Isle Royale deaths: Officials ID hikers found dead on island

Isle Royale death investigation: Hikers identified

The two people found dead in Isle Royale National Park have been identified by authorities, but their names have not been released. FOX 9's Karen Scullin has more.

(FOX 9) - Michigan officials have identified the two hikers found dead on Isle Royale last month.

Hikers identified

What we know:

Keweenaw County officials released death certificates for the two men found dead by rangers on Isle Royale on June 9.

The men have now been identified as 30-year-old Bradley Baird and his father, 60-year-old John Baird. The listed address for both men is Salem Township, Mich., which is located just west of Detroit.

The documents list Bradley Baird as a writer and John Baird as the president of a division of insurance company AmeriTrust.

The cause of death for both men remains under investigation, as does the exact time of death. MLive reported last week that the deaths were suspected of being a murder-suicide, citing the Keweenaw County medical examiner. FOX 9 has been unable to confirm that reporting.

Isle Royale hikers found dead ID’d

Michigan officials have released the identities of the father and son hikers found dead at a campground on Isle Royale last month following a search for them after they had gone missing.

The backstory:

Local officials and the National Park Service have been slow to release information on the deaths, as the investigation has been underway. On June 12, two days after the public was notified about the investigation, the National Park Service announced the bodies had been officially identified, but declined to publicly identify the campers.

Despite being just miles off the coast of Minnesota's North Shore, Isle Royale is under the purview of Michigan and Keweenaw County, which covers the Upper Peninsula.

FOX 9 put in a request for more information on the deaths to Keweenaw County last week. On Friday, the county sent FOX 9 a notice for a FOIA extension, stating county leaders would discuss the situation at a meeting on Monday.

Isle Royale death investigation

Timeline:

On June 10, the National Park Service announced the discovery of the bodies of two hikers on Isle Royale the day before. After receiving reports of two bodies being found on June 8, rangers hiked 11 miles overnight to the South Lake Desor Campground off the Greenstone Ridge trail.

Following the deaths, federal officials and local officials released few details about the death investigation. FOX 9 learned the FBI was assisting with the case, but officials did not release the circumstances surrounding the investigation or the names of the campers.

However, chilling reports emerged online about the deaths. In a post on forum website Reddit, a camper reported hearing screams in the night at the South Lake Desor campground.

The user said they heard a "latrine door slammed a few times, and then the yelling started. It was repetitive, filled with threats of self-harm and violence toward others."

Feeling uneasy about the screams, the campers packed up and moved to another camping spot. A post read: "After hiking about a half mile, we could still hear him screaming."