‘Can you help us’: Family that died during hike sent final, desperate text

The California family also tried to call five different numbers, but none of the calls went through due to poor cellphone service.

A family that died of heat exhaustion during a gruelling summer hike in Northern California last summer tried to send desperate calls and texts for help, but their attempts at communication failed because of poor cellphone service.

Jonathan Gerrish, his wife Ellen Chung, their one-year-old daughter, Aurelia “Miju” Chung-Gerrish, and their dog, Oski, were found dead Aug. 17 on a hiking trail near the Merced River, after temperatures spiked at 43 C. An empty, 2.5-litre water bladder backpack was found nearby.

On Thursday, the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office shared findings pulled from Gerrish’s phone by an FBI forensics team, reports CBS News.

Just before noon, Gerrish attempted to send a text for help, but the message never went through.

According to authorities, the message read: “can you help us. On savage lundy trail heading back to Hites cove trail. No water or ver (over) heating with baby.”

The family also tried to make five phone calls to various numbers, but none were able to connect. The first call was at 12:09 and the last call was made at 12:36 p.m., reports NBC.

The sheriff’s office also told reporters that the family took multiple photos during their hike, including two selfies.

Gerrish, 45, was an experienced hiker who used an app on his phone to plot a route along the Hite Cove Trail, an approximately 13-kilometre (8-mile) loop that hugs the south fork of the Merced River and is a popular spot to view wildflowers in the spring.