The remains of the family members were found after a hiker discovered a remote campsite in the area of Gold Creek Campground.
The world had become increasingly perilous and Rebecca Vance, her teenage son and her sister Christine Vance decided last summer to get away from it all, live in the wild, off the grid in the Colorado Rockies.But their minds were made up. So they hugged, cried and said their goodbyes on Jara’s front porch a few days before leaving. Jara asked her stepsister Christine to send postcards — anything to let her know that they were safe.
Evidence suggested the family was trying to live off the grid and likely died because of malnutrition or exposure to the elements, said Michael Barnes, the Gunnison County coroner. The autopsy reports are not yet complete, and Barnes said the office is waiting on a toxicology report. He added that carbon monoxide poisoning was also a concern because evidence suggested the family tried to stay warm by burning materials, including vegetation in soup cans, inside their tent.
Early in the fall of 2021, Rebecca Vance shared her plan only with Christine, who was not going to join them. Then, one day in July last year, Christine arrived at Jara’s doorstep with their mother’s urn and some of their parents’ belongings. She was going with Rebecca, she said. Jara broke down. “We offered that to them so they can at least practice, and then we know where they are at, and we can check on them,” Jara said. The idea appealed to Christine Vance, but not to Rebecca, who was certain they could “live on their own,” she said.
Near the campsite authorities found a “lean-to” — a type of crude shelter — made with logs held together by some cordage, a sign that the group was probably trying to find refuge from the weather. There were empty soup cans and other garbage found around the site, including signs the family built fires to stay warm in the tent.
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