3 'heavily decomposed' bodies discovered at remote wilderness campsite

Three "heavily decomposed" people have been discovered at a remote campsite in the Colorado wilderness and authorities are trying to figure out who they are and how long they might have been there for.

The gruesome discovery was made by a person hiking in the Gold Creek Campground early Monday morning in a remote area of Colorado, some 150 miles south of Aspen in the southwestern part of the state, when the hiker discovered a "remote campsite with a heavily decomposed deceased individual within the camp," said Gunnison County Undersheriff Josh Ashe in a statement regarding the case.

"At approximately 8:02 AM on Monday, July 10th, 2023, Investigators with the Gunnison County Sheriff's Office located the campsite and discovered two additional heavily decomposed deceased individuals within the campsite," Ashe said. "It appeared the individuals have been deceased for a substantial period of time."

The cause of death for the three individuals is not currently known and is pending the completion of an autopsy, authorities said. It is not known how long the autopsy will take due to the condition the bodies were found in.

"There are no known risks to residents or outdoor enthusiasts recreating in the area associated with this unfortunate event," said Ashe.

The identities of the deceased individuals have not yet been released and police are not making any other details about this public at this time.