Hunter Found Dead in Same Colorado Wilderness Where 2 Men Were Fatally Struck by Lightning

Just over a week after two hunters were killed by lightning, authorities report that a third man has died in the same region of southern Colorado.

On Friday, Sept. 26, around 11:23 p.m. local time, officials received a call for help from hunters in a “remote” section of the South San Juan Wilderness, located in the southeastern portion of the San Juan Mountain Range, the Conejos County Sheriff’s Office said in a release. Responders were informed that “CPR was in progress.”

When the Conejos County Search and Rescue Team arrived, they found the hunter had passed away. Officials noted that due to “hazardous nighttime conditions,” a helicopter recovery was not possible.

By first light the following morning, search teams and an air ambulance returned to the command post and were able to recover the body of the victim, a 54-year-old man from Tennessee. Authorities said they will not release his name until his family has been notified.

The Conejos County Sheriff’s Office had no additional information, and the El Paso County Coroner’s Office did not immediately respond to inquiries from PEOPLE.

His death comes two weeks after 25-year-old hunters Andrew Porter and Ian Stasko went missing while elk hunting in the Rio Grande National Forest. The Conejos County Sheriff’s Office launched a search on Saturday, Sept. 13, and their bodies were discovered days later, two miles from the Rio de Los Pinos Trailhead, on Thursday, Sept. 18.

Conejos County Coroner Richard Martin confirmed to PEOPLE that the men died after being struck by lightning.

Despite the tragic outcome, family members expressed relief at having their loved ones returned home.

“They didn’t do anything wrong, they didn’t feel fear or pain,” wrote Porter’s fiancée, Bridget Murphy, on social media. She noted that the experienced hunters appeared to be making their way back to their car when the storm hit on Sept. 12.

“It was out of everyone’s hands, and I am so grateful we found them so they can be at peace,” Murphy added. “He was an experienced outdoorsman who was in the wrong spot at the wrong time.”

The Rio Grande National Forest spans 1.86 million acres, including four wilderness areas such as South San Juan, and is bordered on the west by the Continental Divide, according to the National Forest Foundation.

“Ages of volcanic activity followed by the carving of glaciers left the rough, imposing terrain of the remote South San Juan Wilderness, an area characterized by steep slopes above wide U-shaped valleys cut deeper by eroding streams,” the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service explains. “You’ll find high peaks and cliffs, as well as jagged pinnacles and ragged ridges, making travel difficult. Elevations rise as high as 13,300 feet.”

Conejos County Sheriff Garth Crowther urged anyone entering the wilderness to exercise caution and be well-prepared for the challenges of backcountry travel.