CONEJOS COUNTY, Colo. — Two men who went missing while elk hunting in southern Colorado last week have been found deceased, family members announced.
On Tuesday, the Conejos County Sheriff's Office said Andrew Porter, 25, of Asheville, North Carolina, and Ian Stasko, 25, of Salt Lake City, Utah, had disappeared during an elk hunting trip west of Trujillo Meadows Reservoir, which is about 4 miles north of the Colorado-New Mexico line.
Their loved ones were expecting them to check in at a predetermined time, but they never did, according to the sheriff's office. The families had not heard from the men since Thursday, Sept. 11, when severe storms moved into the area.
On Saturday, deputies with the sheriff's office responded to the Rio De Los Pinos Trailhead to locate the two men, the sheriff's office stated.
Deputies found their car at the trailhead. Inside, they found camping gear and backpacks. This concerned deputies because of the recent poor weather.
Search and rescue operations began, including crews on foot, in the air and with dogs. A verified GoFundMe was also created to help with the search.
In an update to the GoFundMe posted on Wednesday, Lynne Runkle, Porter's aunt, said they learned the men were seen on a neighboring trail on Friday morning. The sighting was confirmed, which altered the timeline and expanded the search area.
On Thursday, Runkle announced that Porter and Stasko had been found deceased earlier in the day by Colorado Search and Rescue. She asked the community to keep the men's families in their thoughts and prayers, and said she will provide an update on Friday.
Denver7 reached out to the Conejos County Sheriff's Office to confirm the news. A deputy said the agency is working to gather more information but cannot "confirm nor deny" anything at this time.
This is a developing story. Denver7's Stephanie Butzer contributed to this report.
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