The Middleton doctor who was found dead in Iron County over the weekend after going missing in late March was hiking alone when the edge of an embankment likely collapsed beneath her and she fell, authorities said Wednesday.
An autopsy showed that Dr. Kelsey Musgrove, 30, died because of traumatic injuries she suffered during her fall down the bank alongside clay and rocks, Iron County Sheriff Paul Samardich said in a statement. Musgrove died within minutes of the fall, according to the autopsy results.
Musgrove
Her body was found Sunday partially buried in a steep clay bank on the edge of a river in the Potato River Falls area in the town of Gurney. Samardich said it appears Musgrove ventured off the path to try to get closer to the river.
Musgrove’s last contact with people was on March 26 when she told them she had arrived at Potato River Falls. The Iron County Sheriff’s Office received word on March 30 that Musgrove had not returned home to Middleton and began an extensive search for her that included 25 agencies from Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota.
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Musgrove was a cardiothoracic surgery fellow at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Washington in Seattle before going to the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine at Florida International University in Miami, according to online listings that UW Health spokesperson Emily Kumlien confirmed.
Musgrove did her surgical residency at the West Virginia University School of Medicine before starting the fellowship at UW Health last year.
UW Health in a statement said it was “deeply saddened” by Musgrove’s death. “She was recognized by her peers as a great surgeon, an outstanding mentor and an incredibly kind and positive spirit.”
State Journal reporter David Wahlberg contributed to this report.
Art of the Everyday: A recap of March in photos from Wisconsin State Journal photographers
With the warmest temperatures of the year taking hold in the area, a walker enjoys the day’s spring-like weather during a walk along the shoreline of Lake Michigan in Milwaukee, Wis., Wednesday, March 16, 2022. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Yvette Pino, of Madison, Army veteran and curator of veteran art at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum, does printmaking demonstrations from the window of the museum on Capitol Square in Madison, Wis., Wednesday, March 16, 2022. The event is part of Southern Graphics Council International (SGCI) annual conference with printmaking demonstrations continuing Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and an exhibit "Wisconsin Was There: Sharing the Legacies of Printmakers Who Served in the Military" that displays prints by veterans with a connection to Wisconsin. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
Odin, a 5-month-old puppy, looks inside while playing at Duncan's Dog Daycare in Madison, Wis., Monday, March 21, 2022. KAYLA WOLF, STATE JOURNAL
Sam Koblenski, right, holds an umbrella for his son Ian as he photographs fog over Lake Monona at Monona Terrace in Madison, Wis., Wednesday, March 30, 2022. The duo was out photographing Frank Lloyd Wright architecture throughout Madison as a spring break homework assignment. KAYLA WOLF, STATE JOURNAL
John Berner, a preparator at the Chazen Museum of Art on the campus of UW-Madison, installs elements of “Suspended Landscapes,” a large-scale fabric piece by Toronto-based artist Amanda McCavour in the museum’s Paige Court in Madison, Wis., Wednesday, March 2, 2022. Commemorating the museum’s 50th anniversary, the machine embroidered and stitched work incorporates native plant specimens held in the campus’ Wisconsin State Herbarium. The site-specific piece is comprised of 60 semi-transparent panels and will remain on display through mid-September. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Callie Stanley makes her way across an obstacle at the Madison College Challenge Course in Madison, Wis., Monday, March 21, 2022. The Craig High School softball team from Janesville was using the Challenge Course as a team building activity prior to the beginning of the season. KAYLA WOLF, STATE JOURNAL
Sunny skies and warmer temperatures encourage shorts and t-shirts from students with UW-Madison as they dodge sloppy conditions during a training run along Vilas Drive in Madison, Wis., Monday, Feb. 28, 2022. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Eluding a light rain shower under the cover of an umbrella, Jane Kroesen of Tucson, Ariz. walks along Century Ave. in Middleton, Wis., Tuesday, March 22, 2022. In the area to visit family, Kroesen said she was actually enjoying the conditions, as rain is infrequent in the desert southwest. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
A pedestrian is silhouetted by a neon wall at the central branch of the Madison Public Library in Madison, Wis., Wednesday, March 23, 2022. KAYLA WOLF, STATE JOURNAL
Mel Chin talks about his spider sculpture titled "Cabinet of Craving" at his exhibition "Mel Chin: There's Something Happening Here" at Madison Museum of Contemporary Art in Madison, Wis., Thursday, March 17, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
John Jaeggi, of Brooklyn, Wisconsin, left, and Roland Sahli, of Switzerland, judge rindless swiss during the World Championship Cheese Contest at Monona Terrace in Madison, Wis., Tuesday, March 1, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
Scott Amera, with his 1-year-old granddaughter, Ellie Amera, walk out of a barn that was damaged on his son and daughter-in-law's farm from a tornado that touched down Saturday night on Leslie Road in the town of Dunkirk, Wis., Tuesday, March 8, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
Jennifer Angus, an insect artist and professor in Design Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison talks about her exhibit "Jennifer Angus: A is for Apple, B is for Bug, C is for Cicada" at the Wyoming Valley School Cultural Arts Center in Spring Green, Wis., Thursday, March 24, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
Epic employees move into the new Mystery Building on the Storybook Campus in Verona, Wis., Wednesday, March 23, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
Kristina Whisenhunt, top, and Becky Rabensdorf use the German wheel at Madison Circus Space in Madison, Wis., Friday, March 11, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
Middleton Co-op's Maddy Ahlborn (11) hits the net as teammate Rachel Jasinski (12) attempts to score against D.C. Everest Co-op's Dru Sabatke (23) and goalie Claire Calmes (31) in the second period of a WIAA girls hockey state semifinal game at Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wis., Thursday, March 3, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
Wisconsin's guard Brad Davison (34) deflects a pass intended for Iowa State's forward Aljaz Kunc (5) during the second half of Wisconsin’s 54-49 second round loss in the 2022 NCAA Division 1 men’s basketball tournament in Milwaukee, Wis., Sunday, March 20, 2022. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Gibraltar High School's Dex Tishler (30) battles against Randolph defenders for the ball during a WIAA Division 5 boys basketball state tournament semifinal at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis., Friday, March 18, 2022. KAYLA WOLF, STATE JOURNAL
Hudson's Brecken Meyer gets tangled up fighting for the puck against Edgewood's Paul Sergenian, 7, and J.J. Wiebusch, 6, during the third period of the Division 1 State Boys Hockey Championship game at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wis., Saturday, March 5, 2022. KAYLA WOLF, STATE JOURNAL
Wisconsin's center Chris Vogt (33) falls into a row of photographers during the first half of he team’s second round game of 2022 NCAA Division 1 men’s basketball tournament against Iowa State in Milwaukee, Wis., Sunday, March 20, 2022. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Randolph’s Sam Grieger, left, and teammate Travis Alvin hug as they come off the court near the end of the Division 5 WIAA boys state basketball championship game where they defeated Bangor 65-51 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis., Saturday, March 19, 2022. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
Wisconsin guard Chucky Hepburn (23) is embraced by teammates Chris Vogt, left, and Ben Carlson following the Badger's 70-67 win over Purdue at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis., Tuesday, March 1, 2022. KAYLA WOLF, STATE JOURNAL
Westosha Central's Kenny Garth turns to present the sectional plaque to the student section following their 79-48 win over Oregon during a WIAA Division 2 boys basketball sectional final at Watertown High School in Watertown, Wis., Saturday, March 12, 2022. KAYLA WOLF, STATE JOURNAL
Madison Edgewood fans cheer as the team is introduced prior to their WIAA Division 1 state semifinal hockey game against Notre Dame de la Baie Academy at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wis., Friday, March 4, 2022. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Hudson's Zach Kochendorfer, center, celebrates the team's victory over Edgewood in the Division 1 State Boys Hockey Championship game at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wis., Saturday, March 5, 2022. KAYLA WOLF, STATE JOURNAL
The final three participants of the 2022 Badger State Spelling Bee, Maadhav Karun, left, Maya Jadhav, center, and Aiden Wijeyakulasuriya, right, compete during the event at the Mitby Theater on the campus of Madison College in Madison, Wis., Saturday, March 26, 2022. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Wisconsin's guard Brad Davison (34) reacts as time expires during Wisconsin’s 54-49 second round loss to Iowa State in the 2022 NCAA Division 1 men’s basketball tournament in Milwaukee, Wis., Sunday, March 20, 2022. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Emily Hamer | Wisconsin State Journal
Emily Hamer is a county government and criminal justice reporter for the Wisconsin State Journal. She also covers some general assignment and crime stories. She joined the paper in April 2019. Send tips to ehamer@madison.com
