Autopsy results show what killed 2 sisters and teen boy found mummified in woods

01 September 2023 , 04:40

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Rebecca Vance (left), her sister Christine Vance (right) died alongside Rebecca's 14-year-old son - the trio are pictured with the siblings' stepsister Trevala Jara (centre) (Image: Courtesy of Trevala Jara)

A mum, her sister and her teenage son died of malnutrition and hypothermia before their bodies were discovered at a remote campsite in the Rocky Mountains, autopsy results show.

The mummified remains of Rebecca Vance, her 14-year-old son and her sister Christine were found after the three relatives chose to live off-grid to escape societal changes in recent years.

But the trio, from Colorado, were unequipped for life in the extreme environment - using YouTube videos for survival guides while they were exposed to several feet of snow, chills below zero and had no food. The child's name has not been released by authorities.

Trevala Jara, Rebecca and Christine's stepsister, said through tears: "Why would you want to do this knowing that you would leave me behind? Why didn't you listen to me and my husband?"

The autopsy reports, released this week, also contained another chilling detail: the 14-year-old boy's body was found with Jara's favorite, blessed rosary beads that she gave the group before they left.

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Rebecca Vance thought "this world is going to end" before deciding to live off-grid (Facebook)

Christine Vance at first did not want to escape society, but joined her sister and nephew because she did not want them to be alone (Facebook)

The camp and the teen's body were first discovered by a hiker wandering off-trail in July. The Gunnison County Sheriff's Office found the two women's bodies the following day, when they searched the campsite and unzipped the tent. All three had been dead for some time. Strewn across the ground were empty food containers and survival books. Nearby, a basic wooden shelter extended near a firepit.

The sisters, from Colorado Springs, about an hour south of Denver, had been planning to live off the grid since the fall of 2021, Jara said. They felt that the pandemic and politics brought out the worst in humanity.

They weren't conspiracy theorists, said Jara, but Rebecca Vance "thought that with everything changing and all, that this world is going to end. (They) wanted to be away from people and the influences of what people can do to each other."

A local TV crew films the remote Rocky Mountains location where the trio's mummified bodies were found (KREX)

Jara remembers Rebecca Vance as a bit reserved, but extremely mentally sharp and someone who could read through a 1,000-page book in days. Vance's son was homeschooled and a math whiz, Jara said.

Christine Vance was more outgoing, charismatic and wasn't at first convinced on the idea to escape society, Jara said, "but she just changed her mind because she didn't want our sister and nephew to be by themselves."

Rebecca and Christine told others they were travelling to another state for a family emergency. They told Jara of their plans, but not where they would set up camp. They watched YouTube videos to prepare for their life in the wilderness, but they were woefully underprepared, Jara said.

Jara said she tried everything short of kidnapping to keep them from leaving, but nothing worked. Now, Jara wants to warn others about the risks of surviving in the wilderness.

"I do not wish this on anybody at all," Jara said. "I can't wait to get to the point where I'm happy and all I can think of is the memories."

Jesse Bedayn