CA - Jonathan Gerrish, Ellen Chung, daughter, 1 & dog, suspicious death hiking area, Aug 2021 #5

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We're still on daylight time (EDT) over here on the east coast, so maybe PDT vs CDT? If for some reason you live in Indiana, then I have no idea how to help you.

The west is on Daylight time (PDT), as is the rest of the country, except for places that don’t change (like most of AZ). So 2:00 pm PDT would be 3:00 pm Mountain daylight time, 4:00 pm Central daylight time and 5:00 pm EDT.
 
Anyone notice that the SF Chronicle article from today (oct 20) said “were found dead on the Hites Cove Trail on Aug. 16.”
BBM

I know we’ve been around and around on these trail/road names a million times (someone should write a thread about this thread btw), but I feel that was an interesting choice of trail name - or is this new info?

Wasn’t it the Savage Lundy trail where they were found? (I’ve read every post, I swear)

Just a meaningless slip/mistake of trail reference? or new info? I’m guessing the former. Moo
 
The west is on Daylight time (PDT), as is the rest of the country, except for places that don’t change (like most of AZ). So 2:00 pm PDT would be 3:00 pm Mountain daylight time, 4:00 pm Central daylight time and 5:00 pm EDT.

6:00 pm if you’re like me on the Atlantic. ADT

10:00 pm in England, I believe.
 


Wait. But the SF Chronicle doesn’t use the word “potential” and includes quotation marks as if directly quoting.

SFC says:
“regarding the cause of death and final investigative update on the Gerrish/Chung case.”

Whereas the yourcentralvalley article does not use quotation marks to indicate a quote, and includes the word “potential”.
 
Does anybody know the make/model/year of the car they were driving? Cars are heavily computerized nowadays, and I'll bet they can get the time the motor was turned off. This would give us an estimated time they started their hike, which would be a crucial clue.
 
Wait. But the SF Chronicle doesn’t use the word “potential” and includes quotation marks as if directly quoting.

SFC says:
“regarding the cause of death and final investigative update on the Gerrish/Chung case.”

Whereas the yourcentralvalley article does not use quotation marks to indicate a quote, and includes the word “potential”.
The Fresno Bee's article is like the Chronicle's: it uses quotation marks in reporting that the Sheriff’s Office will hold a news conference Thursday afternoon “regarding the cause of death.” The word "potential" is not there.

For what it's worth, I don't think the lack or presence of the word "potential" means much. The phrase "regarding the cause of death" is consistent with a scenario in which the sheriff's department states that it has concluded that heat stroke was the likely COD after ruling everything else out.
 
Does anybody know the make/model/year of the car they were driving? Cars are heavily computerized nowadays, and I'll bet they can get the time the motor was turned off. This would give us an estimated time they started their hike, which would be a crucial clue.
We already know that the family was seen driving to the trailhead at 7:45 a.m. I don't think the precise moment the motor was turned off would tell us anything interesting.
 
Wait. But the SF Chronicle doesn’t use the word “potential” and includes quotation marks as if directly quoting.

SFC says:
“regarding the cause of death and final investigative update on the Gerrish/Chung case.”

Whereas the yourcentralvalley article does not use quotation marks to indicate a quote, and includes the word “potential”.

Yes, "Potential" appears to be the words of the author of the article, not a direct quote from LE. They could have used "Probable"

"As adjectives the difference between probable and potential
is that probable is likely or most likely to be true while potential is existing in possibility, not in actuality."
Probable vs Potential - What's the difference?
 
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Strangely I haven’t seen the announcement from the sheriff. Guess I’m missing it somehow.
Wait. But the SF Chronicle doesn’t use the word “potential” and includes quotation marks as if directly quoting.

SFC says:
“regarding the cause of death and final investigative update on the Gerrish/Chung case.”

Whereas the yourcentralvalley article does not use quotation marks to indicate a quote, and includes the word “potential”.
Thanks for providing a description of the SFChronicle report.
 
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Yes, "Potential" appears to be the words of the author of the article, not a direct quote from LE. They could have used "Probable"
They should have just reported what the Sheriff's Office actually said---that it was going to hold a news conference “regarding the cause of death” of the family. That doesn't necessarily mean that the Sheriff's Office will announce a probable cause of death (though I think they likely will).
 
They should have just reported what the Sheriff's Office actually said---that it was going to hold a news conference “regarding the cause of death” of the family. That doesn't necessarily mean that the Sheriff's Office will announce a probable cause of death (though I think they likely will).
I believe they will announce a "PROBABLE" COD. If "POTENTIAL" is used, that would be a MUCH weaker statement...leaving other possibilities on the table and the families with less closure. MOO
 
Does anybody know the make/model/year of the car they were driving? Cars are heavily computerized nowadays, and I'll bet they can get the time the motor was turned off. This would give us an estimated time they started their hike, which would be a crucial clue.
It was reported to be a new gray Ford Raptor truck.
 
I believe they will announce a "PROBABLE" COD. If "POTENTIAL" is used, that would be a MUCH weaker statement...leaving other possibilities on the table and the families with less closure. MOO
The Sherriff's Office didn't say "potential" and didn't say "probable"--they said what they said and it should have been reported accurately. I agree with you that the reporter shouldn't have inserted "potential." But I don't agree that using "probable" instead would fix the problem. For all we know, the Sherriff's Office will announce tomorrow that it has concluded its investigation and that the cause of death is undetermined.
 
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