The deaths of two Isle Royale campers — a father and son — in June have been ruled a murder-suicide.
The father, 60-year-old John Baird, was the president of the insurance company Admitted Carriers. His son, 30-year-old Bradley Baird, was a self-employed writer. The two lived outside of Detroit, Michigan. They were found dead June 8 at the South Lake Desor Campground on Isle Royale.
John Baird’s death was ruled a homicide, with his death certificate noting multiple stab wounds by his son, according to media reports. Bradley Baird’s death certificate says he died by suicide with multiple self-inflicted sharp injuries and stab wounds.
Less than two days before their deaths, the police received a call reporting threats of murder and suicide at the campsite, raising questions about how the earlier call was handled.
According to audio of the police call obtained by the Minnesota Star Tribune, a hiker called the police on June 7, about 40 hours before rangers were notified of the father and son’s deaths. At the time, the caller reported a person screaming and saying “Go ahead and kill yourself, I’m going to kill myself, I’m going to murder us all.”
According to the Star Tribune, park service officials did not answer questions about whether law enforcement responded to the call prior to the father and son’s deaths being reported June 8.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Son stabbed father, then himself in Isle Royale campground murder-suicide, new records say
Reporting by Eva Wen, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
