GUNNISON COUNTY, Colo. — The Gunnison County Coroner's Office this week publicly identified two of the three people whose bodies were found at a campground this month.
The coroner said the bodies are of:
- 42-year-old Rebecca Vance
- 41-year-old Christine Vance
- 14-year-old boy
The coroner did not release the boy's name because he was under age 18. All three were from Colorado Springs, according to coroner Michael Barnes.
One body was found near the Gold Creek Campground by a hiker on July 9. The next day, two more bodies were discovered by Gunnison County Sheriff's Office investigators. Undersheriff Josh Ashe said the bodies appeared to have been at the campground for an extended period of time.
Their bodies showed signs of malnourishment, with two in the tent and one outside. Though a cause of death has yet to be determined while authorities wait for toxicology reports to be processed, the group may have succumbed to starvation, freezing temperatures or carbon monoxide poisoning from trying to make fire to stay warm, Barnes told the Associated Press.
The three likely started camping in July 2022 and died sometime over the winter. Family members told Barnes that the group embarked on a trip last summer and planned to live “off the grid.”
The deaths of the boy and two women are still being investigated, the coroner said. The Sheriff's Office said foul play was not suspected. Their causes of death are pending further analysis, the coroner said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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