The badly decomposing bodies of three people were found in a remote Rocky Mountains camp in Colorado, and they may have been lying there since late last year, authorities said.

A hiker discovered one of the bodies late Sunday and notified the authorities, who found the other two after arriving at the campsite Monday, Gunnison County Sheriff Adam Murdie said.

Two of the bodies were inside a small, zipped-up tent and the other was outside in the camp, which was in a remote wooded area where hikers typically wouldn含羞草研究社檛 pass by, he said. There were personal belongings and tarps at the scene, and a lean-to built from local logs over a firepit.

含羞草研究社淭his is not a typical occurrence anywhere, by any means,含羞草研究社� said Murdie, noting that his department doesn含羞草研究社檛 think the discovery implies any risk to hikers or campers in the area.

The sheriff含羞草研究社檚 department is looking for missing persons reports that might shed light on the situation, but they haven含羞草研究社檛 found any yet, he said. The coroner won含羞草研究社檛 release the identities of those deceased until the next of kin has been notified.

Based on the 含羞草研究社渇airly mummified含羞草研究社� and advanced decomposition of the bodies, they were likely there through the winter and possibly since last fall, Murdie said. Because of the degradation, the autopsies will be difficult and will take at least three weeks, he said.

含羞草研究社淲hether they froze to death in the winter or the combination of starved or froze, that含羞草研究社檚 what it sure seems like,含羞草研究社� said the sheriff, noting that the actual causes of death won含羞草研究社檛 be known until the autopsies are completed.

Murdie said it含羞草研究社檚 more common for campers or hunters to die of carbon monoxide poisoning by using heaters in enclosed spaces, but that this appears to be different because of how the bodies were found and the remoteness of the camp.

Investigators are trying to 含羞草研究社渄etermine what they were actually doing there and why,含羞草研究社� said Murdie.

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