeline of the ongoing investigation has been released

Missing NPF
Missing NPF
08/30/21 (3 years ago)

The Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office shared a timeline of its investigation into how a Mariposa family mysteriously died this month along a hiking trail in Sierra National Forest, southwest of Yosemite National Park.

In a new update Thursday, the sheriff’s office said it ruled out weapons or “chemical hazards” along the Savage-Lundy Trail, where Jonathan Gerrish and Ellen Chung were hiking with their 1-year-old daughter and dog, as possible causes of death.

“ALL other potential causes of death remain,” the sheriff’s office said.

Here’s a timeline of events from the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office and what’s happened with its ongoing investigation:

Saturday, Aug. 14: Jonathan Gerrish researches Hites Cove hike via a phone app.
Sunday, Aug. 15: 7:45 a.m., witness sees the Gerrish/Chung family traveling in their vehicle toward the trailhead, down Hites Cove Road north of Jerseydale in Mariposa County.
Monday, Aug. 16: 11 p.m., a family friend reports the family missing.
Tuesday, Aug. 17: 1:53 a.m., the family’s car is located down Hites Cove Road north of Jerseydale.
Tuesday, Aug. 17: 1:55 a.m., a search and rescue mission is initiated.
Tuesday, Aug. 17: 11 a.m., the family is found dead on the Savage-Lundy Trail by a search and rescue team.
Thursday, Aug. 19: Autopsies are completed on the family and dog. The autopsy findings state “pending toxicology” results.
Friday, Aug. 20: Search warrants issued for a phone found with the family.
Friday, Aug. 20: Search warrants issued for the family’s home and cars. “Nothing significant” is found.
Monday, Aug. 23: Additional water samples are collected from water sources “along the trail area.” Other samples from that area were sent to a lab the previous week. There’s a known harmful algae bloom in the south fork of the Merced River, in the region where they were found.
Tuesday, Aug. 24: A cell phone is delivered to the FBI for data extraction, “awaiting results.”
Wednesday, Aug. 25: Search warrants issued for “possible social media access.”