The teenage boy whose body was found in the Colorado wilderness after he tried to survive off the grid with his aunt and mother weighed just 40 pounds at the time of his death, according to a newly released autopsy report.
The unidentified 14-year-old died with his mother Rebecca Vance, 42; and his aunt Christine Vance, 41, shortly after the trio decided to leave civilization in Colorado Springs last summer despite having little experience living outside.
All three died of malnutrition and hypothermia, according to Gunnison County Coroner’s Office autopsy reports obtained by the Colorado Sun.
The boys lost less than half the weight of the average boy his age of 112 pounds, according to the CDC.
Empty food cans and survival guides littered a remote campground in Gunnison County where bodies were found in July but no food – or heaters – were in sight, the Sun reported.
A hiker found the boy’s mummified body July 9 near Gold Creek Campground and responding investigators found the bodies of his aunt and mother inside a blue tent at a remote campground more than 100 miles from their former home in Colorado Springs.
Rebecca Vance’s 14-year-old son (left) left his home in Colorado Springs last August to live off the grid with his mother, Rebecca Vance (second from left), and his aunt Christine Vance (second from right). The three could not be convinced not to go, Trevala’s half-sister Jara (center) told The Post. Courtesy of Trevala Jara
The two women’s half-sisters previously told The Post that the teenagers had mixed feelings about their mother’s plan to live off the land.
“He was scared and excited at the same time,” Trevala Jara said in late July. “He was only 13 when they left. He doesn’t know what to do to live off the grid, but he wants to be with his mom.”
Jara says that her mother Rebecca wants to start a new life by escaping into the wilderness and convinces her younger sister to join them.
“It was Becky’s idea,” Jara said. “At first Christine didn’t want to go, but she changed her mind. He felt they had a better chance of survival if he went with them. And he doesn’t want our sister and niece to be alone.”
Rebecca – described by her relatives as an introvert who doesn’t like to be out and about much – couldn’t be swayed by the plan despite the family’s pleas, Jara added.
The cause of death for all three of them was malnutrition and hypothermia. ZUMAPRESS.com
The single mother declined to tell family members where they planned to camp or how they would survive the harsh Colorado winter. The family went without much preparation other than watching YouTube videos on how to survive outdoors, according to Jara.
All three were reported missing in October.
All of their bodies were emaciated and significantly decomposed, according to the autopsy report. The coroner said they probably died last winter.
Each wore multiple layers of clothing and necklaces with cross pendants around their necks, according to the report.
The campsite where the bodies were found was hit by heavy snow and several days below freezing last winter, local newspapers reported.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
