Missing Elk Hunters Found Dead After Being Struck By Lightning In Colorado: “A Bizarre, Horrific Act Of Nature”

After the pair went missing, their car was found at the trailhead. Based on an interview that Porter’s fiancé gave the day before the men were found, she believed that the pair returned to Stasko’s vehicle to change out of wet clothes based on gear discovered by deputies, per the New York Post, before venturing back out to hunt. The Colorado Sun also reported that a bystander shared that the two men had disclosed they had seen a large bull moose and were hoping to return to find it.

According to Porter’s fiancé both men were ““people who’ve been building shelters in the woods since they were 12 for fun,” which makes the news they did not make it even more heartbreaking.

A week after search and rescue efforts were launched, both men were found sadly deceased. The Conejos County Sheriff’s Office said in a release that it recovered two unidentified males at 11 am on September 18th.

Andrew’s aunt updated those who donated to the GoFundMe page that they had found the pair dead.

“It is with a broken heart and through tears that I give you this update. Andrew and Ian have both been found deceased. Their bodies were discovered earlier today by Colorado Search and Rescue. I will provide another update tomorrow.

Please keep Andrew’s and Ian‘s families in your thoughts and prayers.”

CBS News reported that there were no visible signs of trauma on the bodies. However, the Conejos County Coroner Richard Martin recently spoke with The Colorado Sun to confirm their cause of death: a lightning strike.

“A slight burn is like if you take a match and stick it on your arm. And there were only two or three of them.” 

He told the outlet.

“That kind of death is just instant. It’s like you’re alive and now you’re not. Just that quick. Split second.” 

After their cause of death was revealed, Bridget Murphy, Porter’s fiancée, gave her friends and family the heartbreaking update, noting that both men were “in the wrong spot at the wrong time.”

“It is OFFICIAL that a lightning strike to the ground took them in an instant. They didn’t do anything wrong, they didn’t feel fear or pain. 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.

It may not have been legal yet, but he was my husband and partner. We have been together quite awhile, but lived together like a married couple for the past 3 years. I wish I had 30 more. I sure feel like a widow. I sure feel like my future is blank now. But what reassures me is that they were doing what they loved, without fear, well prepared and equipped and this is a bizarre horrific act of nature. It could’ve happened anywhere, to anyone. ”

Rest in peace. Andrew Porter and Ian Stasko