Police are investigating the “heavily decomposed” bodies found at Gold Creek Campground

Three decomposed bodies have been found at a remote Colorado campsite, according to authorities.

A hiker discovered one of the “heavily decomposed” bodies at a campsite at Gold Creek Campground around 4:57 p.m. on Sunday and notified police, Gunnison County Undersheriff Josh Ashe said in a statement on Facebook on Wednesday.

“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,” the statement noted.

“It appeared the individuals have been deceased for a substantial period of time,” the statement continued. “The identities of the deceased individuals are not being released at this time. The cause of the three individual’s deaths is pending the completion of an autopsy.”

Ashe’s statement concluded by stating that there were “no known risks to residents or outdoor enthusiasts recreating in the area” where the bodies had been discovered.

According to a report from ABC News, Gunnison County Sheriff Adam Murdie noted that two of the bodies were discovered inside a small tent while the third was outside the camp, which was located in an area not normally frequented by camping hikers. The scene also had tarps, personal belongings and a firepit.

“This is not a typical occurrence anywhere, by any means,” Murdie said, per ABC News, adding the bodies were “fairly mummified.”

“Whether they froze to death in the winter or the combination of starved or froze, that’s what it sure seems like,” he continued.

Murdie also said that authorities “didn’t observe anything on-scene that makes us believe that there was crime involved in this,” per CBS News Colorado.

He also told CBS News that the sheriff’s department is searching for missing persons reports that could help explain the situation, but none have been found so far. The coroner will not reveal the names of those who died until their relatives are informed.

On Wednesday, Gunnison County Coroner Michael Barnes told CNN that the three people could have succumbed to starvation or cold weather.

“At this point it appears that these three individuals began long term camping at the location near Gold Creek Campground in (approximately) mid-late July last Summer 2022 and attempted to stay through the winter,” he said.

Murdie described the discovery of the three deceased campers as “bizarre” to The Colorado Sun on Wednesday, adding, “We don’t normally get calls of this nature out of this nature in areas of the county like that. Of course, nobody does.”