Jason Campos

On the morning of August 14, 2025, first responders were called to a home on East Buchanan Road in Ferry Township, Michigan, a rural community near Shelby. Inside, they found Jason Campos, a 46-year-old White/Caucasian male, deceased from a gunshot wound. No life-saving measures were attempted. Jason was a father who left behind three children, ages 19, 13, and 11. A friend organizing a fundraiser for his family described him as “one of the good ones, gone too soon.”

The initial report to the Oceana County Sheriff’s Office came from Jason’s wife, Shale Nicole Campos. She told detectives that a Hispanic male had entered their home through a sliding glass door while she and her husband were asleep in their bedroom. However, as investigators from the sheriff's office and the Michigan State Police processed the scene, they began to doubt her account.

Police noted a lack of physical evidence to support the story of a home invasion. When a police dog was brought in to track the alleged intruder, it did not pick up any scent leading away from the residence. Based on the inconsistencies and lack of evidence, the focus of the investigation quickly shifted to Shale Campos.

The day after her husband’s death, on August 15, 2025, authorities arrested Shale Campos, also 46. She was charged with open murder and a felony firearm offense. Following her arraignment in Oceana County’s 79th District Court, she was ordered to be held in the county jail without bond.

After several court dates were rescheduled to allow for the discovery process, a preliminary examination was held on December 2, 2025. During the hearing, a forensic pathologist testified that Jason Campos’ cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head. After hearing testimony from seven witnesses over three hours, Judge John Middlebrook ruled there was enough evidence for the case to proceed and bound the charges over from the 79th District Court to the 51st Circuit Court.

The criminal case against Shale Nicole Campos remains pending in circuit court. In May 2026, her defense attorney filed pretrial motions to suppress evidence, which were taken under review by Judge Susan K. Sniegowski. As of that month, the case was awaiting a ruling on the motions and further court proceedings.