Mummified Remains Found at Remote Colorado Campsite Identified as Two Sisters and Teen Boy 'Living Off Grid'

Gunnison County Coroner Michael Barnes said he believed malnutrition and "exposure to the elements" may have caused their deaths

Three bodies found “fairly mummified” in a remote Colorado campsite earlier this month have been identified as two sisters and a teenage boy.

The Gunnison County Coroner's Office identified them as Christine Vance, 41, Rebecca Vance, 42, and Rebecca’s 14-year-old son in a release to the Colorado Sun, Denver Gazette and Associated Press.

The Gunnison County Coroner's Office has not yet responded to PEOPLE’s request for a statement.

Gunnison County Coroner Michael Barnes told the Colorado Sun that he believed that possibly malnutrition and “exposure to the elements” through a harsh winter last year likely contributed to their deaths, though current analyses on their cause of death are still pending. He did not say when he believed they possibly could have died.

Related: ‘Fairly Mummified’ Remains of 3 Hikers Discovered in Remote Colorado Campsite

The family had likely started camping about a year ago in July, 2022 Barnes also told the publication, a statement he previously echoed to CNN after the bodies were found.

"At this point it appears that these three individuals began long term camping at the location near Gold Creek Campground in (approximately) mid-late July last Summer 2022 and attempted to stay through the winter,” he said.

Barnes noted to the Colorado Sun that a family member of the Vance’s had contacted the coroner’s office to let them know that she believed her family members had planned to “go live off the grid,” but she didn’t know where they were going.

Related: Hiker Who Died in Death Valley Spoke to Reporter About Risking Extreme Heat Hours Earlier: 'Why Not?'

A hiker discovered one of the “heavily decomposed” bodies about 1,000 feet from a site near the Gold Creek Campground around 4:57 p.m. on Sunday, according to a statement from the Gunnison County Sheriff’s Office. The bodies were discovered in a dark patch of timber, Gunnison County Sheriff Adam Murdie told the Colorado Sun.

The Gunnison County Sheriff’s office went on to note that investigators “located the campsite and discovered two additional heavily decomposed deceased individuals within the campsite.”

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Barnes told the Associated Press that one body was found outside a blue tent and two more were found zipped inside the tent. There were also empty food cans, books, a restroom area and a “lean-to” shelter found at the site.

He said he didn’t believe that the family had been previously reported missing.

“I wonder if winter came on quickly and suddenly they were just in survival mode in the tent,” Barnes told the AP. “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.”

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