In a heartbreaking turn of events, a 6-year-old boy, Rowan Milford Morey, and his father, Michael Steven Winchell, 48, were found dead Wednesday morning in an apparent murder-suicide. The tragic incident took place in a camper on property located in the 8000 block of East River Road in Chippewa Township.
Rowan Morey was reported missing on Monday when his father failed to return him home as expected. His mother, distressed by the situation, reported him missing to the police and made public pleas on social media for help in locating her son. Michael Winchell had been expected to return Rowan by Monday morning.
According to Isabella County Sheriff Michael Main, deputies attempted to locate the father and son at Winchell’s home multiple times but were unsuccessful. Over the next 24 hours, police efforts included trying to contact Winchell’s friends and relatives, with no immediate success. The breakthrough came when a detective reached out to a sibling of Winchell living downstate, who also had been unable to make contact with him.
Despite continuing efforts, another check of the home on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning yielded no results. However, a family member eventually arrived at the property and discovered an isolated camper in the rear of the property.
The family member broke a window and saw Winchell, who appeared to be dead. Authorities were subsequently called, and police used a breaching tool to enter the camper. Inside, they found both Rowan and Winchell deceased. Preliminary investigations suggest that Winchell shot his son before taking his own life.
