Isle Royale hikers deaths suspected to be murder-suicide: Report
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.
ISLE ROYALE, Mich. (FOX 9) - More than two weeks after the bodies of two hikers were discovered on Isle Royale, we are finally learning new details about how the two people died.
A medical examiner now says the deaths are believed to be a murder-suicide, according to a report from a Michigan news outlet.
Bodies found on Isle Royale
What we know:
On June 10, the National Park Service announced the discovery of two bodies in a backcountry campground near Greenstone Ridge trail. Isle Royale is a camping destination just miles off the shores of Minnesota's Arrowhead in Lake Superior.
Rangers were notified about the bodies on June 8 and hiked 11 miles overnight to the campground, where they found the bodies in the morning hours of June 9. Two days later, park officials announced they had been able to identify the campers but did not release their identities.
FOX 9 did learn the FBI had responded to investigate the incident.
As the deaths were under investigation, authorities did not reveal how the people died. However, park officials did say there was no known threat to the public.
What's new?:
A medical examiner in Keweenaw County, Michigan told news outlet MLive that the deaths appear to be a murder-suicide.
The report from MLive states the victims were a father and son, and it's not clear who died first.
Despite being just off Minnesota's North Shore, Isle Royale is officially part of Michigan and Keweenaw County, which covers the tip of the Upper Peninsula. However, MLive says the autopsies were performed by Dane County in Wisconsin, due to a shortage of pathologists in the Upper Peninsula.
What we don't know:
FOX 9 has reached out to the National Park Service and Keweenaw County, trying to confirm MLive's reporting. Authorities have shared few details with the media as the investigation into the deaths has been ongoing.
Screams heard in the night
What they're saying:
While few details were made available by the authorities, chilling details did surface online.
On forum site Reddit, in a post made days before the deaths were made public, a user reported hearing screams in the woods on the night of June 6 at the South Lake Desor campground, which runs near the Greenstone Ridge trail.
The Reddit user recounted 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."
They also said, "We felt unsafe and decided to pack up and get out. After hiking about a half mile, we could still hear him screaming."
FOX 9 has been unable to verify that account was connected to the killing.