Missing family of 3 and their dog found dead on hiking trail in remote area of Sierra National Forest

A Northern California family of three that had been reported missing was found dead Tuesday along with the family's dog on a hiking trail in a remote area of the Sierra National Forest, authorities said.

Search teams initially located the family's vehicle near a gate to the Sierra National Forest and then found the bodies of all three - identified as John Gerrish, Ellen Chung, their 1-year-old daughter, Muji - and their dog near an area known as Devil's Gulch in the Southfork of the Merced River, the Mariposa County Sheriff's Office said. A family friend had reported them missing Monday evening. There was no clear cause of death, prompting authorities to treat the area as a hazmat scene, said Kristie Mitchell, a spokeswoman with the sheriff's office. "It could be a carbon monoxide situation. That's one of the reasons why we're treating it as a hazmat situation," she said.