Doctor found dead near waterfall had been missing for a week, Wisconsin sheriff says

Dr. Kelsey Musgrove shared she had reached Potato River Falls as part of her hiking trip on Saturday, March 26. That was the last time anyone heard from her, Wisconsin officials say.

Four days after her last known contact, Musgrove was reported missing, according to a news release from the Iron County Sheriff’s Office. It was reported she “went on a hiking trip and hasn’t returned.”

Deputies, alongside about 25 other agencies from Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota, searched the area using “extensive ground, air, and water” resources.

Her body was found Sunday, April 3, near Potato River Falls, officials said. That was eight days after she contacted someone to say she had reached the waterfall.

Musgrove’s cause of death is under investigation, though authorities say foul play is not suspected.

“We would like to express our sincere condolences to Kelsey’s family,” the sheriff’s office said.

Musgrove was a cardiothoracic surgery fellow with the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health’s Department of Surgery. The three-year fellowship program provides doctors “with the skills and knowledge to begin a career as a cardiothoracic surgeon.”

UW Health did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News on April 4.

Potato River Falls, in Iron County, is about 285 miles north of Madison.

This story was originally published April 4, 2022 at 8:47 AM with the headline "Doctor found dead near waterfall had been missing for a week, Wisconsin sheriff says."