Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.Photo:RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty ImagesThree bodies found “fairly mummified”in a remote Colorado campsite earlier this month have been identified as two sisters and a teenage boy.The Gunnison County Coroner’s Office identified them as Christine Vance, 41, Rebecca Vance, 42, and Rebecca’s 14-year-old son in a release to theColorado Sun,Denver GazetteandAssociated Press.The Gunnison County Coroner’s Office has not yet responded to PEOPLE’s request for a statement.Gunnison County Coroner Michael Barnes told theColorado Sunthat he believed that possibly malnutrition and “exposure to the elements” through a harsh winter last year likely contributed to their deaths, though current analyses on their cause of death are still pending. He did not say when he believed they possibly could have died.The family had likely started camping about a year ago in July, 2022 Barnes also told the publication, a statement he previously echoed toCNNafter the bodies were found.“At this point it appears that these three individuals began long term camping at the location near Gold Creek Campground in (approximately) mid-late July last Summer 2022 and attempted to stay through the winter,” he said.Barnes noted to theColorado Sunthat a family member of the Vance’s had contacted the coroner’s office to let them know that she believed her family members had planned to “go live off the grid,” but she didn’t know where they were going.Gold Creek Campground in Colorado.Google MapsA hiker discovered one of the “heavily decomposed” bodies about 1,000 feet from a site near the Gold Creek Campground around 4:57 p.m. on Sunday, according to astatement from the Gunnison County Sheriff’s Office. The bodies were discovered in a dark patch of timber, Gunnison County Sheriff Adam Murdie told theColorado Sun.The Gunnison County Sheriff’s office went on to note that investigators “located the campsite and discovered two additional heavily decomposed deceased individuals within the campsite.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Barnes told the Associated Press that one body was found outside a blue tent and two more were found zipped inside the tent. There were also empty food cans, books, a restroom area and a “lean-to” shelter found at the site.He said he didn’t believe that the family had been previously reported missing.“I wonder if winter came on quickly and suddenly they were just in survival mode in the tent,” Barnes told the AP. “They had a lot of literature with them about outdoor survival and foraging and stuff like that. But it looked like they supplied at a grocery store.”
Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.Photo:RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images
RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images
Three bodies found “fairly mummified”in a remote Colorado campsite earlier this month have been identified as two sisters and a teenage boy.The Gunnison County Coroner’s Office identified them as Christine Vance, 41, Rebecca Vance, 42, and Rebecca’s 14-year-old son in a release to theColorado Sun,Denver GazetteandAssociated Press.The Gunnison County Coroner’s Office has not yet responded to PEOPLE’s request for a statement.Gunnison County Coroner Michael Barnes told theColorado Sunthat he believed that possibly malnutrition and “exposure to the elements” through a harsh winter last year likely contributed to their deaths, though current analyses on their cause of death are still pending. He did not say when he believed they possibly could have died.The family had likely started camping about a year ago in July, 2022 Barnes also told the publication, a statement he previously echoed toCNNafter the bodies were found.“At this point it appears that these three individuals began long term camping at the location near Gold Creek Campground in (approximately) mid-late July last Summer 2022 and attempted to stay through the winter,” he said.Barnes noted to theColorado Sunthat a family member of the Vance’s had contacted the coroner’s office to let them know that she believed her family members had planned to “go live off the grid,” but she didn’t know where they were going.Gold Creek Campground in Colorado.Google MapsA hiker discovered one of the “heavily decomposed” bodies about 1,000 feet from a site near the Gold Creek Campground around 4:57 p.m. on Sunday, according to astatement from the Gunnison County Sheriff’s Office. The bodies were discovered in a dark patch of timber, Gunnison County Sheriff Adam Murdie told theColorado Sun.The Gunnison County Sheriff’s office went on to note that investigators “located the campsite and discovered two additional heavily decomposed deceased individuals within the campsite.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Barnes told the Associated Press that one body was found outside a blue tent and two more were found zipped inside the tent. There were also empty food cans, books, a restroom area and a “lean-to” shelter found at the site.He said he didn’t believe that the family had been previously reported missing.“I wonder if winter came on quickly and suddenly they were just in survival mode in the tent,” Barnes told the AP. “They had a lot of literature with them about outdoor survival and foraging and stuff like that. But it looked like they supplied at a grocery store.”
Three bodies found “fairly mummified”in a remote Colorado campsite earlier this month have been identified as two sisters and a teenage boy.
The Gunnison County Coroner’s Office identified them as Christine Vance, 41, Rebecca Vance, 42, and Rebecca’s 14-year-old son in a release to theColorado Sun,Denver GazetteandAssociated Press.
The Gunnison County Coroner’s Office has not yet responded to PEOPLE’s request for a statement.
Gunnison County Coroner Michael Barnes told theColorado Sunthat he believed that possibly malnutrition and “exposure to the elements” through a harsh winter last year likely contributed to their deaths, though current analyses on their cause of death are still pending. He did not say when he believed they possibly could have died.
The family had likely started camping about a year ago in July, 2022 Barnes also told the publication, a statement he previously echoed toCNNafter the bodies were found.
“At this point it appears that these three individuals began long term camping at the location near Gold Creek Campground in (approximately) mid-late July last Summer 2022 and attempted to stay through the winter,” he said.
Barnes noted to theColorado Sunthat a family member of the Vance’s had contacted the coroner’s office to let them know that she believed her family members had planned to “go live off the grid,” but she didn’t know where they were going.
Gold Creek Campground in Colorado.Google Maps
Google Maps
A hiker discovered one of the “heavily decomposed” bodies about 1,000 feet from a site near the Gold Creek Campground around 4:57 p.m. on Sunday, according to astatement from the Gunnison County Sheriff’s Office. The bodies were discovered in a dark patch of timber, Gunnison County Sheriff Adam Murdie told theColorado Sun.
The Gunnison County Sheriff’s office went on to note that investigators “located the campsite and discovered two additional heavily decomposed deceased individuals within the campsite.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Barnes told the Associated Press that one body was found outside a blue tent and two more were found zipped inside the tent. There were also empty food cans, books, a restroom area and a “lean-to” shelter found at the site.
He said he didn’t believe that the family had been previously reported missing.
“I wonder if winter came on quickly and suddenly they were just in survival mode in the tent,” Barnes told the AP. “They had a lot of literature with them about outdoor survival and foraging and stuff like that. But it looked like they supplied at a grocery store.”
source: people.com
