MISSAUKEE, Michigan.— The search for Chad Hickman ended in a wooded area of northern Michigan, near a lake and far from the first home where police had begun reconstructing a chain of violence that left six people dead, including the suspect himself.
For several hours, authorities warned that Hickman was armed and dangerous. By then, officers had already discovered several bodies and were trying to determine how far the tragedy had spread. The alert prompted a large police deployment across rural communities in Missaukee County.
Receive breaking news alerts
Immigration, New York, Dominican Republic and investigative news delivered directly to your phone and computer.
Free — unsubscribe anytime.
Michigan State Police later confirmed that Hickman, 39, had been found dead. Another person was discovered dead beside him. That finding ended the search for the suspect but opened a far more complex investigation into what happened across three separate locations.
The emergency began at approximately 11:40 a.m. on Friday, August 14, when state troopers were dispatched to a home on South LaChance Road in Lake Township following a report that someone had been shot.
After entering the property, police found three people dead and a fourth person critically injured. The survivor was transported to a hospital and remained in critical condition, according to the latest information released by authorities.
Hickman was no longer at the residence when officers arrived. Investigators identified him as the suspect and launched a search operation involving emergency response teams, canine units and Michigan State Police aviation resources.
The warning quickly spread across the county. Authorities urged residents not to approach Hickman if they saw him and to contact police immediately. They also asked the public to avoid the areas where the operation was underway.
As the search continued, officers reached a second home in Missaukee County. There, they discovered a fourth victim. The finding confirmed that the violence had not been confined to the first property and forced investigators to expand their search area.
Police also released information about the vehicle Hickman was believed to be driving. It was described as a white pickup truck with a discolored tailgate. That description became one of the principal clues used to track his movements after he left the first scene.
The pickup was later located near a wooded area close to Whitlock Lake in Caldwell Township. Search teams concentrated their efforts there and eventually found two bodies: Hickman’s and that of another person.
The sequence left five victims and the suspect dead. A seventh person remained hospitalized in critical condition.
Michigan State Police said there was no longer an active threat to the public after Hickman was located. The investigation, however, remained open, and officers continued working through the night to process the homes, the wooded area and any other location connected to the case.
Authorities have not released the names or ages of the five victims. That information will remain withheld until their relatives have been notified.
Police have also not explained the relationship between Hickman and the people who were attacked. It remains unknown whether all the victims belonged to the same family, whether they lived at the properties where they were found or why the suspect allegedly traveled between different locations.
Hickman’s cause of death has not been disclosed. Authorities have not said whether he died from a self-inflicted wound, during a confrontation or under other circumstances. They have also not determined publicly how the person found beside him in the woods died.
The motive behind the attacks remains under investigation. Police have not presented an official theory or disclosed the type of weapon used, the number of shots fired or the precise sequence of the deaths.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said she had been briefed on the incident and continued to monitor the investigation. She offered condolences to the victims, their families and the Missaukee community.
Lieutenant Ashley Miller, a spokesperson for Michigan State Police, described the situation as heartbreaking for the community and challenging for the investigators responsible for examining the different scenes.
The search for the man who kept the county on alert for hours has ended. For authorities, however, the most difficult work remains: determining what happened inside those homes, how the five victims were connected and what caused a summer morning in a rural Michigan community to end with six people dead.
Comments (0)
Be the first to join the conversation.