The teenager, who died while living off-grid with his conspiracy theorist mother and aunt, describes how his friends begged him not to leave, and how he was mentally challenged when he left his old life. He wrote a heartbreaking diary detailing how he feared he would suffer a mental breakdown.
Taron Vance, 14, was found in the Colorado Rockies last year along with the bodies of his mother, Rebecca “Becky” Vance, 42, and his aunt Kristin Vance, 41. , who weighed only 40 pounds (both conspiracy theorists) rely on YouTube videos to teach them survival skills.
A diary found next to his mummified body recorded his depression and fear, according to heartbreaking excerpts Shared by Outside Magazine.
Research shows that when his mother encouraged him to learn survival skills like tying knots and building shelter, he seemed excited at first, telling one of his friends, “Side note: I tried the trucker’s hitch for the first time.” That’s it!!” he said.
But he also detailed how his friends, many of whom he only knew by their Roblox video game usernames, begged him not to leave his normal life in Colorado Springs. It is written in the diary that he did.
One person wrote, “I would do anything to come back,” while another wrote, “I’m not coming back.”
Outside noted that some people have even changed their usernames to reflect the loss of friends.
By the time the trio finally moved out in August 2022, Taran was already concerned about his mental health, he said in an entry about a stop at Arby’s in Gunnison.
“I also had a little breakdown at Arby’s because nothing felt the same anymore.” [sad face]” the teenager wrote.
He said his aunt took him to the local grocery store and “let me pick out my own candy,” but “I was really sad and nothing seemed appealing to me anymore.” he said.
“So I mainly chose chocolate for my mom. Then my aunt offered me a fruit snack and I just said, ‘Okay.’
Little is known about how the trio spent their days in the Rocky Mountain wilderness, but they packed only the basics to survive — an $80 bag bought at Walmart. The items included tents, fishing rods, and bags of food seeds. Investigation by Outside Magazine.
They occasionally went into town for food until their car was found abandoned in November 2023 and towed away by the U.S. Forest Service.
Autopsies revealed that all three died of malnutrition and hypothermia.
