Andrew Porter and Ian Stasko were discovered deceased in Colorado’s Rio Grande National Forest on Sept. 18. The two 25-year-old elk hunters had been missing since Sept. 11, when they set out from the Rio Los Pinos trailhead. On Sept. 22, Porter’s fiancée, Bridget Murphy, posted an update to Facebook, announcing the cause of death. Both men were killed by a lightning strike, she said.
“They didn’t do anything wrong, they didn’t feel fear or pain,” Murphy wrote. “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.”
The Denver Post reported that Conejos County coroner Richard Martin confirmed the cause of death was a lightning strike. He told the Post that neither man was directly struck. Because the bodies lacked burn marks, Martin theorized that the strike had hit nearby, close enough to still kill both of them.
Lightning fatalities are rare, but they do happen, especially in the alpine. Nationwide, roughly 20 people are killed by lightning every year, according to the National Weather Service. Colorado specifically averages two to three lightning fatalities annually.
Young Elk Hunters: Wrong Spot, Wrong Time
Porter, of Asheville, N.C., and Stasko, of Salt Lake City, Utah, arrived at the Rio Los Pinos trailhead on the evening of Sept. 11. They set out on a quick evening hunt to scout the area, leaving their packs, tent, sleeping bags, and other gear in the car at the trailhead. Friday evening, the weather in the area turned, and storms rolled in that remained through most of the weekend.
The two hunters were reported missing on Friday, Sept. 12. A massive search and rescue operation ensued, as the sheriff’s department rallied horses, dog teams, advanced aircraft, and searchers on foot. Murphy posted to social media, pleading for anyone who could help to do so. The search took 6 days and involved hundreds of volunteers and multiple agencies.
Then, on Sept. 18, around 11 a.m., the two men were discovered. According to the Conejos County Sheriff, Garth Crowther, their bodies were just 2 miles from the trailhead and their vehicle.
Conejos County Coroner’s office has not yet released an official statement on Porter and Stasko’s cause of death. The coroner told Outside Life that autopsies would be performed this week.
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