What happened to this California family?

[Anonymous]

I may be the lone dissenter, but I still think it was something weird and unusual like CO or toxic gas or algae. I just find it hard to believe that all of them, including the dog, would have succumbed to heat stroke, presumably around the same time. They still had water in their Camelbak and were only 1.5 miles from their car. If things were that bad, wouldn't they have drank all the water and/or poured water over their heads or splashed their faces?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I may be the lone dissenter, but I still think it was something weird and unusual like CO or toxic gas or algae. I just find it hard to believe that all of them, including the dog, would have succumbed to heat stroke, presumably around the same time. They still had water in their Camelbak and were only 1.5 miles from their car. If things were that bad, wouldn't they have drank all the water and/or poured water over their heads or splashed their faces?

d

You're not a lone dissenter. This same exact opinion has been expressed about 100x already on this thread.

Also expressed 100x: that it was FA. That is was easily heat exhaustion.

Less common opinions: Aliens. Boulders.

[Anonymous]

I want to understand more about illegal grows, drug cartels and trip wires referenced on the Facebook postings. WTF. This is so messed up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I may be the lone dissenter, but I still think it was something weird and unusual like CO or toxic gas or algae. I just find it hard to believe that all of them, including the dog, would have succumbed to heat stroke, presumably around the same time. They still had water in their Camelbak and were only 1.5 miles from their car. If things were that bad, wouldn't they have drank all the water and/or poured water over their heads or splashed their faces?

d

You're not a lone dissenter. This same exact opinion has been expressed about 100x already on this thread.

Also expressed 100x: that it was FA. That is was easily heat exhaustion.

Less common opinions: Aliens. Boulders.

Don’t forget the mountain lions please.

[Anonymous]

Sulphur toxicity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I may be the lone dissenter, but I still think it was something weird and unusual like CO or toxic gas or algae. I just find it hard to believe that all of them, including the dog, would have succumbed to heat stroke, presumably around the same time. They still had water in their Camelbak and were only 1.5 miles from their car. If things were that bad, wouldn't they have drank all the water and/or poured water over their heads or splashed their faces?

d

You're not a lone dissenter. This same exact opinion has been expressed about 100x already on this thread.

Also expressed 100x: that it was FA. That is was easily heat exhaustion.

Less common opinions: Aliens. Boulders.

Don’t forget the mountain lions please.

I missed discussion of aliens. Which kind? Undocumented immigrants or extraterrestrial? What was the theory?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I may be the lone dissenter, but I still think it was something weird and unusual like CO or toxic gas or algae. I just find it hard to believe that all of them, including the dog, would have succumbed to heat stroke, presumably around the same time. They still had water in their Camelbak and were only 1.5 miles from their car. If things were that bad, wouldn't they have drank all the water and/or poured water over their heads or splashed their faces?

d

You're not a lone dissenter. This same exact opinion has been expressed about 100x already on this thread.

Also expressed 100x: that it was FA. That is was easily heat exhaustion.

Less common opinions: Aliens. Boulders.

I thought the boulders theory was ridiculous. But if you read that Facebook thread discussion, someone mentions a dangerous cliff at Devil's Gulch and loose boulders. Is that where this theory comes from? I still don't think it's what contributed their deaths. But I found it interesting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I want to understand more about illegal grows, drug cartels and trip wires referenced on the Facebook postings. WTF. This is so messed up.

So close to a semi-popular trail? Very unlikely. And it would be hard to get water to the crops. Yes, there's a river, but you need electricity and pumps at that point. And I assure you, the growers aren't going to carry you halfway up the trail. You want something far more isolated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok... New theory.
So, it's an 8 mile hike. Say around mile 5 mom starts to get heat exhaustion. Tried, dizzy, nauseous. Pretty soon she's weak and/or passes out.
It's still quickest to keep going, so, Dad has to support or carry mom along with baby.
Eventually, say around mile 6, he can't support them both, (or she fully passes out).
So, he sets down the baby in the pack, carries mom 100 yards, sets her down, goes back, carries baby to mom. Sets down baby, carries mom another hundred yards, goes back for baby. A half mile of that he's exhausted, he sets mom down, goes to get baby
Sits down next to baby to rest and succumbs to heat stroke.

That would explain placement and different times to succumb to heat stroke.

Ugghh, writing this out sounds awful.i think murder suicide. Would be a better way to go..

This is compelling.

No, it's bizarre, ghoulish, and makes no sense, given the facts.

Yeah. I don’t know why people think heatstroke is unbelievable. It makes the most sense. Simplest explanation. No more bizarre than their decision to do this hike in these conditions in the first place.

Heat stroke is unbelievable because the officials who are there do not believe it. I'm not going to second guess them.

No the officials who are there are just doing their job which is to explore/rule out all possibilities. That doesn’t mean they don’t believe it was heat stroke.

The park officials didn't close the forest including trails and picnic areas because of heat stroke.

Um yeah maybe they did if people shouldn’t be out there in dangerous temps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to the Mariposa Sheriff website to see if there was any announcements. It led me to their Facebook page which has an interesting discussion thread. Locals talking about what possibly happened. Someone said there are illegal grows, and trip lines to protect them. If any of the family accidentally stepped on it, chemicals will spray on them. Not sure how true that is. Then this is waa sweet post by a realtor that helped Jon find his home.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=4617475074943708&id=152897558068171&m_entstream_source=timeline&__tn__=%2As%2As-R

I saw that one of the posters there suggested the sheriff who has been investigating was taking kickbacks from the drug cartels! It seems quite outlandish to think the area is booby-trapped with trip wires that spray dangerous chemicals, particularly since this is a moderately well-traveled path in the cooler months. That would certainly explain why they’d want to close the park and all the nearby trails, though!

I have a friend who was a census worker last year in northern CA. She definitely visited some growers and wrote a little bit relating some of her experiences. Basically, by sticking to established roads and announcing your presence, growers aren't going to bother you because they're not actually looking for trouble. Also not being law enforcement helps. Tripwires on a public access trail that is moderately trafficked in cooler weather doesn't make sense. Growers aren't interested in poisoning a troop of Boy Scouts or something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok... New theory.
So, it's an 8 mile hike. Say around mile 5 mom starts to get heat exhaustion. Tried, dizzy, nauseous. Pretty soon she's weak and/or passes out.
It's still quickest to keep going, so, Dad has to support or carry mom along with baby.
Eventually, say around mile 6, he can't support them both, (or she fully passes out).
So, he sets down the baby in the pack, carries mom 100 yards, sets her down, goes back, carries baby to mom. Sets down baby, carries mom another hundred yards, goes back for baby. A half mile of that he's exhausted, he sets mom down, goes to get baby
Sits down next to baby to rest and succumbs to heat stroke.

That would explain placement and different times to succumb to heat stroke.

Ugghh, writing this out sounds awful.i think murder suicide. Would be a better way to go..

This is compelling.

No, it's bizarre, ghoulish, and makes no sense, given the facts.

Yeah. I don’t know why people think heatstroke is unbelievable. It makes the most sense. Simplest explanation. No more bizarre than their decision to do this hike in these conditions in the first place.

Heat stroke is unbelievable because the officials who are there do not believe it. I'm not going to second guess them.

No the officials who are there are just doing their job which is to explore/rule out all possibilities. That doesn’t mean they don’t believe it was heat stroke.

The park officials didn't close the forest including trails and picnic areas because of heat stroke.

Um yeah maybe they did if people shouldn’t be out there in dangerous temps.

I think it's a combination of NFS personnel being tapped right now because of the unprecedented scale of fires throughout the state plus having to deal with looky-loos poking around due to the national coverage this case has gotten. They don't have the manpower to go out rescuing tourists.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I may be the lone dissenter, but I still think it was something weird and unusual like CO or toxic gas or algae. I just find it hard to believe that all of them, including the dog, would have succumbed to heat stroke, presumably around the same time. They still had water in their Camelbak and were only 1.5 miles from their car. If things were that bad, wouldn't they have drank all the water and/or poured water over their heads or splashed their faces?

d

You're not a lone dissenter. This same exact opinion has been expressed about 100x already on this thread.

Also expressed 100x: that it was FA. That is was easily heat exhaustion.

Less common opinions: Aliens. Boulders.

Don’t forget the mountain lions please.

I missed discussion of aliens. Which kind? Undocumented immigrants or extraterrestrial? What was the theory?

The extraterrestrial branch-removing kind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I may be the lone dissenter, but I still think it was something weird and unusual like CO or toxic gas or algae. I just find it hard to believe that all of them, including the dog, would have succumbed to heat stroke, presumably around the same time. They still had water in their Camelbak and were only 1.5 miles from their car. If things were that bad, wouldn't they have drank all the water and/or poured water over their heads or splashed their faces?

d

You're not a lone dissenter. This same exact opinion has been expressed about 100x already on this thread.

Also expressed 100x: that it was FA. That is was easily heat exhaustion.

Less common opinions: Aliens. Boulders.

I thought the boulders theory was ridiculous. But if you read that Facebook thread discussion, someone mentions a dangerous cliff at Devil's Gulch and loose boulders. Is that where this theory comes from? I still don't think it's what contributed their deaths. But I found it interesting.

Can you post the link?

[Anonymous]

I feel like its going to be heat exhaustion or 'something weird' and I am coming down on weird based on the sale of the investigation. But I really think the FA people are nuts. The idea someone would walk around in 100 degree heat uphill for hours and THEN decide to take everyone out in some extremely precise method of poisoning is totally insane IMO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I may be the lone dissenter, but I still think it was something weird and unusual like CO or toxic gas or algae. I just find it hard to believe that all of them, including the dog, would have succumbed to heat stroke, presumably around the same time. They still had water in their Camelbak and were only 1.5 miles from their car. If things were that bad, wouldn't they have drank all the water and/or poured water over their heads or splashed their faces?

d

You're not a lone dissenter. This same exact opinion has been expressed about 100x already on this thread.

Also expressed 100x: that it was FA. That is was easily heat exhaustion.

Less common opinions: Aliens. Boulders.

I thought the boulders theory was ridiculous. But if you read that Facebook thread discussion, someone mentions a dangerous cliff at Devil's Gulch and loose boulders. Is that where this theory comes from? I still don't think it's what contributed their deaths. But I found it interesting.

Can you post the link?

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=4617475074943708&id=152897558068171&m_entstream_source=timeline&__tn__=%2As%2As-R