April 20, 2023 at 11:26 a.m.
Missing teens found dead in Oneida County Forest
Authorities: 'We feel exposure played a factor in their deaths'
Missing teens found dead in Oneida County Forest
By Heather Schaefer-heather@rivernewsonline.com
Authorities in Oneida and Lincoln counties had been searching for the teens since they were reported missing on Sunday, April 16.
The search was focused on an area near State Highway 17 and the Enterprise Campground. The bodies were found on county forest land in the Town of Enterprise, according to a sheriff's office press release issued just before 8 p.m. Monday.
In an updated release distributed at Tuesday's press conference, Oneida County authorities noted that it is believed that exposure to cold weather was a "factor" in the deaths.
"We feel exposure played a factor in their deaths, but this will be determined upon completion of the investigation," the release states.
"Obviously, everyone knows what the weather was like this weekend," Hook said during the press conference. "It went from really warm to really cold and they got caught in it."
"They were not dressed for the weather," she added later in response to a question regarding what the teens were wearing when they were found. She would not comment as to why the teens were in the forest and declined to offer any other information related to the investigation other than that it is ongoing and involves agencies in both counties.
"We're not going to go into specifics about anything," she advised.
Hook said the two sheriff's departments wanted to express their gratitude for the invaluable assistance received from several departments and community partners.
"There were numerous fire departments which responded to assist including Fire District Alpha, the Crescent Fire Department, the Corning Fire Department, the Merrill Fire Department, the Newbold Fire Department, the Pine River Fire Department, the Russell Fire Department and First Responders and the Tomahawk Fire Department," according to the press release issued Tuesday. "Our state partners included Wisconsin National Guard, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and Wisconsin Emergency Management. The Oneida County Forestry Department and the Oneida County Land Records assisted in providing maps of the area. The UTV and ATV Patrol assisted in search the ATV/UTV trails. The Newbold Search and Rescue provided dogs for the search. The Rosewood Barn and Derek's Town and Country provided shelter and refreshments for all those involved. Deputies were assisted by the Rhinelander Police Department and the Great lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission. The area that needed to be searched was vast and all of these resources were needed."
"You can see that this is a very vast forest and without these resources it would have been even more difficult than it was (to find them)," Hook said, referring to a map of the search area posted behind her.
Further information about the investigation will be reported as it is received.
Heather Schaefer may be reached at heather@rivernewsonline.com.
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