3 decomposing bodies found near Colorado campsite identified as family trying to live ‘off the grid’

GUNNISON COUNTY, Colo. — Three bodies that were found in a remote campsite area in Gunnison County, Colorado earlier this month have been identified by the county coroner.

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The Gunnison County Coroner’s Office identified the three people as two adult sisters and one of the woman’s 14-year-old son adding they were decomposed and partly mummified, according to The Associated Press.

The coroner identified the three people as Rebecca Vance, 42; Christine Vance, 41; and a 14-year-old boy whose name isn’t being released since he is a minor, according to KOAA.

Their remains were very decomposed and the coroner’s office has not yet provided a cause of death, according to the news outlet.

Barnes said all three were from Colorado Springs, according to KUSA.

The first body was found near the Gold Creek Campground by a hiker on July 9. Two others were found the following day by investigators with the Gunnison County Sheriff’s Office, according to the news outlet.

“It appeared the individuals have been deceased for a substantial period of time,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement obtained by KCNC.

The bodies showed signs of malnourishment. Investigators are waiting for toxicology reports to process before determining a cause of death but they believe that the three died from starvation, cold temperatures, or carbon monoxide poisoning from building a fire to keep warm, Barnes told the AP.

Family members told Barnes, according to the AP, that the three went on a trip last summer and had planned to live “off the grid.” It was possible that the group died sometime over the summer.

“I wonder if winter came on quickly and suddenly they were just in survival mode in the tent,” Barnes said, according to 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.”

For now, the sheriff’s office is not investigating the deaths for foul play, according to KOAA.