The coroner’s findings came more than a week after the Gunnison County Sheriff’s Office said that the bodies of the campers had been found near Gold Creek Campground, a discovery that drew national attention as officials sought to identify the victims and determine why they had apparently attempted to camp through a brutal winter.
Michael Barnes, the Gunnison County coroner, said on Tuesday that the family members were all from Colorado Springs and had lived “off the grid,” survived on canned food and sheltered in a tent before a harsh winter or malnourishment most likely led to their deaths.
The sisters had been “discouraged with the state of the world” in recent years and had set out last July to permanently live near Gold Creek Campground in western Colorado, Mr. Barnes said.
“She went for good intentions,” Ms. Jara said in an interview on Tuesday night.
“She thought she was protecting her son and our sister, Christine, because she didn’t want them to get wrapped up in what the world was coming to in her eyes.”Rebecca Vance’s fears intensified during the pandemic, Ms. Jara said, noting that her sister had not believed in conspiracy theories but had simply been fearful of the world and had trusted that a better life awaited them in nature.
Persons:
Michael Barnes, ”, Barnes, “, ” Ms, Jara, Christine, Rebecca Vance’s
Organizations:
Gunnison County Sheriff’s
Locations:
Gunnison County, Gold, Colorado Springs, Colorado