Current:Home > InvestNew details revealed about woman, sister and teen found dead at remote Colorado campsite -Streamline Finance
New details revealed about woman, sister and teen found dead at remote Colorado campsite
View
Date:2025-04-14 08:35:18
The stepsister of a Colorado woman who was found dead along with her sister and teenage son at a remote Rocky Mountain campsite says the women fled into the wilderness after struggling to cope with societal changes in recent years, but they were unequipped to survive off the grid.
Exposed to several feet of snow, chills below zero and with no food found at their camp, Christine Vance, Rebecca Vance and Rebecca's son likely died of malnutrition and hypothermia, according to the autopsies released this week. Authorities haven't released the boy's name.
Those reports contained another chilling detail that brought stepsister Trevala Jara to tears: The 14-year-old boy's body was found with Jara's favorite, blessed rosary that she gave the group before they left.
"God was with them," said Jara, who still hasn't mustered the strength to remove the rosary from the hazard bag. But Jara, who tried to convince them not to go, has questions.
"Why would you want to do this knowing that you would leave me behind?" she said through tears. "Why didn't you listen to me and my husband?"
Jara told CBS Colorado in July that she and her husband offered them their property in the mountains.
"It's pretty much off the grid," she told the station. "There's no cell phone connection, no water, no electricity. We had an RV up there with a generator. And we begged them to just use our property."
But the sisters turned down the offer.
The camp and the teen's body were first discovered by a hiker wandering off trail in July. The Gunnison County Sheriff's Office found the two women's bodies the following day, when they searched the campsite and unzipped the tent. All three had been dead for some time. Strewn across the ground were empty food containers and survival books. Nearby, a lean-to extended near a firepit.
The sisters from Colorado Springs, about an hour south of Denver, had been planning to live off the grid since the fall of 2021, Jara said. They felt that the pandemic and politics brought out the worst in humanity.
They weren't conspiracy theorists, said Jara, but Rebecca Vance "thought that with everything changing and all, that this world is going to end. ... (They) wanted to be away from people and the influences of what people can do to each other."
Jara remembers Rebecca Vance as a bit reserved, sharp as a whip, and someone who could read through a 1,000-page book in days. Vance's son was homeschooled and a math whiz, Jara said.
Christine Vance was more outgoing, charismatic and wasn't at first convinced on the idea to escape society, Jara said, "but she just changed her mind because she didn't want our sister and nephew to be by themselves."
Rebecca and Christine Vance told others they were travelling to another state for a family emergency. They told Jara of their plans, but not where they would set up camp. They watched YouTube videos to prepare for their life in the wilderness, but they were woefully underprepared, Jara said.
Jara said she tried everything short of kidnapping to keep them from leaving, but nothing worked.
"I do not wish this on anybody at all," Jara said. "I can't wait to get to the point where I'm happy and all I can think of is the memories."
Jara is hoping her family's story can convince others to think twice or better prepare before choosing a life off the grid.
"That you put yourself out to where you can experience some of that hardship but have that lifeline," she told CBS Colorado. "Because if you have no experience, you need that lifeline, you need it. Watching it, and actually doing it is totally different."
- In:
- Colorado
- Death
veryGood! (28)
Related
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- Oil and Gas Drilling on Federal Land Headed for Faster Approvals, Zinke Says
- Judge's ruling undercuts U.S. health law's preventive care
- Sherri Shepherd tributes 'The View' co-creator Bill Geddie: 'He absolutely changed my life'
- Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
- What does it take to be an armored truck guard?
- This Week in Clean Economy: Cost of Going Solar Is Dropping Fast, State Study Finds
- A smart move on tax day: Sign up for health insurance using your state's tax forms
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Jessica Alba Shares Sweet Selfie With Husband Cash Warren on Their 15th Anniversary
Ranking
- How to watch new prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin': Premiere date, cast, streaming
- Mormon crickets plague parts of Nevada and Idaho: It just makes your skin crawl
- Ranchers Fight Keystone XL Pipeline by Building Solar Panels in Its Path
- Dog stabbed in Central Park had to be euthanized, police say
- Taylor Swift Eras Archive site launches on singer's 35th birthday. What is it?
- Microsoft blames Outlook and cloud outages on cyberattack
- Why do some people get UTIs over and over? A new report holds clues
- These Amazon Travel Essentials Will Help You Stick To Your Daily Routine on Vacation
Recommendation
Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
Kim Kardashian Admits She Cries Herself to Sleep Amid Challenging Parenting Journey
More than half of Americans have dealt with gun violence in their personal lives
This doctor fought Ebola in the trenches. Now he's got a better way to stop diseases
Current, future North Carolina governor’s challenge of power
Days of 100-Degree Heat Will Become Weeks as Climate Warms, U.S. Study Warns
Kansas doctor dies while saving his daughter from drowning on rafting trip in Colorado
1 dead, at least 18 injured after tornado hits central Mississippi town