3 heavily decomposed bodies found at Colorado campsite

Three “heavily decomposed” bodies were found this week at a remote campsite in Colorado, authorities said.

A hiker notified the Gunnison County Sheriff’s Office on Sunday of a dead person whose body was heavily decomposed at the Gold Creek Campground, Undersheriff Josh Ashe said in a statement posted Wednesday on the sheriff’s office’s Facebook page. Sheriff’s investigators found the campsite Monday, along with two more heavily decomposed bodies within it, Ashe said.

“It appeared the individuals have been deceased for a substantial period of time. The identities of the deceased individuals are not being released at this time. The cause of the three individuals' deaths is pending the completion of an autopsy,” the statement said. “There are no known risks to residents or outdoor enthusiasts recreating in the area associated with this unfortunate event.”

No one with the Gunnison County Coroner’s Office could immediately be reached for comment Thursday afternoon on whether the bodies have been identified and what their causes and manners of deaths were.

The campsite is in Gunnison National Forest. Gunnison County is about 185 miles west of Colorado Springs.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com