Family whose bodies were found on hiking trail died of extreme heat, police say

Sheriff Jeremy Briese shows where the family was found (Craig Kohlruss/The Fresno Bee via AP)

A California family found dead on a hiking trail died after they overheated and ran out of drinking water on a sunny August afternoon when temperatures reached 43C in the steep mountain terrain, authorities said on Thursday.

The deaths of Jonathan Gerrish; his wife, Ellen Chung; their one-year-old daughter, Aurelia “Miju” Chung-Gerrish; and their dog, Oski; had baffled investigators.