It's only been a little over a week since two hunters were found dead in a Colorado forest. Now, a third hunter has been found dead in the same wooded area.
It's been a deadly few weeks for hunters. Officials believe the initial two hunters were struck by lightning in the area. The same thing later killed two hunters in Florida days later. Now, a third hunter has died in the same Colorado area as the initial two hunters. Officials responded to a call from a group of hunters in the San Juan Wilderness area.
One member of their party collapsed. They attempted CPR to save his life, but by the time first responders arrived, the 54-year-old hunter had died. They couldn't recover his body from the remote region until the next day due to hazardous nighttime conditions. At this time, officials aren't revealing the name of the deceased.
But the death of the hunter comes shortly after Andrew Porter and Ian Stasko disappeared while elk hunting. Days later, authorities found their bodies. A coroner believes both men died from lightning.
Another Hunter Dies
"They didn't do anything wrong, they didn't feel fear or pain," wrote Porter's fiancée, Bridget Murphy. Both men died attempting to get back to their cars as the storm hit.
"It was out of everyone's hands, and I am so grateful we found them so they can be at peace," Murphy continued. "He was an experienced outdoorsman who was in the wrong spot at the wrong time."
Meanwhile, Conejos County Sheriff Garth Crowther warned hunters to practice proper safety. He told those who enter "the wilderness to please be cautious and well-prepared for the challenges of the backcountry."
The area where the hunters died is known for its rugged wilderness.
"??Ages of volcanic activity followed by the carving of glaciers left the rough, imposing terrain of the remote South San Juan Wilderness, an area characterized by steep slopes above wide U-shaped valleys cut deeper by eroding streams," the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service warns visitors. "You'll find high peaks and cliffs, as well as jagged pinnacles and ragged ridges, making travel difficult. Elevations rise as high as 13,300 feet."
