‘TRAGEDY OF THE HIGHEST ORDER’

California Family That Died on Hiking Trail Begged for Help in Final Text

But the desperate message never went through, authorities said.

Just before he and his family died of extreme heat stroke, a British Snapchat engineer, Jonathan Gerrish, sent a final plea for help in a text. “Can you help us. On savage lundy trail heading back to Hites cove trail. No water or ver (over) heating with baby,” he wrote. But the desperate message—and five phone calls he also placed—never went through because of poor service, authorities said. Gerrish, his wife, Ellen Chung, their 1-year-old daughter Aurelia, and dog Oski were all found dead on a hiking trail in California last August. Their deaths remained a mystery for months as investigators explored the possibility of murder, suicide, a lightning strike, and more before finally determining that the four had died from extreme heat stroke. A survival trainer who aided investigators in the case said that the parents likely “died trying to save their child and each other.” “It is likely the child began to succumb first, which hurried the parents’ efforts up the hill,” the unnamed trainer wrote. “When one could no longer continue, they stayed behind to care for the child and pet, while the other tried to forge on and get help for their loved ones. It is a tragedy of the highest order.”