GRAND PORTAGE, Minn. — Authorities for almost a month kept a lid on the deaths of two campers at Isle Royale National Park. Why? Only the recalcitrant authorities can explain their secrecy. But now it’s been confirmed that the victims were a father and son from Ann Arbor, Michigan, and that their deaths were a murder-suicide:
> John David Baird, age 6o, who lived in Washtenaw County northeast of Ann Arbor. He was prominent in the insurance business
> Bradley Kenneth Baird, 30, who lived at the same Washtenaw County address. He was a freelance author. He was unmarried.
Who shot who first could not be determined, according to autopsies. The deaths were June 8 at a remote campsite. Campers at distant campsite, but within ear-shot, heard the gunfire. They hiked out the next day to the park ranger station, and rangers hiked 11 hours back in. The rangers called in the FBI because Isle Royale is a federal jurisdiction. That’s when the never-explained news blackout began .
Earlier: Animals ruled out in Isle Royale deaths
Earlier: Campers found dead on Isle Royale
Almanac: Remember when: Isle Royale as Franklin’s deal-breaker
A traveling quest
The elder Baird was an itinerant traveler. His bucket list included visiting all 63 U.S. national parks with his wife. Isle Royale was his 10th. In a social media post this spring he opined about seeing the amazing views in these quiet places. “The time spent was a dream realized,” he said. “Very proud to be an American.”