What began as a beacon of hope in the unforgiving San Juan Wilderness has ended in profound heartbreak. The multi-agency search for Andrew Porter and Ian Stasko, the two experienced 25-year-old hunters who vanished last week during an elk hunting expedition, concluded yesterday with the devastating discovery of their bodies. Colorado Search and Rescue teams located their remains approximately two miles from the Rio de Los Pinos Trailhead where their vehicle had been left untouched.
The announcement came Thursday afternoon via a tearful update on the GoFundMe page organized by Porter's aunt, Lynne Runkle, to fund the escalating search efforts.
"It is with a broken heart and through tears that I give you this update," Runkle wrote. "Andrew Porter and Ian Stasko have both been found deceased. Their bodies were discovered earlier today by Colorado Search and Rescue. Please keep Andrew's and Ian's families in your thoughts and prayers."
The Conejos County Sheriff's Office confirmed the recovery later that evening, calling off the operation that had drawn volunteers from across the region and beyond.
Search teams at the trailhead | Conejos County Sheriff’s Office
Porter and Stasko, lifelong friends from Albemarle County, Virginia, were last in contact on September 11 around 2:45 p.m., when Porter shared his location via a Garmin InReach satellite device with his fiancée, Bridget Murphy. The pair had scouted the Rio Grande National Forest for months, drawn to its prime elk habitat in Game Management Unit 81. Wet clothing discovered in their vehicle hinted at a hasty return amid brewing storms that evening, likely prompting them to venture out again without their full gear for what was intended as a brief pursuit of a nearby herd.
Over six grueling days, the response ballooned into one of the largest in recent memory for the area, involving the Conejos County Sheriff's Office, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, U.S. Forest Service, K-9 units, aerial drones, helicopters, ATVs, horseback teams, and ground searchers from as far as Texas and Wyoming. Murphy, who had been tirelessly coordinating via social media, had issued desperate pleas for qualified volunteers familiar with the terrain's steep ridges, dense aspen groves, and high-altitude hazards.
Authorities have not yet released details on the cause of death, pending autopsy results, but officials pointed to the severe weather including flash floods, hypothermia risks, and disorienting fog, as likely contributors in the remote, cell-service-void expanse near the New Mexico border. One rescuer noted the irony of the terrain that captivated the duo: "It's the kind of place that rewards preparation but punishes the slightest misstep."
In the wake of the tragedy, the family expressed deep gratitude. Porter's aunt, Lori Meistrell, told local reporters, "We are heartbroken, but we give our thanks to local law enforcement, search and rescue, volunteers, and anyone who reached out for their hard work and support during the search effort." The GoFundMe, which raised thousands for the operation, will now shift toward funeral and memorial costs.
Our deepest condolences to the Porter and Stasko families. Anyone wishing to contribute can do so via the GoFundMe page.
