The 25-year-old hunters were in Rio Grande National Forest in southern Colorado to hunt elk when they disappeared
New information surrounding the young hunters who were found dead in Colorado has come to light.
Friends Andrew Porter and Ian Stasko, both experienced hunters, were found dead nearly a week after their disappearance on a hunting trip in the Rio Grande National Forest in southern Colorado, a family member announced on Thursday, Sept. 18.
That same day, the Conejos County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) confirmed that two unidentified men had been recovered from the Rio de Los Pinos Trailhead at approximately 11 a.m. local time after extensive search efforts.
Though the cause of death remains under investigation, and the identities of the bodies have not yet been confirmed, new details have since emerged in the case.
According to Conejos County Coroner Richard Martin, the two bodies showed no obvious signs of the cause of death, or signs of trauma, per CBS News.
Martin also told ABC affiliate Denver 7 that there were no visible injuries on the bodies, nor were there any “initial signs of foul play.”
If there had been signs of trauma, the inquiry into the hunters’ deaths would have become a federal investigation, because their bodies were discovered on federal land, CBS News reported, citing the coroner.
Autopsies are now scheduled for Monday, Sept. 22, at the El Paso County Coroner’s Office, according to both outlets.
Porter and Stasko, both 25, were in the area to go elk hunting. Their last contact was made when Porter shared his location with his fiancée, Bridget Murphy, on the afternoon of Thursday, Sept. 11, Murphy told The Colorado Sun. He had been giving her, as well as his family, updates every few hours until that final communication.
Two days later, on Sept. 13, deputies from the sheriff’s office arrived at the Rio De Los Pinos Trailhead following reports that the two men were overdue, according to press releases shared with PEOPLE. Emergency responders located the hunters’ vehicle, but they weren’t anywhere to be found.
“Camping gear and backpacks were located in the vehicle, prompting deputies to become concerned due to heavy rain and bad weather,” authorities said via the release, adding that a “massive search” was then launched, involving teams in the air, county and state crew members on the ground, as well as dog teams, drones and local volunteers.
As Murphy urged people to help in the search, she continued to hold onto hope that she’d see her fiancé — whom she was set to marry in a few months — again, per The Sun.
She explained to the outlet that both men were “very prepared outdoorsmen.” But she was aware that whatever occurred “depends on if they were in sound mind, if they were disoriented or panicked, or if they were already hypothermic. We’re just not sure. So there’s a lot of teams out looking.”
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The day after Murphy’s interview ran, on Sept. 18, Porter’s aunt, Lynne Runkle, announced in an update on the GoFundMe page she created to help fund search and rescue efforts that the bodies had been recovered.
“It is with a broken heart and through tears that I give you this update,” wrote Runkle, who did not previously respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment. She also asked those reading the update to “please keep Andrew’s and Ian’s families in your thoughts and prayers.”
