![Toxic algae blooms eyed in deaths of family of 3 and their dog on remote California hiking trail](https://cbsnews1.cbsistatic.com/hub/i/r/2021/08/19/ac3f33e1-d858-43b6-b97a-03c578e445ab/thumbnail/1200x630/e4d3e261b6393258c7d88c73194ed7eb/newspath-774670-640x360.jpg)
Toxic algae blooms eyed in deaths of family of 3 and their dog on remote California hiking trail
CBSN
Investigators are considering whether toxic algae blooms or other hazards may have contributed to the deaths of a Northern California couple, their baby and the family dog on a remote hiking trail, authorities said.
The area in the Sierra National Forest where the bodies were found on Tuesday had been treated as a hazmat site after concerns were raised about the deaths being linked to potentially toxic gases from old mines nearby. But the hazmat declaration was lifted Wednesday, and Mariposa County Sheriff Jeremy Briese said he didn't believe the mines were a factor, the Fresno Bee reported Thursday.![](/newspic/picid-6252001-20250214202746.jpg)
Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a high-stakes meeting at this year's Munich Security conference to discuss the Trump administration's efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Vance said the U.S. seeks a "durable" peace, while Zelenskyy expressed the desire for extensive discussions to prepare for any end to the conflict.
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It was Labor Day weekend 2003 when Matt Scribner, a local horse farrier and trainer who also competes in long-distance horse races, was on his usual ride in a remote part of the Sierra Nevada foothills — just a few miles northeast of Auburn, California —when he noticed a freshly dug hole along the trail that piqued his curiosity.