COPS are investigating after three bodies were found by a hiker in a remote area of the Rocky Mountains.
Two of the decomposed bodies were discovered in a tent, along with a third nearby, at a campsite in Colorado's Gunnison National Forest.
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It's thought the trio might have been living in the area - popular with campers - since June last year and spent the winter there.
Officials believe the heavy snow in the region hid their bodies until a hiker stumbled upon them earlier this week.
The area in which the bodies were discovered is so rural that officials had to wait for daylight before venturing out.
Gunnison County coroner Michael Barnes said: “Preliminarily, I suspect the three died of malnutrition and/or exposure sometime during the winter.
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"Official determination of the cause and manner of their deaths are pending the completion of the forensic autopsies."
Barnes believes the three were related - although their identities have not yet been confirmed.
They thought to have been long-term camping in the area and may have tried to live in the area permanently, authorities said.
Gunnison County Sheriff Adam Murdie said officers found a fire pit built from logs in the area.
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"We’re suspecting they were there under the snow all winter long," Murdie said.
As of now, there is no indication of foul play in the three deaths, police said.
Last year, a similar tragedy unfolded in Glacier National Park as a dead man was found following hearing cries for help.
A group of campers described hearing cries for help before one body was found at the bottom of a steep off-trail slope.
A 79-year-old Florida man was attempting to ascend the slope while hiking with friends when he fell to his death.
The incident occurred several hundred feet above the Two Medicine Campground on Rising Wolf Mountain, the National Park Service said in a statement.
The man's friends descended to his location, where they yelled for help and called 911.
Glacier County then diverted the call to Glacier National Park staff who heard nearby campers shouting for help.
Two Bear Air units diverted from a separate incident to transport the unconscious man to Two Medicine Ranger Station, where first responders were standing by.
The man was tragically declared dead by officials. His identity has not yet been released.
On the same day, National Park staff recovered the bodies of two men from the Montana park.
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Brian McKenzie Kennedy, 67, and Jack Dewayne Beard, also 67, were killed in a climbing accident on Dusty Star Mountain.
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