Chad Hickman, a 39-year-old Michigan man with a criminal record and a bitter divorce behind him, shot and killed five people across multiple locations in rural Missaukee County before taking his own life, and his ex-wife's first public words were simply that she and their children survived.
The rampage began at approximately 11:40 a.m. local time Friday at a home on LaChance Road in Lake Township, a rural stretch of northern Michigan roughly three hours north of Detroit. Michigan State Police arrived to find three people dead inside the home and one person critically injured. A 13-year-old had called authorities to report being shot in the arm.
Hickman fled the scene. Troopers classified him as armed and dangerous and launched a manhunt that would stretch across the county before the day was over. While searching, investigators found a fourth victim dead at a separate home. They then located Hickman's vehicle abandoned near a wooded area close to Whitlock Lake. A K9 team moved into the woods and discovered Hickman's body alongside a fifth victim. Authorities said Hickman apparently took his own life.
Six people died in all, five victims and Hickman himself. Michigan State Police said there was no ongoing threat to the public. A motive remains unclear.
Hours after the shooting, a social media post from a profile apparently belonging to Katie Hickman, Chad's ex-wife, offered the only public statement from the family. The Daily Mail reported the post's contents:
"Just want to let everyone know that me and the kids are safe. And thank you all for loving and caring for me and my family as much as you all do. We love you all."
The couple shared three children. The identities of the five victims have not been released, and authorities have not publicly stated what relationship, if any, the victims had to Hickman.
But the marriage that preceded the massacre left a long paper trail, one that paints a picture of escalating conflict, legal battles, and a man whose grievances consumed his public life.
Katie Hickman initiated divorce proceedings in 2023. The case went before Judge Melissa Ransom, who issued a ruling that laid bare the depth of the breakdown. In her decision, Judge Ransom wrote:
"Testimony and evidence presented by both parties confirm that the relationship was marked by significant dysfunction and mutual toxicity."
The judge noted that each side submitted evidence, including testimony from friends and family, describing domestic violence attributed to both Chad and Katie. She called it "uncontested" that allegations of domestic abuse were "at the heart of the issues before the court."
Katie Hickman told the court her marriage "was characterized by control, coercion and fear." She testified that she lacked access to financial resources and marital assets, and said she was compelled to make decisions "under threats of harm, including physical violence, sexual assault and financial control." During the trial, she also claimed Chad had misappropriated money meant for renovations at a rental property they owned.
Judge Ransom determined that both Chad and Katie made "credible and inconsistent claims." She awarded each party the personal property already in their possession, free and clear of further claims by the other. The divorce was finalized last year.
The divorce was not the only legal proceeding hanging over Hickman. A criminal case originating in 2010, brought on a complaint by Katie Hickman, finally reached its conclusion in 2024. Hickman was convicted of misdemeanor fourth-degree child abuse and contributing to the delinquency of children. A court sentenced him to one year behind bars and ordered him to pay $1,775 in fees.
The original charges had been far more serious. Felony counts of assault with intent to do great bodily harm, interfering with electronic communications, and two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct were all dismissed. Two additional misdemeanor child abuse charges were also dropped. What remained on the record was a fraction of what prosecutors initially pursued, but it was enough to mark Hickman as a convicted offender.
And the legal pressure did not stop there. Records obtained by the Daily Mail indicate Hickman was facing a new civil lawsuit filed at the end of July. Details of that case remain unclear.
In an October 11 Facebook post, Hickman lashed out at his ex-wife publicly. He wrote:
"Katie Hickman told all those lies about me simply as part of an orchestrated hit to take literally everything we owned in the divorce after her many attempts of blackmailing me didn't work."
He continued, praising the judge who handled the case in crude terms, calling her "way too f***ing smart to believe my ex-wife's bulls*** story", and added: "Leaving Katie was the best thing I ever did, despite every evil thing she threw at me. I've never been happier."
In a separate post, Hickman accused Katie of breaking into his apartment and stealing all of his belongings.
The next day, October 12, his unnamed daughter responded publicly. Her words were direct and unsparing:
"Chad, you have abused me, my mother and my siblings. You are not the victim. You are a psychotic man that needs help. You can think what you want, but you will never be a father to me and I will never think of you as one either. You are a horrible person for everything that you have done to us."
Those posts now stand as some of the last public exchanges between a father and his daughter before he carried out a massacre.
Michigan State Police Lt. Ashley Miller, the department's public information officer, spoke to the toll the investigation has taken. She told Fox News:
"Not only is this difficult for our investigators and our troopers, but it's very hard for this community. You know, this type of loss is tragic."
Miller said investigators were committed to a thorough review and would keep the community updated. Just The News reported her additional statement: "This situation is heartbreaking for the community and challenging for the investigators involved."
State Representative Ken Borton posted a call for prayer on social media, asking residents to remember "the six families who lost a loved one today" and to pray that "an additional person, currently fighting for their life, will pull through and make a full recovery." Borton's reference to six families does not fully align with the five-victim count reported by police, a discrepancy that has not been publicly explained.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said she was "devastated to hear about the tragic shooting that occurred this afternoon in Missaukee County" and offered prayers for the victims' families. Governor Gretchen Whitmer said she had been briefed on the situation and was monitoring it. "My thoughts are with the victims, their families, and the Missaukee community," Whitmer stated.
Authorities have not released the names of any of the five victims. It remains unclear whether the 13-year-old who called police is the same person listed in critical condition or a separate individual. The relationship between Hickman and each of the victims has not been disclosed. The New York Post reported that the shooting spanned multiple locations, consistent with police accounts of a rampage that moved from house to house before ending in the woods near Whitlock Lake.
No motive has been established. Investigators are still working to piece together what happened and why. But the court records, the criminal history, the social media outbursts, and the new lawsuit all point to a man whose life was defined by escalating conflict, and a system that processed his cases without preventing what came next.
Five people are dead in a quiet corner of northern Michigan. The woman who once lived with the man responsible said eight words that mattered most: "Me and the kids are safe." For everyone else in Missaukee County, the questions are just beginning.
