A Colorado family whose partially mummified remains were discovered at a remote campsite were trying to live off the grid and escape civilization, family said.
Authorities have identified the bodies as those of sisters Christine Vance, 41, and Rebecca Vance, 42, as well as Rebecca’s 14-year-old son. The remains were recovered in and around a tent near a campsite in the Gunnison National Forest about 9 miles (14.5km) from Ohio City, Colorado, Michael Barnes, the Gunnison county coroner, said Tuesday.
The women’s stepsister, Trevala Jara, told media that the family set off for the remote area last summer, seeking to escape the world. The sisters did not have survival experience and had only done research online and watched YouTube videos on the subject.
“We tried to stop them,” Jara told the Gazette. “But they wouldn’t listen. Their minds were made up.”
A hiker came across the remains earlier this month, spotting a body outside the family’s tent. Two more were found inside, and deputies began investigating the site to identify the remains. Authorities found empty food cans, books and a restroom area at the campsite, Barnes said, suggesting that the group survived off canned goods.
Their bodies showed signs of malnourishment. Investigators are waiting for toxicology reports to be processed and have not yet determined a cause of death, but suspect the group may have succumbed to starvation, freezing temperatures or carbon monoxide poisoning from trying to make fire to stay warm, Barnes said.
Authorities did not find any vehicle or firearms at the campsite with the bodies. Barnes told the Colorado Sun that “exposure to the elements” and an especially harsh winter likely contributed to the family’s demise.
“It was a significantly harsh winter for us this year, and it always is here,” Barnes said. “We did have more snow than we have had in the past couple of winters.”
The three likely started camping late last summer and died sometime over the winter.
It appeared they had begun to build a “lean-to” type shelter but not finished by the time last year’s harsh winter began, he said.
“I wonder if winter came on quickly and suddenly they were just in survival mode in the tent,” Barnes said. “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.”
Jara, the family’s relative, said that the sisters were worried about the state of the world, and that Rebecca’s concerns were magnified by the pandemic.
“The fear overwhelmed her, most definitely,” Jara said of her sister in an interview with the Washington Post.
Christine Vance ultimately joined her sister and nephew so that the pair wouldn’t be alone, Jara told the newspaper. Her sisters were not “crazy” and felt what they were doing was right, she said, but they were not prepared.
“You need years of practice before you go off the grid,” Jara said in the interview. “They watched some YouTube videos, but doing it is totally different if you have no experience.”
