Three members of a Colorado family whose bodies were found badly decomposed earlier this summer in Colorado succumbed to both starvation and the elements, according to autopsy reports.
Autopsies conducted by the Gunnison County Coroner’s Office and released this week revealed that Christine Vance, 41, Rebecca Vance, 42, and Rebecca’s 14-year-old son, who has not been publicly identified, died of malnutrition and hypothermia, according to Colorado sun and the Associated Press.
The Colorado Springs residents were first reported missing in October after informing family members of their intention to live in the wilderness, according to Sun.
The bodies of the trio were “severely decomposed” when they were found near the Gold Creek Campground in late July, Gunnison County Undersheriff Josh Ashe said in a previous statement.
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Gunnison County Coroner Michael Barnes previously said the group used a tent as a shelter and survived on canned food while living “off the grid,” according to The New York Times.
The 14-year-old boy weighed only 40 pounds. before he died Sun reported. He was also found with a rosary that his half-sister Trevala Jara had given to the group before their disappearance, according to the AP.
“I don’t wish this on anyone,” Jara told the newspaper. “I can’t wait to get to the point where I’m happy and all I can think about is the memories.”
The Gunnison County Coroner’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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Jara was one of the many family members who found out about the group’s plan to “live off the land”, according to times.
Rebecca became increasingly concerned about the state of the world after the COVID-19 pandemic and the state of politics in the United States, the newspaper reported.
Christine didn’t originally plan to go with them, but Jara said she ended up going with them “because she thought if she was with them, they had a better chance of survival.”
“We tried to stop them. But they didn’t want to listen,” Jara said earlier The Colorado Gazette. “They made up their minds.”
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A hiker found the trio’s campsite in July, according to AP and The Sun.
Two bodies were discovered inside a small tent, while the third was outside the campsite, Gunnison County Sheriff Adam Murdie told ABC News. All three bodies were “pretty much mummified” when they were found, he added.
“They weren’t crazy. “Becky wasn’t crazy,” said Jara Messenger. “She believed she was doing what she needed to do to save her son.”
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