Mummified remains found at campsite identified as family who was 'off the grid'
Last week, a camper enjoying the scenic views at a Rocky Mountain campsite stumbled upon a badly decomposed body, prompting a search that turned up two more bodies that were mummified by the time authorities got to them.
Today, those bodies have been positively IDed.
Gunnison County coroner said the deceased were Colorado Springs residents Rebecca Vance, 42, her 14-year-old son, and her sister, Christine Vance, 41.
Rebecca’s stepsister, Trevala Jara, said that her sisters were not "conspiracy theorists" but that Rebecca, in particular, worried about the state of the world and was extremely protective of her family. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Rebecca became quite panicked about diseases and politics and decided to drag her son off to "live in nature" - to protect him.
Gunnison County coroner said the deceased were Colorado Springs residents Rebecca Vance, 42, her 14-year-old son, and her sister, Christine Vance, 41 (Prisma by Dukas/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)Now, the 14-year-old boy's body was recovered and found to be emaciated. The sister, Christine, originally did not want to come along but decided to accompany the family to an 'off the grid' location because she thought the mom and son 'would have a better chance of surviving.'
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The trio set off on their 'hike' in July of 2022. Gunnison County Coroner Michael Barnes told the Sun that malnutrition and “exposure to the elements” caused their untimely deaths.
Two of the bodies were found in a small, zipped-up tent - the place that the mother had chosen to live during one of the state's coldest winters. “It was a significantly harsh winter for us this year, and it always is here,” Barnes told the paper, “but we did have more snow than we have had in the past couple of winters.”
Any winter would have required much better accommodations, say outdoors experts. Living off-the-grid experts all suggest finding stable lodging, acquiring a generator, propane tank, and loads of batteries to keep things running. This mom had no outdoor skills and decided to take her 14-year-old son, who was homeschooled, to the woods instead.
“She went for good intentions,” Ms. Jara said in an interview with the New York Times 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.”
The family took up residence in a remote part of the park, dying there during a particularly harsh winter (Universal Images Group via Getty Images)“Me and my husband, we tried to stop them,” Ms Jara said, her voice breaking.
No reports were made about the missing trio, and they had picked a campsite that was difficult to identify from the road. Gunnison County Sheriff Adam Murdie said the “very remote” campground is not visible from the dirt county Forest Service road that leads to the area and that the U.S. Forest Service lists the campground as closed “due to inaccessibility.”
Because of its location, it's become a “haven for hikers, backpackers and equestrians."
Mr Barnes said it is most likely that the family fared okay during the summer but was not prepared to make it through the winter. They found evidence of empty canned food, burned dry sticks, and a fire built inside the actual tent in an attempt to stay warm.
Investigators found that the family was using a nearby tree as a bathroom, which people don't normally do unless there's something wrong. The family was “cold and not wanting to venture far from the tent,” Mr Barnes said. “Otherwise, you’d probably do that elsewhere.”
Jara says that her sisters had "hearts of gold" despite what happened to them. She also says that the key takeaway from this story is that running away to "live off the grid" isn't a viable solution.
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“I know this world is scary,” Ms Jara said. “But don’t let that fear, that doubt, all of that take over.”
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