Bodies of missing NC hunter, friend found on trail in Colorado, family says

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- The bodies of two hunters, including a man from North Carolina, were found on a trail in Colorado on Thursday after authorities said they went missing while on an elk hunting trip.

According to ABC11 affiliate WLOS, on Saturday, the Conejos Sheriff's Office responded to the Rio De Los Pinos Trailhead to try and make contact with Andrew Porter, 25, of Asheville and Ian Stasko, 25, of Salt Lake City, Utah, who failed to check in with loved ones at a predetermined time during an elk hunting trip west of Trujillo Meadows Reservoir.

Deputies said they found the men's car at the Rio De Los Pinos Trailhead with camping gear and backpacks inside it.

Porter's fiancée, Bridget Murphy, who lives in Asheville, posted on social media that there has not been a response from Porter or Stasko since Sept. 11.

According to Colorado ABC affiliate KMGH, Porter's aunt, Lynne Runkle, posted on a GoFundMe that the men were seen on a neighboring trail on Friday morning.

Runkle announced on Thursday that Porter and Stasko's bodies were found by Colorado Search and Rescue.

The Conejos County Sheriff's Office said it has not identified the bodies of two men that were found about two miles from the Rio De Los Pinos Trail Head.

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