2025-09-23 11:35:54
Two elk hunters who vanished in southern Colorado were killed by a lightning strike, officials confirmed this week – despite having only “slight burns” on their bodies.
The victims, named as Andrew Porter and Ian Stasko, were discovered on September 18 after a massive search in the South San Juan Wilderness near Monte Vista.
According to The Colorado Sun, Conejos County Coroner Richard Martin said the pair were found lying beneath a tree with only two or three small burns.
He said: “A slight burn is like if you take a match and stick it on your arm.
“That kind of death is just instant. It’s like you’re alive and now you’re not. Just that quick. Split second.”
The men were last seen heading out from the Rio de Los Pinos trailhead on September 12.
According to Sheriff Garth Crowther, they carried just a small daypack, a bow and no firearm, and had not set up camp.
Both were dressed in camouflage clothing, described as “not the warmest.”
Porter’s fiancée Bridget Murphy later confirmed the lightning strike in a Facebook post, writing: “They didn’t do anything wrong, they didn’t feel fear or pain. 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.”
Search and rescue crews located the bodies roughly two miles above the Rio de Los Pinos trail after nearly a week of combing the area.
Martin performed the autopsy on Monday, confirming no other injuries or signs of foul play.
Lightning is a rare but deadly hazard in Colorado. The National Weather Service says the state averages two lightning deaths a year.
In 2024, a Jackson County rancher and more than 30 cattle were killed in a single strike.
Despite precautions, Martin said, storms can be unpredictable: “It was just the wrong place at the wrong time.”
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