No trace of a blow or bite, no apparent sign of poisoning or illness: the mystery remained on the death of a couple of hikers, their one-year-old baby and their dog, found lifeless last week in northern California.
It was the family’s nanny, worried that they had found their home unoccupied, who sounded the alert on August 16. The police quickly found their vehicle at the start of a nearby hiking trail in the Sierra National Forest, not far from the famous Yosemite Park.
The next day, helpers had located John Gerrish, 45, his wife Ellen Chung, 31, their one-year-old daughter, Miju, and their pet in an isolated area known as Devil’s Gulch. ).
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the man was seated next to her child and the dog while the mother was a little further up the hill.
Victims of “blue algae”?
“You arrive there and everyone is dead. There are no gunshot wounds, no medicine vial, not a single clue. It’s a big mystery, ”Mariposa County Sheriff Jeremy Briese told the newspaper.
According to US media, the family’s autopsies did not reveal anything conclusive. The unfortunate people could have been dehydrated because the mercury peaked at nearly 43 ° C on the day of the death but this seems unlikely because the helpers found water in their possession.
Investigators are now trying to determine whether the victims did not succumb to poisoning, either by carbon monoxide escaping from a disused mine shaft or by toxins released by “blue algae” growing in a course. neighboring water.
Toxicological analyzes on the victims are underway but the results should not be known for several weeks.
Samples from the watercourse
Nicknamed “blue algae”, cyanobacteria can develop in aquatic environments unbalanced by high concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus, often under the effect of high heat.
A “blue algae” alert was issued in this same area about a month ago with a warning against swimming in this arm of the Merced River.
The California water control authority took samples from the waterway in question to detect the presence of toxins that could be responsible for the deaths.
Until further notice, she recommends “staying away from algae and scum” and not allowing children or animals to touch the water in this branch of the river.
