A hiker in the area of Gold Creek Campground in Colorado stumbled upon mummified remains Sunday.
According to the Gunnison County Sheriff’s Office, they received a call just before 5 p.m. about the “heavily decomposed deceased individual,” at the remote campsite. Two more deceased individuals were found in the same area Monday morning.
“It appeared the individuals have been deceased for a substantial period of time,” said a Facebook press release from Undersheriff Josh Ashe.
Per a CBS News report, the “fairly mummified” state of the remains and advanced decomposition suggests they have been in the area through the winter or possibly since last fall, according to Gunnison County Sheriff Adam Murdie.
“The identities of the deceased individuals are not being released at this time,” said Ashe’s statement. Murdie said that the degradation of the bodies indicates the autopsy process could take weeks.
CBS News reported that those two bodies were found inside a “small, zipped-up tent” and that the other was found outside the camp. At the scene there were also personal belongings, as well as a log structure over a fire pit. A remote wooded area surrounds the camp, and Murdie said hikers typically would not go into it.
“This is not a typical occurrence anywhere, by any means,” said Murdie.
As of Wednesday, investigators were waiting on an autopsy to determine the cause of death. Authorities said there are no known risks to residents or outdoor enthusiasts recreating in the area. Ashe told CBS News Colorado investigators did not find evidence at the scene that a crime was involved. In an effort to identify the remains, investigators have been searching through missing persons reports.
Murdie said some campers or hunters die of carbon monoxide poisoning due to using heaters in enclosed spaces. However, the way these bodies were found does not indicate that was the cause of their deaths.
So, investigators are trying to “determine what they were actually doing there and why,” Murdie explained.
Last year, mummified remains discovered hidden in a wall at the Kaiser Convention Center in Oakland, Calif., were identified as Joseph Edward Mejica, a 42-year-old man who had been missing since summer 2020, Audacy’s KCBS Radio in San Francisco reported. This March Audacy station WBBM in Chicago said that an Illinois woman who reported her husband missing found his mummified remains eight months later while looking for Christmas decorations in a hideaway closet in their home.
Follow KNX News 97.1 FM
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
Related
Related
