SACRAMENTO, Calif.—A Northern California family found dead on a hiking trail near the Merced River died after they overheated and ran out of drinking water on a sunny August afternoon when temperatures reached 109 degrees Fahrenheit in the steep mountain terrain, authorities said Thursday.
The deaths of Jonathan Gerrish, his wife, Ellen Chung, their 1-year-old daughter, Aurelia “Miju” Chung-Gerrish, and their dog, Oski, had baffled investigators. The case involved more than 30 law enforcement agencies who had painstakingly reviewed—and ruled out—causes such as murder, lightning strikes, poisoning, illegal drugs and suicide.
