Hiker Discovers 3 Decomposed Bodies in Remote CO Camp

The bodies of three unidentified people were discovered on Sunday near a campground in an extremely remote part of Colorado, The Colorado Sun reported. They were in such a severe state of decomposition, authorities said they may have been out there since fall 2022.

The grim discovery was made by a hiker who noticed a small blue tent about 1,000 feet from a campsite in Gold Creek Campground. The area is north of Ohio City, Colo., on the southeastern boundary of the Fossil Ridge Wilderness Area. It’s an extremely remote area, used almost exclusively by hikers, backpackers, and hunters, according to the campground’s Forest Service website.

The hiker saw the tent and thought it looked “out of place,” authorities told The Sun. They approached the tent and noticed a body lying directly in front of the door. The next day, Gunnison County sheriff’s deputies found two more bodies inside the zipped-up tent.

According to the report, authorities also found empty food cans and a lean-to shelter built nearby.

Decomposed Bodies Found Near CO Camp

There has been no manner or cause of death announced, though the autopsies for all three individuals are pending.

Gunnison County Sheriff Adam Murdie told The Sun that it was impossible to immediately identify the bodies due to their advanced state of decomposition. Additionally, he said the Sheriff’s Office has looked for local missing person reports that might match this incident but has found none.

“This is bizarre,” Murdie told The Colorado Sun. “We don’t normally get calls of this nature out of this nature in areas of the county like that. Of course nobody does.”

No further information regarding the discovery has been released. The Sheriff’s Office said it does not believe there to be a threat to anyone living in or visiting the area.