No charges to be filed in deaths of teens found in Oneida County Forest

Law enforcement has concluded its investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the two Merrill teenagers whose disappearance on an unusually warm weekend in early spring shook residents in both Lincoln and Oneida counties.

After an extensive search, the bodies of 16-year-old Dakota Brown and 17-year-old Aiden Grefe were located on the evening of April 17 in a remote part of the Oneida County Forest. The weather changed dramatically over the course of the hours searchers spent looking for the teens, with wind, rain, and eventually snow, replacing previously mild temperatures.

According to Det. Lt. Brian Burkhardt of the Lincoln County sheriff’s office, the cause of death for both teens was hypothermia. 

“The investigation was concluded and reviewed by the District Attorney,” Burkhardt told the River News. “No criminal charges were substantiated during the course of the investigation and the DA’s office will not be filing any charges.”

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 the Oneida County sheriff’s office.

In a press conference held after the recovery of the bodies, Oneida County sheriff’s captain Terri Cook stated that authorities believed that exposure to cold weather was “a factor” in the deaths.

“They were not dressed for the weather,” Hook stated 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 as, at that time, it was ongoing.

The River News reached out to both families for comment.

“Dakota was the light of our world, the most loving, kindhearted person we have known. We want to thank the entire community for their ongoing support during this difficult time,” her mother, Lynnea Brown, shared.

Dakota’s father, Chad Brown, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In her statement to the River News, Aiden’s mother, Rachel Grefe, remembered her son and offered advice to others.

“Aiden had such a kind heart. You were never a loner around Aiden. He always tried to make people feel welcomed and included. He was funny & selfless. The minute I was told Aiden was missing in the woods, I jumped into “mom mode.” I immediately got in the car and headed straight there. Initially, I was worried and scared, yet hopeful that he’d be found. But the longer time went on and as the weather began to get worse my feelings of being worried and scared became extremely intensified. I put my trust into the law enforcement. They knew the location/area and I did not. Law enforcement implied that Aiden and Dakota had ran away. I remember feeling confused and thinking that is just not something Aiden would do. When the search was called off, I was sick to my stomach. I thought about the absolute worst, especially due to the weather. I knew and FELT that they were out there, but law enforcement insisted that they were not. Ultimately, both Aiden & Dakota were found deceased on an ‘active’ logging trail. We did not know the area or that there were logging trails in that area, but law enforcement knew about them and they should have been running those trails with their UTVs/ATVs. Nobody ran those trails. Since Aiden’s passing, I am broken and trying to make sure that my other children are OK. I am stressed and heartbroken at the same time. We just try to push through our days. I want to thank the entire community. They have been wonderful throughout this entire thing and still are. If I were to give advice; Teenagers: be aware of your surroundings and please do not do things without thinking it through. Aiden did not think things through and that’s what got him into the situation. Parents: While I pray that you will NEVER be in this situation, if you are, don’t allow anybody to say that the search is off. It gave us the worst possible outcome. If I could talk to Aiden I would tell him that I love him and that I know he was out there and I’m sorry that they didn’t believe me and I wish that there was something that I could have done to save him.”

The Grefe family also contends that a party that took place that weekend involving a group of Merrill area teens and the disappearance of Aiden and Dakota were separate incidents that took place on different days.

Oneida County sheriff’s captain Terri Hook offered the following statement in response to our request.

“We are saddened by the loss of Aiden and Dakota and that all the resources we mustered did not save their lives,” she wrote in an email to the River News. “Now that all of the information has been made available to the families and the public, we acknowledge that some of the information that we received was not accurate, but we can only respond to the information that we have at the time. The search and rescue dogs that have been used successfully in the past were leading us to Highway 17 which was correlating with tips we were receiving that the teens were seen in other locations from Stevens Point to Rhinelander, etc. While we continued to search the woods, we had to focus some of our assets on this other information which after investigating turned out to be false. Again, we are saddened by their loss and we pray for the families and friends of Aiden and Dakota.”

Heather Schaefer may be reached at [email protected].