Two elk hunters, both 25 years old, were tragically found dead in the wilderness of Colorado after being missing for a week. The local coroner reported that they lost their lives due to a lightning strike. Read more here.
According to Conejos County Coroner Richard Martin, Andrew Porter and Ian Stasko were killed instantly by lightning while hunting along the Rio de los Pinos trailhead, known for its remote and rugged terrain.
They were discovered beneath a tree, and Martin noted that their bodies exhibited “slight burns.” More details can be found in his comments to the Colorado Sun.
“A slight burn is akin to briefly touching a match to your skin,” Martin explained. “There were only a couple of them on each body.”
The seasoned hunters did not suffer; their deaths were instantaneous, although the coroner has yet to confirm the precise time they passed away.
“It’s a swift transition: one moment you’re alive, and the next you’re gone,” Martin remarked. “It happens in the blink of an eye.”
The complete autopsy results for Porter, who hails from Asheville, North Carolina, and Stasko from Salt Lake City, Utah, will take about eight weeks to finalize. However, Martin is confident about his initial assessment, as he mentioned to People.
“I can assure you, that’s what caused it,” he stated firmly.
The victims’ remains were located by search and rescue teams at about 11 a.m. on Thursday after an intensive week-long search effort.
Prior to their disappearance, Lynne Runkle, Porter’s aunt, suggested in a GoFundMe statement that the pair might have been “caught off guard” by unexpected storms in the area.
The last confirmed communication from the pair was just after 3 p.m. on September 11, when Porter shared his GPS coordinates with his fiancée, Bridget Murphy. The signal was last detected near the trailhead, as reported by the Colorado Sun.
An extensive ground and aerial search commenced immediately, involving numerous rescue teams from the area.
In a Facebook post, Murphy confirmed, “It is OFFICIAL that a lightning strike took them in an instant. They did nothing wrong, and they felt neither fear nor pain.” She elaborated further here.
“He was simply trying to return to the car as the storms began on Friday—September 12. It was beyond everyone’s control, and I’m grateful they were located so they can rest in peace. He was an adept outdoorsman who was just in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Murphy emotionally reflected.
“Although we may not have been legally married yet, he was my husband and partner. We had shared a life together for three years, and I wish we could have had thirty more. Right now, I feel like a widow and my future seems uncertain,” she lamented.
“What gives me solace is that they were doing what they loved, without a sense of fear, well-prepared, and equipped. This is an uncanny tragedy resulting from nature’s fury. It could have happened to anyone, anywhere,” she added.
The coroner has not yet provided any additional comments to the Post’s inquiries.
