Story at a glance
- A California family was reported missing earlier this week in the Sierra National Forest.
- The family of three, as well as their dog, was found dead on Tuesday.
- An investigation into the causes of death is underway.
A California family that was reported missing earlier this week was found dead in a remote hiking area, according to authorities.
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The family — John Gerrish, Ellen Chung and their 1-year-old daughter Miju — and their dog were reported missing in the Sierra National Forest on Monday. Their bodies were located on Tuesday in a remote area near Devil’s Gulch.
“This is never the outcome we want or the news we want to deliver, my heart breaks for their family,” Mariposa County Sheriff Jeremy Briese said on Facebook. “Our Sheriff’s Chaplains and staff are working with their family and will continue to support them during this heartbreaking time.”
According to Kristie Mitchell, a spokesperson for the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office, the location where the family was found is being treated as a hazmat scene because there are mines in the area and there were no clear causes of death.
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“Coming across a scene where everyone involved, including the family dog that is deceased, that is not a typical thing that we have seen or other agencies have seen,” Mitchell told The Fresno Bee. “That is why we’re treating it as a hazmat situation. We just don’t know.”
An investigation into the deaths is underway.
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