ONEIDA COUNTY, Wis. (WWJ) - The bodies of two missing teens last seen over the weekend in Wisconsin were found in a forest not far from Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
The Oneida County Sheriff’s Office said Aiden Grefe, 17, and Dakota Brown, 16, of Lincoln County were discovered dead in the Oneida County Forest in Enterprise, roughly an hour and a half from the Michigan border, on Monday, April 17.
The two teenagers — both from Merill, Wisconsin — were last seen together near State Road 17 and Shingle Mill Road in Harrison. Authorities said they believed the pair either walked away from the area or were picked up by an unknown person around 9 a.m. on Sunday, April 16.
At the time of their disappearance, a late-season winter storm and blizzard struck the area, prompting blizzard and winter storm warnings for counties in Michigan and Wisconsin, including Oneida.
Deputies said plummeting temperatures and exposure to winter conditions likely contributed to their deaths.
The case is being investigated by both the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.
The teens' disappearance prompted a massive search effort that involved off-road vehicles and K-9 units.
Authorities said they received help from the Fire District Alfa, Crescent Fire Department, Corning Fire Department, Merrill Fire Department, Newbold Fire Department, Pine River Fire Department, Russell Fire Department and Tomahawk Fire Department.
Other partners included the Wisconsin National Guard, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Rhinelander Police Department and Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission.
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