Tourist rescued on California trail was retracing steps of family who died there, sheriff says

MARIPOSA COUNTY, Calif. — Authorities said they rescued a Michigan tourist who became lost on a Northern California trail while he was investigating the deaths of a family whose bodies were found there last year.

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According to The Associated Press, Mariposa County Sheriff Jeremy Briese said deputies responded to the Hites Cove/Savage Lundy Trail near Yosemite National Park on June 29 after receiving a report that a man was missing in the area. The caller, who had spoken with the man the day before, said the tourist had said he was in the area “to do some personal research on his own” about the “odd” deaths of Jonathan Gerrish; his wife, Ellen Chung; their 1-year-old daughter, Aurelia “Miju” Chung-Gerrish; and their dog, Oski, on the same trail last year, the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. The caller contacted authorities after he noticed the man’s vehicle was still parked at the trailhead the next morning, the release said.

Emergency crews, including a Fresno County Sheriff’s Office helicopter, began a search-and-rescue mission and found the man, the AP reported.

“The missing man, from Michigan, began his hike in an area marked with a closed gate and a ‘CLOSED’ sign,” the news release said. “While he was happy to be rescued, however, he immediately started to complain that he was forced to spend the night at the bottom of Hites Cove trail because he was unable to find the trail that leads to the Savage Lundy portion. He tried multiple times to call 911, but the calls would not go through. He did have two 1-gallon water containers with him and was concerned that he was forced to drink water he obtained from the river area and wanted to know if there had been updated algae testing.”

The man, who stood about 5 feet, 6 inches tall, weighed about 200 pounds and appeared to be in his mid-60s, was wearing sweatpants “on some of the hottest days we have seen this year,” the release added.

The man, who suffered dehydration and blistered feet, was treated and drove away in his rental car against the advice of medical personnel, according to the AP.

“It is hard not to be angry about this particular rescue mission,” Briese said in a statement. “I want people to come here and enjoy all the amazing nature Mariposa County has to offer. I want families to recreate and enjoy the beautiful outdoors. Making sure the public is safe while doing that is extremely important to me.”

He then blasted the tourist for failing to heed safety guidance following the highly publicized deaths last year, which were attributed to heat exhaustion, the AP reported.

“We had local, national and international news surrounding the tragic incident last year on the Savage Lundy trail,” Briese’s statement continued. “Each time we spoke about it we informed the public on ways to stay safe in the area. To have someone purposely put themselves in danger, using vital resources and potentially putting the safety of our staff in danger all to try and prove us wrong is maddening and quite frankly sickening. I am proud of my team for their professionalism and for bringing this man back to (a) safe location. Please recreate responsibly.”

– The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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