Toxic Algae Bloom suspected in hiking family’s death !

[jscott]

Not to be too gruesome, but…perhaps heat exhaustion got the two adults, and the dog stayed with the family but had no water. All were exposed in direct sunlight.

[AK Granola]

Two people died simultaneously from heat exhaustion? I don’t know anything about medicine, but wouldn’t an autopsy show some kind of sign of heat exhaustion?

[DWR D]

3 people and a dog… but I don’t think anyone knows that it was simultaneous… like the exact minute… they were found simultaneously, but could have died hours apart for all we know at this point…

 

[jscott]

I’m speculating obviously. they had a child. if one began to struggle, they wouldn’t split up. The wife may have finally left and gone for help and then collapsed herself. All were left in the hot sun with no shade.

I have no idea.

[John S.]

An autopsy (postmortem) can show nonspecific findings that would correlate with other factors (ambient temps, etc). The more decomposition that occurs, those findings may not be as apparent (guessing). In this case there could have been up to 1.5 days of decomp. Here is a good editorial on heat-related deaths.

(pdf file) https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12024-013-9413-y.pdf

https://journals.lww.com/amjforensicmedicine/Fulltext/1997/03000/Criteria_for_the_Diagnosis_of_Heat_Related_Deaths_.2.aspx

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6924a1.htm

Here are my further thoughts,

These are heat-related deaths until proven otherwise. They went on a 7.7 mile dayhike with a 1 year old who may have been the first to begin showing signs of heat stress. They may also have known of the algae issue (trailhead signs, tv news, since they were locals) and only took/used their own water causing further issues if they underestimated how much was needed for a family of four (3 humans, 1 dog) in those conditions. Once down at the river there is a 3.3 mile 2,000 ft climb back up. The temps were well over 100 F. There is said to be not much shade after the 2018 fire. They had little remaining water when found only halfway up the climb.

[obx hiker]

That seems like a well considered and plausible explanation. Looking at that terrain and considering those temperatures it could have been really stressful; especially for an infant! Also if there was some toxic algae exposure that could have possibly further exacerbated the situation.

BTW John I wasn’t trying to be cute in praising the journalistic quality of your earlier synopsis. Thanks for the explanation.

[John S.]

I hear ya, obx : ), here is another timeline that says the loop hike is 8.5 miles.

https://sierranewsonline.com/mariposa-sheriffs-office-update-on-the-gerrish-chung-family/

[jscott]

The family moved to Mariposa from the SF bay area. They might not have had experience with extreme heat. And with a 2,000 foot climb over 3.3 miles. they just might not have prepared. I wonder how they were dressed.

[DWR D]

Yeah… death due to heat and dehydration happens all the time in places like the Grand Canyon… I seem to remember a couple dying while hiking out the The Wave a couple of years ago… I think it’s plausible… people that don’t understand the danger just are not prepared…. Very sad…

[jscott]

I was recalling the climb out of Pate valley to White Wolf in Yosemite’s grand canyon of the Tuolumne, which is hot and…filled with rattlesnakes. I wonder if a snake bite might also be a factor for one of them.

[John S.]

There could definitely be multiple factors including certain medications that predispose to hyperthermia.

[Geoff Caplan]

We occasionally see toxic blooms here in the English Lakes.

They occur on stagnant water in hot weather.

If there is any question at all, I simply restrict my water gathering to fast-flowing streams on the hillside.

If the only water available is from slow-moving sources, your alternative would be to carry in all the water you need – because I very much doubt that the typical filter or treatment will be certified safe for this type of toxin.

[BPLwiia]

…

[BPLwiia]

“I was recalling the climb out of Pate valley to White Wolf in Yosemite’s grand canyon of the Tuolumne, which is hot and…filled with rattlesnakes. I wonder if a snake bite might also be a factor for one of them.”

Zero chance of that not being found on an autopsy especially when the pathologist had to have been apprised about the circumstances of their deaths.

[jscott]

Zero chance of that not being found on an autopsy especially when the pathologist had to have been apprised about the circumstances of their deaths.

 

true. It’s jsut, we haven’t heard the autopsy report. I know this would be a longshot; a bite would be obvious, I presume.

[David Thomas]

I’ve long had an interest in toxic / asphyxiating gas releases as occurred at two West Africa volcanic lakes in which meta-stable dense carbonic acid at the bottom of the lake was disturbed by a landslide or surface wave action and rose enough to liberate some CO2 bubbles which created tremendous buoyancy and lifted even more water, releasing even more CO2.  That cool dense CO2 then fills the lake basin and spills down the drainage which are exactly where lots of people live.  Lake Nyos in Cameroon killed 1,746 people that way one night in 1986.

But I don’t see a mechanism for CO2 to build up in mines and then be released.  I’ve been in high CO2 caves in California, but those conditions only arose because the air is so very stagnant – it doesn’t mix with outside air for the whole summer.  Other, more toxic gases?  H2S comes to mind – it’s a nasty one, but that associated with oil- and gas-fields, not abandoned hard-rock mines.

Hiking on a >100F day and heat stress has to be seriously considered.  A single heat-related illness could have stopped all their progress as they attempted to assist one of the party, but all got hotter and more dehydrated the longer they remained there.

Alas, when the whole family dies together, some type of murder-suicide also can’t be ruled out.  Instead of the classic American approach of using firearms, a fast-acting poison in their Gatorade would account for all their deaths.  If one wanted to hide such a murder-suicide, a hike on a hot day would one way to obscure the clues.

[John S.]

Feds close trails near mysterious Mariposa County family death for ‘unknown hazards’

“Pen said one water test has come back positive for harmful algae bloom, or HAB. Others have turned up no toxic substances and still other tests are outstanding. Officials had already warned hikers of such blooms a month before the deaths along the south fork of the Merced River, so that result is not a surprise. Such freshwater blooms are not known to kill humans.”

https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/Feds-close-trails-near-mysterious-Mariposa-County-16426022.php

[obx hiker]

Here’s a link to the USFS closure statement: This action seems a little unusual and closes most all the trails and recreational sites in the vicinity. It seems to suggest that something may be going on, they don’t know what, if anything; and we’re closing the area for a month until we can hopefully figure it out.

The link is from a new article today 9-3 in the NYT of all places. It’s a well written article and seems to sum up the situation and information to date but adds nothing new of substance.

[John S.]

“An incident description said that the agency had received a report of a “suspected illness” in the area. The warning previously made reference to a fatality, but was changed to say illness, The Bee reported.”

Public warnings of bad water + no warnings about heat illness during heat wave when you can’t drink the water = unknown hazard? Those trails should have been closed as soon as the bodies were found if they were going to rule out gases and water toxins as a cause of death? CYA move?

[John S.]

It almost seems like the “fatalities” or “illness” claimed in that incident report are the Gerrish-Chung family. At first I thought it was a separate person, but looking back it seems they jumped the gun and blamed it on the water outright with no proof? Confusing to me.

Looking at this reporter’s articles it does seem they meant the Gerrish-Chung family.

https://www.fresnobee.com/profile/218451065

If this had occurred in the Grand Canyon or Death Valley, would they be going to these lengths?

[obx hiker]

Thanks for that solid article link John. Couldn’t help but notice one phrase in the USFS bulletin that is probably just a poor choice of phrasing but anyway:

“unknown hazards found”  hmmm. So they found something but can’t figure out what it is?

I’m back to wondering if the combo of the heat and the algae could be the cause. I.E either alone would not likely have been fatal but combined?

In which case there might be a little CYA in the mix.

How do you eventually admit a combination of factors in morbidity when the reporting or warning of one of those is your responsibility; without tacitly admitting some responsibility? Calling McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney and Kuzak.

[Geoff Caplan]

Heat exhaustion seems a very likely contributor to this disaster.

They have regular deaths on trails around Palm Springs despite clear warnings at the trail-head. There was another just recently:

https://kesq.com/news/2021/07/02/man-found-dead-on-palm-springs-hiking-trail-believed-to-have-died-of-heat-exposure/

This was a guy raised in England, carrying a heavy baby in blazing heat with no shade…

[jscott]

https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/Toxic-algae-downstream-from-where-hiker-family-16434923.php

This is from 9/3. By the way, I’ve been at the headwaters of the Merced many times; anyone who’s hiked along the river in the park might be astonished at the notion of “toxic algae blooms” in the water. It’s crystal clear. One approach to the Park runs along the Merced. I only do that in Spring but the Merced is usually flowing very well at that time.

[AK Granola]

This case may remain a mystery. The toxic algae thing still seems fishy to me (so to speak). Skimming CDC and other websites about toxic algae, it looks like it mostly makes people ill – vomiting, diarrhea, etc. and doesn’t usually kill. So a case with three dead and a dead dog, and no evidence around them? Or at least, that isn’t being reported to the public. We always get 1/8 of the full story in the news. I hope they solve it and publish the results. But we may never know.

[John S.]

If any water toxins were found in the water and their body fluids, then the cause of death statement may state both the toxins and heat as contributors, yes. Supposedly there is no human death in the US due to those toxins, already stated above by Rex’s post.

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