Water near where California family died tests positive for harmful algae, area closes for 'unknown hazards'
Several hiking trails and recreational sites near where the bodies of a California family were found were closed in the Sierra National Forest this week due to "unknown hazards."
The U.S Forest Service's order that went into effect on Sunday came one day before the agency announced all national forests in California would be closed through Sept. 17 due to the spread of wildfires in the state. However, the closures alongside the Merced River near where the family was found are in effect through Sept. 26.
Officials said the decision was "due to unknown hazards found in and near the Savage Lundy Trail," the same one where John Gerrish, Ellen Chung, their 1-year-old daughter, Miju and family dog were found dead near on Aug. 17.
There has yet to be a cause of death determined after autopsies yielded no conclusive evidence, and toxicology results are still pending.
Leak Pen, assistant recreation officer at the Bass Lake Ranger District, which oversees that portion of the Sierra National Forest, told the Associated Press said one water test has come back positive for harmful algae bloom. Other tests were negative or are still pending results.
“We are uncertain of the causes of death. We still haven’t gotten the results from the case,” Pen said. “So, as a precaution, let’s go ahead and close it because we know there’s some form of hazard to the public.”
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Investigators have ruled out chemical hazards along the trail, and samples of water from the river, as well as water the family had, were taken for testing. Authorities also said witnesses said they saw the family traveling to the trail in their car in the morning of Aug. 15.
“We know the family and friends of John and Ellen are desperate for answers. Our team of detectives is working round the clock. Cases like this require us to be methodical and thorough while also reaching out to every resource we can find to help us bring those answers to them as quickly as we can," Mariposa Sheriff Jeremy Briese said in a statement.
When the family's bodies were first found, investigators treated the scene as a "hazmat situation" since toxic algae blooms have been known to be in the area.
Dr. Erika Holland, assistant professor of biological sciences at California State University of Long Beach, told USA TODAY toxic algae can be fatal if a person ingests water from a bloom that contains certain toxins and "can cause death within a couple hours."
Pen added the deaths are still mysterious.
“Because of the heat there’s a chance they may have drank the water or tried to treat the water, but we don’t know,” he said. “We’re all just waiting for the results.”
The U.S. Forest Service in July reported toxic algae was found earlier in the summer in an area roughly three miles north of where the family was found. The area is still listed with a "caution" advisory level, according to a State Water Board map, and officials have posted warning signs about the blooms in the area.
Contributing: Associated Press
Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter: @jordan_mendoza5.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Area California family found dead in Sierra National Forest closed
