Police: Gun, backpack missing after hunter fatally shot

Police say a gun and backpack were apparently taken from a local man who was shot and killed earlier this month while hunting deer in mid-Michigan.

The Bath Township Police Department says 68-year-old Chong Yang of Lansing was pronounced dead at the scene after he was found after 10 p.m. Nov. 16 northwest of Lansing in Clinton County.

Officer Avery Lyon says that Yang's backpack and firearm were missing when officers arrived.

Police had previously said personal belongings were taken.

Police say Yang was shot while deer hunting on state-owned property where hunting is permitted. He was wearing hunter's orange clothing at the time.

The family has asked for help from the public since police have said they have no suspects in the shooting.

Chong Yang's daughter spoke to News 10 last week.

Ia Yang said that her family is seeking justice. She added that hunting was her father's favorite thing to do.

"Hunting is basically his life. This time of the year, he lives out in the woods," she said.

As the middle of nine children, Ia Yang said her father was a dedicated man who worked hard to provide for his large family and led by example.

"(He) wakes up every morning and goes to work, came back home and provided for our family, for all of us. He just taught us to, you know, you don't get anywhere in life without working hard," said Yang.

The family came to the United States from Laos in search of a better life in 1988.

Chong Yang enjoyed hunting in Laos and carried that passion with him to Mid-Michigan.

Ia Yang says her father had been hunting in the Bath area for decades.

When he didn't return home last Friday after going out looking for deer, Ia's sister had to break the news to her when the family found his body.

"I just picked up and all I heard was wailing in the background and I just knew it was not good," Ia Yang said.

She added the family is united, trying to help police find the person who shot him.

"My father was a kind, hardworking, generous person. We just want closure, justice for my dad. That's it."

The family says an autopsy has been performed on Chong Moua Yang. They're still waiting to hear results.

While police called the death suspicious, it's still being treated as a hunting accident for now. Police also want to talk with any hunters who were near the Rose Lake game area that Friday night.

If you have any information that would assist in the investigation, call the Bath Township Police Department, or Clinton County Central Dispatch. Information can also be posted anonymously to the department's Facebook page.