Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
A Northern California family found dead on a hiking trail near the Merced River died after they overheated and ran out of drinking water on a sunny August afternoon when temperatures reached 43 C in the steep mountain terrain, authorities said 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. The case involved more than 30 law enforcement agencies who had painstakingly reviewed -- and ruled out -- causes such as murder, lightning strikes, poisoning, illegal drugs and suicide.
On Thursday, Mariposa County Sheriff Jeremy Briese said investigators concluded the family died from hyperthermia, a condition caused when a person's body temperature is dangerously high after exposure to hot, humid weather. It's unclear what killed the dog, an 8-year-old Australian shepherd and Akita mix. But Briese said evidence indicates the dog was "possibly suffering from heat-related issues."
"This is an unfortunate and tragic event due to the weather," he said.
Briese described Gerrish, 45, as an experienced hiker who used an app on his phone to plot a route along the Hite Cove Trail, an approximately 13-kilometre loop that hugs the south fork of the Merced River and is a popular spot to view wildflowers in the spring.
But many of the trees had been destroyed in a wildfire three years ago, leaving much of the trail with very little shade. The family and their dog began the hike at about 8 a.m. on Aug. 15.
It was about 23 C when they started. But the temperature quickly climbed as the trail descended and the day heated up. By the time they reached the steep uphill section of the hike known as the Savage Lundy Trail, Briese said it was 43 C.
Officials found the family two days later after relatives had reported them missing. The family had hiked 10.3 kilometres with the baby in a backpack-type carrier. They were only 2.5 kilometres away from their car.
The family had a 2.5-litre water container with them that was empty. A portion of the trail ran along the Merced River, where tests of the water showed it was contaminated with Anatoxin A, a lethal toxin produced by blue-green algae.
That prompted the Bureau of Land Management to close campgrounds and recreation areas along 45 kilometres of the river, between the towns of Briceburg and Bagby. But Briese said Thursday there was no evidence the family had drunk any of the river water.
Briese said the FBI is attempting to unlock one of the couple's cellphones, saying the agency is "making good progress."
"Our hope is that that cellphone will continue to give us more answers about that day," he said.
Kristie Mitchell, the public information officer for the sheriff's office, read a statement from unnamed family members during a news conference on Thursday.
"Some questions have been answered, and we will use this information as a way of helping us come to terms with the situation," relatives said, according to the statement read by Mitchell. "Our hearts will never forget the beautiful lives of Jonathan, Ellen, Miju, and, of course, Oski. They will remain with us wherever we go."
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Here are the latest recalls Canadians should watch out for, according to Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.