Search Intensifies for Missing Colorado Elk Hunters

Lead: Search teams and volunteers scour the Rio Grande National Forest for two elk hunters who vanished near the New Mexico border on Sept. 11, authorities said today in Conejos County, Colorado.

Nut Graf: The search for 25-year-olds Andrew Porter and Ian Stasko has entered its eighth day, with weather challenges and rugged terrain complicating efforts. Family members and law enforcement stress the urgency of additional experienced volunteers as hypothermia and disorientation remain top concerns.

Expanded Search Operations

  • Ground crews from Conejos County, New Mexico State Police, and La Plata County are combing Game Management Unit 81 on foot and horseback, focusing on the San Juan Wilderness Area west of Trujillo Meadows Reservoir.
  • Air support includes drones, a privately owned Black Hawk helicopter, and fixed-wing aircraft conducting grid patterns over the 1.8 million-acre forest.
  • K-9 teams, ATV units, and volunteer hikers and outfitters from Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Wyoming have joined the effort.

Challenging Conditions

Heavy rain, lightning and fog swept through the region following the hunters’ last satellite ping on Sept. 11, leaving behind wet clothing and abandoned camping gear at the Rio De Los Pinos Trailhead. Deputies found the duo’s vehicle intact, heightening fears that Porter and Stasko ventured deeper into the wilderness unprepared for worsening weather.

Family Pleas and Rewards

Porter’s fiancée, Bridget Murphy, and Stasko’s loved ones have organized a GoFundMe campaign to fund search resources and are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to their recovery. “We need more able and prepared searchers now,” Murphy implored in a social media post, urging volunteers to check in with sheriff’s personnel before joining on-foot teams.

How to Help

Those with backcountry experience and proper equipment are asked to report to the Rio De Los Pinos Trailhead and coordinate with the Conejos County Sheriff’s Office. For details on joining search efforts, call 719-376-2196.