Final Text Reveals Hiking Family’s Desperate Plea For Help Before Dying With Their Dog

Our story today starts with one family, and their beloved dog, who went off on a hike in the California Mountains of Yosemite National Park. They were later found dead, with no explanation. A text that came through too late revealed the mystery behind this nature-loving family’s death.

There are many different kinds of people in this world. Also, there are those who enjoy spending a day in the kitchen, discovering new recipes. There are those who enjoy painting or anything creative. There are those who enjoy lounging in bed all day, and there are those who enjoy a body-boosting hike in nature. Jonathan Gerrish and Ellen Chung had a three-year-old daughter named Mijiu, and their beloved little dog named Oski. They had always been lovers of a good mountain trail. So, they had set off one day early in the morning in order to avoid the brunt of the day’s heat. So, little did they know that their adventure would take a turn for the worst, and they would not be coming home to tell the tale. 

A Hike gone Wrong

When the bodies of all three family members were found dead along the hiking trail of the Yosemite National Park in late August after a scorching day with temperatures soaring to extreme heights. Their family dog, Oski, was found alongside them. He had clearly stuck by them in the efforts to protect his dying humans.

An investigation was opened to find the cause of their death, and the suspicions of the local authorities and park rangers were proven true when they found that the family had sent out texts asking for help along their hike. The only dilemma was that there was no phone reception on those mountains, so the texts never went out to the intended receivers. A timeline of their hiking trip was created from the photos they had taken of the beginning of their journey. It looked like it had started out as a glorious day spent in nature.

They all had smiley faces in their images. The first video of the hiking day was taken at 7:44 in the morning, and all seemed well. The last photo was taken by the family at 10:30, and after that, they stopped documenting their journey. This must have been when they realized they were in trouble.

Read: ‘If I’d Listened To My Doctor, I Would Be Dead Right Now’

The Text That Never Sent

The day was destined to be a scorcher. But neither Jonathan nor Ellen had realized just how much this would affect their hiking abilities. At 12:25 pm, investigators discovered a text that never went out that read; “Can you help us, On savage lundy trail heading back to Hites cove trail. No water or ver (over) heating with baby.”

So, you can tell by the broken grammar that the family was already feeling the effects of heat exhaustion. They had their three-year-old baby with them. This was sure to cause panic between the two parents. Both were unable to help their thirst-stricken daughter, Miju, and little pup, Oski. 

They also attempted to call 5 different people, none of them being 911 or the mountain rangers. Well, that is not all, they had taken a screenshot of where they were on the mountain trail through an app they had been using that had the hiking trail maps available. Because there was no mobile reception, the texts, phone calls, and screenshots were not received until after the family’s bodies had been found.

Ideas and Realities

This family was well known amongst their peers and relatives for enjoying a good hike. This was why their death was such a surprise. Turns out, the initial cause of death was thought to be toxic algae in the river nearby.

After months of investigation, the cause of death was determined to be dehydration and hyperthermia 0(overheating). In February a final update was made by the Mariposa Sheriff’s Office:

“After multiple months with the FBI computer/phone forensic team, the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office has obtained details from Jonathan Gerrish’s phone. In October of 2021 we released the cause of death determined by the Pathologist. This was based on autopsy results, our investigation, and a multitude of toxicology/scientific test results. The cause of death for Jonathan Gerrish, Ellen Chung and Aurelia “Miju” Chung-Gerrish was determined to be Hyperthermia, and probable dehydration due to, environmental exposure. Hyperthermia- The condition of having a body temperature greatly above normal.”

This is a tragic end to such a beautiful family. But, at least the rest of their family and all their loved ones are able to get some closure from knowing exactly what happened that day. Remember, always make sure you have enough water with you when you go out on a hike, and try not to go out in the blazing heat – we are only human after all.

Keep Reading: This Man Kept Calling His Loved Ones… Even Though He’d Been Dead For Hours