Lightning strike killed 25-year-old hunters in Colorado, says report

UPDATE: A report from Denver7 published on Monday afternoon indicates that hunters Andrew Porter and Ian Stasko died by lightning strike, per the Conejos County coroner. Read that full update here.

Andrew Porter’s fiancé Bridget Murphy also addressed the lightning strike in a Monday Facebook post published at noon. Her post reads:

“It is OFFICIAL, that a lightning strike to the ground took them in an instant. They didn’t do anything wrong, they didn’t feel fear or pain. He was just trying to get back to the car as storms rolled in on Friday – September 12. It was out of everyone’s hands, and I am so grateful we found them so they can be at peace. He was an experienced outdoorsman, who was in the wrong spot at the wrong time.”

–––– Find original piece published on the morning of September 22 prior to news about the lightning strike being released below ––––

Many questions remain unanswered in the wake of the recent deaths of hunters Andrew Porter and Ian Stasko in Colorado, both 25.

The two were reportedly last heard from in the area of the Los Pinos trailhead of Conejos County on September 11, with their bodies found on September 18. Said to be experienced hunters, the two were said to have left most of their gear in their vehicle on the night of Thursday, September 11, later said to have been seen “alive and well” on Friday morning. While the search was underway, Porter’s fiancé noted that it was believed the two slept in their vehicle on Thursday night, spotted in another nearby area the following day before returning to the original trailhead.

Storms were present on Friday, with temperatures in the 20s and a mix of snow and fain. Strong winds and lightning were also said to be present with the following day stormy, as well.

The two were eventually found deceased in a remote area with an elevation of at least 10,000 feet, per a report from 9News, with the location where the two seemed to have camped being at about 11,400 feet.

The men had been using a satellite-based communication device to share their position, though messages ceased on September 11.

The coroner’s office has since said that no obvious signs of trauma were present. It remains unclear what killed the two hunters, though an autopsy will be conducted this week.

Colorado’s rugged and remote terrain poses many hazardous outside of falls that could result in trauma. Elevation sickness can be deadly, as can harsh weather elements such as lightning and cold temperatures capable of resulting in hypothermia. More information about what led to the hunters’ deaths will be released in upcoming days.

A GoFundMe related to the effort to find the hunters raised more than $78,000.

Sincere condolences go out to those impacted by these deaths.

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