Police: Father, 6-year-old son found dead in apparent murder-suicide in central Michigan

CHIPPEWA TOWNSHIP, Mich. (FOX 2) - A father in central Michigan allegedly murdered his son before killing himself, according to police's initial investigation.

The Isabella County Sheriff's Office said deputies discovered the bodies of the father and his 6-year-old child in a camper on Wednesday with apparent gun shot wounds.

The incident took place in Chippewa Township in Isabella County, which is approximately 155 miles away from metro Detroit, near Central Michigan University.

On Monday, Aug. 19, the boy's mother reported to the sheriff's office that her child had not been returned to her custody after being with his father. 

"Deputies responded to the father's residence but were unable to locate anyone," according to a news release from Isabella County Sheriff Michael Main. 

Over the next two days, law enforcement made several efforts at the home to locate the father and the young boy, but were unsuccessful.

After searching for family members, a detective located a sibling of the father, but she was unable to reach him either. 

On Wednesday, "the family arrived at the property and began to look for the two. A family member decided to break out a window on a camper that was in the rear of the property," according to the sheriff's office. "Once that occurred, they could see a male that appeared to be deceased."

Police arrived at the residence again and were able to enter the camper using a breaching device, where they found the man and the boy dead, according to Main. Preliminary investigations suggest that the man fatally shot his son before shooting himself too.

The incident remains under investigation.