Family dies after watching survivalist YouTube tutorials, attempting life off grid

The remains of a family who attempted to escape civilization and live off-grid were discovered in Gunnison National Forest, according to media reports from Thursday.

The Vance family, made up of sisters 41-year-old Christine Vance, 42-year-old Rebecca Vance and Rebecca Vance’s unnamed 14-year-old son, had watched a number of survivalist videos on YouTube before deciding to disappear into the wilderness. The trio had had no previous survivalist experience or training.

The remains of the family were discovered by hikers who stumbled upon the family’s tent on July 9, according to the BBC. The tent was located 2900 meters up.  

It was discovered that the group had perished as a result of starvation and exposure to cold weather during the winter months.

Gunnison County Coroner Michael Barnes told the BBC "They had a lot of literature with them about outdoor survival and foraging and stuff like that. But it looked like they [bought supplies] at a grocery store."

Why did the family attempt to go off-grid? 

Rebecca Vance's stepsister Trevala Jara, told the Washington Post "She didn't like the way the world was going, and she thought it would be better if she and her son and Christine were alone, away from everybody."

Jara went on to explain that the COVID-19 pandemic had left her stepsister in a deep state of fear and that she believed she was doing the right thing.

“I don’t want people to assume or think that they were crazy, because they weren’t,” Jara emphasized. 

"You can't go on the internet and watch videos on how to live off the grid, and then actually do it, if you have no experience,"  Jara went on to tell the Colorado Springs Gazette.

"You just can't do that. They died of starvation because they weren't prepared."