Most of us have heard of the movie Into The Wild. Sean Penn's movie, which was nominated for 2 Oscars, was about the real life of Christopher McCandless who wanted to live in the wild. At the end of the movie, Christopher, who went to Alaska and became very weak, died when he accidentally ate poisonous herbs.
A similar situation happened to a family in Colorado in the United States. A group of three people died of malnutrition and cold while trying to live away from modern life in the wild.
The bodies found last July in Gunnison National Park in Colorado, USA, were identified as those of Christine Vance, 41, her sister Rebecca Vance, 42, and her 14-year-old son. According to NBC News, the family members had only decided to live in the area after being influenced by social media videos and had no previous experience of camping or living in the wilderness.
The autopsy revealed that all three family members were malnourished and suffered from hypothermia (exposure to extreme cold temperatures). It is stated that the 14-year-old boy weighed only 18 kilograms when he died.
The pandemic was effective, they were only affected by Youtube videos
Trevala Jara, half-brother of one of the deceased, Rebecca Vance, said that his sister was worried about the state of the post-Covid-19 world and that this was the reason for her decision to live in the wild.
Rebecca Vance, her brother and son had no experience of living in the wild. The family watched hundreds of YouTube videos and made some preparations. Other family members objected and said they did not have enough experience. Half-brother Jara even asked the group of three to live in a family chalet for a certain period of time to gain experience of life in the wild. However, Rebecca Vance and other family members ignored this advice.
The family members had not been heard from since October 2022. However, a group of hikers came across a body on the side of the trail in July, nearly 9 months later. Looking inside a nearby tent, the campers found 2 more bodies inside and immediately reported the incident to the police.
They did not have enough supplies to survive in the wild
Investigators said the family had tried to build a half-tent, half-hut shelter but failed to finish it before the winter began. Colorado, a state in the interior of the US, is known to have harsh and snowy winters.
Authorities say that in order to completely disconnect from modern life and live in the wilderness, a fixed accommodation, a generator and a gas cylinder for heating or cooking are essential. Of course, it is also essential to have a stock of food and drink. Of course, other essential items such as knives, axes, matches and cooking utensils are also very important. The Vance family did not have any of these items and did not have adequate shelter for the winter.
The coroner, Dr. Michael Barnes, said it was a very unfortunate situation: "They took a lot of books on outdoor survival and foraging. But their preparation was as if there was a grocery store nearby where they could buy food. It is very sad that they lost their lives exposed to the harsh natural conditions."
