The bodies of three unidentified people were discovered near a remote campsite in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado this week.
The sad discovery was made by a hiker, who noticed a blue tent 1,000 feet from a campsite at Gold Creek Campground northeast of Gunnison in the National Forest. According to The Colorado Sun, the hiker thought the tent looked "out of place" and went to investigate.
As they got closer, they noticed a body lying directly in front of the tent door, and immediately called the authorities.
The next day, members of the Gunnison County Sheriff's Office found two more bodies inside the zipped-up tent.
Gunnison County Sheriff Adam Murdie noted that all three bodies were in "major stages of decomposition," and the bodies may have been there since fall 2022.
The blue tent was not visible from the dirt Forest Service road that accesses the campground, which could explain why the bodies went undiscovered for so long.
Empty food cans and a lean-to-shelter were also found nearby.
"This is bizarre," Sheriff Murdie told The Sun. "We don't normally get calls of this nature out in areas of the county like that. Of course, nobody does."
According to the Forest Service website, Gold Creek Campground is used by backpackers, hunters, and hikers. The campground is in a very remote area and is currently listed as closed, "due to inaccessibility."
"Whether they froze to death in the winter or the combination of starved or froze, that's what it sure seems like," the sheriff told Colorado Public Radio.
No official manner of death has been announced, and autopsies on all three bodies are currently pending. Due to the advanced state of decomposition, it has also been impossible to identify the bodies.
The Sheriff's Office has been looking into local missing persons reports that could match what is known about the incident thus far, but nothing has been found. The office announced that it does not believe there is any threat to anyone living in or visiting the Gold Creek area. No further information has been released at this time.
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