Phone could provide clues to hiking death of British man and his family

Watch: Young family found dead near Yosemite

Authorities investigating the death of a British man and his family in California hope his mobile phone could provide clues as to how they died.

The bodies of John Gerrish, his partner Ellen Chung and their one-year-old daughter Miju were found in a remote spot about 200 miles east of San Francisco last week.

Investigators initially considered all options to explain their deaths but have since ruled out the possibility of homicide. There were no signs of violence.

While phone service was unavailable in the Devil’s Gulch area of the Savage-Lundy hiking trail, in California’s Sierra national forest, The Times reported that analysts hoped to discover whether the family had tried to make any calls or recorded any voice messages.

Jeremy Briese, the sheriff of Mariposa County, told the paper: “We’ve searched from the air and on foot and all over, looking for anything that may give us a clue to what occurred.

“Basically, it’s baffling and we’ve got to work through the different scenarios looking for answers.”

Mr Briese previously said there were several abandoned mine shafts in the area, which can release poisonous gases. Additionally, water sources there are known to contain harmful bacteria and toxic algae.