Two young elk hunters who vanished in Colorado's rugged backcountry last Friday were found dead Thursday morning, according to their families and local authorities. Andrew Porter of Asheville, North Carolina, and Ian Stasko of Salt Lake City, both 25, had been missing for nearly a week in the remote Game Management Unit 81, a swath of wild terrain stretching from the Continental Divide to the Rio Grande and New Mexico border, per the Colorado Sun. Porter's aunt, Lynne Runkle, shared the news on a GoFundMe page, saying she was writing "with a broken heart and through tears" that "Andrew and Ian have both been found deceased."
The Saguache County Search and Rescue team confirmed the men's deaths. According to the Conejos County Sheriff's Office, the men were found about 2 miles from the Rio de los Pinos trailhead. The pair last communicated with others on Sept. 11, when Porter used a satellite device to send his location to his fiancee. After that, updates stopped. Officials later found their vehicle, containing only wet clothes, suggesting the men had returned to dry off but then headed back out with their hunting gear.
A confirmed sighting at another trailhead the next morning indicated they were still safe before storms rolled in; they told the person who spotted them they were going after a bull moose they'd seen. Over the next few days, a coordinated search involving local officials, specialized teams, and volunteers scoured the difficult region using dogs, horses, and drones. Authorities say the investigation is ongoing and are withholding further details until the families have been notified.
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