CNN
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Authorities are working to identify three bodies found decomposing at a remote Colorado campground, Gunnison County Undersheriff Josh Ashe told CNN.
A hiker found the first body Sunday in a remote area of the Gunnison National Forest near Gold Creek Campground, Ashe said. The forest is about 100 miles west of Colorado Springs.
When deputies responded to the location Monday morning, they found two other bodies that likely had been there for a “substantial period of time” based on their condition, Ashe said.
The three people may have died from malnutrition or exposure to the elements, Gunnison County Coroner Michael Barnes told CNN.
Barnes said he expects to complete autopsies Thursday, but preliminarily believes the three people died at some point during the winter.
“At this time, it appears that these three individuals began long-term camping at the location near the Gold Creek Campground in (approximately) mid-July 2022 and attempted to stay over the winter,” Barnes said, adding evidence found on the site. indicates that the group may have planned to live there permanently.
There is nothing so far to indicate that the deaths are the result of foul play, according to Ashe.