Chad Hickman and the 2026 Missaukee County Mass Shooting
Overview
Chad Hickman, 39, was identified by Michigan State Police as the suspected gunman in a series of shootings that killed five people in Missaukee County, Michigan, on August 14, 2026. The violence unfolded at three locations in the rural northern Michigan county and triggered a large police search involving state troopers, aviation personnel, canine teams and other agencies. Hickman was ultimately found dead in a wooded area near Whitlock Lake in Caldwell Township. Because Hickman died before he could be arrested or tried, and because the investigation remains active, descriptions of him as the killer are based on police findings and the identification reportedly provided by the surviving victim rather than a criminal conviction.
The First Shooting Scene
The attacks became known to police at approximately 11:40 a.m. on Friday, August 14, when authorities received a report of a shooting at a residence on South LaChance Road in Lake Township. When officers reached the property, they found three people dead from gunshot wounds: a 40-year-old woman, a 16-year-old boy and a 45-year-old man. A 13-year-old girl had also been shot and was critically injured. She survived and was later reported to be in stable condition.
Family members publicly identified two of the people killed at the South LaChance Road home as Amanda Everitt, 40, and her 16-year-old son, Eric. Amanda's father, David Everitt, said that Amanda's 13-year-old daughter had been shot four times but was still able to telephone 911 and identify Hickman as the person who had shot her. Police had not independently released the victims' names as of August 17, so Amanda and Eric's identifications came from their family rather than an official police victim list.
Search for the Suspect and Additional Victims
Authorities said Hickman fled the first scene before troopers arrived. His disappearance immediately turned the investigation into a large-scale manhunt. Michigan State Police deployed specialized resources while residents were warned to stay away from the areas being searched and investigated. During that operation, officers discovered another shooting victim, a 53-year-old man, dead at a second residence in Missaukee County. Police said that victim had also died from a gunshot wound. His identity had not been publicly released.
The search later moved toward Caldwell Township after authorities located Hickman's vehicle near a wooded area close to Whitlock Lake. Troopers searching the woods found two more bodies: Hickman and a 29-year-old woman. The woman was counted among the five homicide victims and had suffered a fatal gunshot wound. As of August 17, authorities had not publicly identified her or explained her relationship to Hickman. Investigators also had not publicly established exactly how Hickman died, making it inappropriate to state conclusively that he killed himself.
Victims of the August 14 Shootings
- Amanda Everitt, 40 — Killed on August 14, 2026, at the South LaChance Road residence in Lake Township, Missaukee County, Michigan. She died from a gunshot wound. Amanda was publicly identified by her father, David Everitt; police had initially described her only as a 40-year-old woman.
- Eric, 16 — Killed on August 14, 2026, at the same South LaChance Road residence in Lake Township. Family members identified him as Amanda Everitt's son. Authorities initially described him only as a 16-year-old boy and had not officially released his full name as of August 17.
- Unidentified 45-year-old man — Killed on August 14, 2026, at the South LaChance Road residence in Lake Township. He was found dead with Amanda and Eric and died from a gunshot wound. Police had not publicly released his name or explained his connection to the other victims or Hickman.
- Unidentified 53-year-old man — Found dead from a gunshot wound on August 14, 2026, at a second residence in Missaukee County while police were searching for Hickman. His name and relationship to Hickman had not been publicly disclosed.
- Unidentified 29-year-old woman — Found dead from a gunshot wound on August 14, 2026, in a wooded area near Whitlock Lake in Caldwell Township. Hickman's body was discovered nearby. Police had not publicly released her name or clarified why she and Hickman were at that location.
- 13-year-old surviving victim — Shot multiple times on August 14, 2026, at the South LaChance Road residence in Lake Township. She survived, contacted 911 despite her injuries and, according to her family, identified Hickman as the shooter. She was initially described as being in critical condition and was subsequently reported to be stable.
Hickman's Criminal History
Public reporting on court records showed that Hickman had previously been prosecuted in Missaukee County. In 2024 he was convicted of misdemeanor fourth-degree child abuse and received a one-year jail sentence. More serious felony allegations, including assault and criminal sexual conduct charges filed in the same case, were dismissed. Those dismissed allegations should not be treated as convictions or established facts.
Reporting based on divorce and court records also described a contentious relationship between Hickman and his former wife, with allegations of domestic violence and coercive behavior appearing during legal proceedings. Hickman disputed accusations made against him. These earlier disputes have drawn attention because of the later shootings, but investigators had not announced that Hickman's divorce or previous criminal case supplied the motive for the August 14 killings.
Unanswered Questions
The precise motive for the killings remained unknown as of August 17, 2026. Michigan State Police had not publicly explained how all five people killed were connected to Hickman, whether the victims were deliberately selected for the same reason, or what sequence of events led Hickman from the first Lake Township residence to the second property and then to the wooded area near Whitlock Lake. Authorities had released the victims' ages and genders but withheld most names while the investigation and notifications to relatives continued.
Aftermath and Investigation
The shootings left five victims dead, one teenage survivor wounded and Hickman dead, producing a total of six fatalities across the connected scenes. The case shocked the rural Missaukee County community and required cooperation among the Michigan State Police and several local, state and federal agencies. Investigators continued processing the three locations and attempting to reconstruct Hickman's movements, his relationships with the victims and the circumstances of his own death.
Because the killings occurred only days before this account and the investigation is still developing, significant details may change as authorities identify the remaining victims and release forensic findings. The established public record as of August 17 shows that Hickman was the suspected gunman, that five other people died of gunshot wounds, and that the wounded 13-year-old survivor reportedly provided investigators with his identity. Any claims about a specific motive, the exact relationships among all of the victims, or the manner of Hickman's death remain unresolved unless subsequently confirmed by investigators.
