Alaska authorities investigating after Madison native and wife found dead at campground
A Madison native and his wife were found dead late last month at a campground in an Alaska state park.
Ross Hagens, who was born in Madison, and his wife, Michelle Danek, both 31, were found dead at Byers Lake Campground within Denali State Park on Feb. 27, according to the Alaska State Troopers.
A parks maintenance worker found the couple in the snow near their pickup truck at the campground, according to a March 6 report from the Anchorage Daily News.
The maintenance worker was at the campground, which has three public-use cabins, to plow the parking lot of snow when he approached the truck to see if its owner could move the vehicle, according to the report.
A spokeswoman for the state troopers said the cause of their deaths is under investigation, and foul play has not been ruled out, the report said.
According to the report, a superintendent for Alaska’s Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation said one of the two was not wearing shoes or boots, and neither was dressed for the conditions.
Hagens attended Edgewood High School where he became a National Merit Scholar, according to an obituary, and he later earned a doctoral degree in pharmacy from the University of Colorado.
Danek and Hagens married in 2013 and moved to Alaska soon after, the obituary said.
“Ross met life’s challenges with courage, creativity and a quirky sense of humor; no one could resist his laughter,” the obituary said.
The couple lived in the city of Wasilla, Alaska, which is about 30 miles northeast of Anchorage and around 80 miles south of the campground where they were found.
A toxicology examination could take between four and eight weeks, the report said.Danek and Hagens married in 2013 and moved to Alaska soon after, the obituary said.
“Ross met life’s challenges with courage, creativity and a quirky sense of humor; no one could resist his laughter,” the obituary said.
The couple lived in the city of Wasilla, Alaska, which is about 30 miles northeast of Anchorage and around 80 miles south of the campground where they were found.
A toxicology examination could take between four and eight weeks, the report said.
Source:- http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/crime/alaska-authorities-investigating-after-madison-native-and-wife-found-dead/article_7c39fe2b-6d6c-5ecc-a021-b655537c964b.html
