The Silence of Isle Royale: Why Authorities Are Keeping Two Michigan Deaths a Secret

The incident on Isle Royale in early June 2025 sounds like the setup to an episode of Dateline NBC or a multi-part streaming true crime documentary.

Two campers were found dead at a remote campsite. Weeks later almost nothing more is known. While families have been notified of the passing of their relatives, there is no other information available about the case.

That raises questions for the media and public at large, but also an earnest pushback on the realties of criminal investigation.

The Grim Discovery: An 11-Mile Trek to Tragedy

The basics of the Isle Royale case: rangers received reports of a commotion at the South Desor campground on Friday June 6. Owing to the incredible remoteness of the park, an 11 mile overnight hike was required to reach the site. It was upon arrival that the bodies were discovered.

Other than an update to the local WLUC-TV that the deaths were not animal related, there has been no further update.

READ MORE: Why It Took 10 Years for Michigan's Isle Royale to Become a National Park

No date, no name, ages, genders or hometowns have been released.

A Wall of Silence: Agencies Involved and Lack of Information

MLive published an article detailing the secrecy around the investigation with a hodgepodge of authorities: National Park Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Keewenaw County Sheriff and Medical Examiner's Office. None of them are releasing anything to the public.

Comments about the article online are split. While many want answers, others understand that there's a confidentiality owed to the families of the victims and the work of investigators to understand what happened that isn't ready for the public's eye.

The block on information has set an unease in the camping and RVing community with this blog sharing

I've been following this story since it broke, and the pattern of non-responses is getting ridiculous. The National Park Service won't talk beyond their basic “ongoing investigation” line. Keweenaw County's Medical Examiner won't return media calls. The county itself is blocking public records requests, claiming that releasing death investigation records could somehow interfere with “law enforcement proceedings.”

Law enforcement proceedings? What law enforcement proceedings? If this was an accident or natural death, why the secrecy? And if it wasn't, why won't anyone just say so?

Social media accounts of a disturbance at the campground around the time of the deaths are out there. That leads to speculation, but no facts.

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The delay, while deeply frustrating, is likely not unusual in a death investigation. However it doesn't sit well with a public accustomed to true crime docs were the resolution wraps up at the end of an episode. Further, it's perhaps just another symptom of a society with low trust in authority and institutions assuming the worst when answers are not as forthcoming as one would wish.