It is a terrible find that US police officers in Mariposa County, California made last Tuesday: On a hiking trail, the officers discovered an entire family – a man and a woman, a baby and a dog. They are all dead.
The deceased are the missing Jonathan G. * († 45) with his wife Ellen C. * († 31), plus daughter Miju († 1) and dog Oski. He was born in England, as it is called in the “Dailymail”. She is of Korean descent and from the city of Orange, California.
“You come to the crime scene and everyone is dead”
The fourfold corpse find is so far a mystery: It is completely unclear how and what the quartet died, writes the “San Francisco Chronicle”. Jeremy Briese, Sheriff of Mariposa County, also puzzles: “You come to the scene and everyone is dead. There are no bullet holes, no medicine bottle, not a single clue.”
The autopsy also did not clarify the cause of death, as reported by “CNN”.
Officials assume that the couple and their friends set off on a hike on Sunday afternoon. The group was reported missing late Monday evening. The deputy then found the family’s car on Tuesday night on the popular Hites Cove trail.
It took nine hours until a search party was finally able to find the missing family: G. is found sitting, next to him his little daughter Miju and family dog Oski. Further up the hill is C., the baby’s mother and wife of the 45-year-old. According to Sheriff Briese, it is believed that the family was on the way back to their car.
Do cell phone data provide information?
The family man had a cell phone on him. But there is hardly any reception in the area where the bodies are found. As Sheriff Briese explains, the investigators are now looking for clues on the man’s mobile phone – such as unsent messages or attempted calls.
The sheriff explains that gradually various causes of death can be ruled out. On Sunday, the day of the hike, the heat was searing. But the family still had water with them. Dehydration is therefore hardly an option.
Gas escapes from old, abandoned mines are also being examined. So far, however, no such poisons have been found. A possible contact with poisonous algae is still being clarified according to the police. As long as these investigations are still ongoing, the tragic death of the family remains a great mystery. (nl)