Three “mummified” bodies have been discovered in a remote campsite in the Rocky Mountains, police have said.
The remains could have been lying at the site in Colorado since last year, as fears grow the deceased could have frozen or starved to death.
A hiker stumbled across one of the bodies on Sunday before alerting the authorities – who found two further bodies when they arrived at the scene on Monday.
Two bodies were found inside a small, zipped up tent while the other was outside the camp – located in a wooded area which hikers wouldn’t usually pass by.
Personal belongings and tarpaulin sheets were spotted, along with a lean-to structure built from logs over a firepit.
Gunnison County Sheriff Adam Murdie said: “This is not a typical occurrence anywhere,” adding that the police do not believe hikers or campers in the area are at risk.
No missing persons reports that could help identify the victims have been found yet, he added.
The bodies could have been at the campsite since last autumn based on their “fairly mummified” condition.
Autopsies to confirm the cause of death will be difficult and will take at least three weeks as a result, Mr Murdie said.
“Whether they froze to death in the winter or the combination of starved or froze, that’s what it sure seems like,” he said.
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Campers or hunters are more likely to die of carbon monoxide poisoning using heaters in enclosed spaces, Mr Murdie said.
However, this is not thought to be the cause of death due to how the bodies were found and the remoteness of the camp.
Investigators are trying to establish “what they were actually doing there and why”, Mr Murdie added.