I have to agree on that. I'm not a backer and have been pretty lax about following this game, but boy, do I feel bad for the investors.
See, I wouldn't say a word if this was a free project - but it's not. People payed money for it, so now it's an actual obligation - a job. Nevermind the delays, I understand that real life happens, but I don't believe that one can't find like five minutes per week to write at least a single sentence like "Hello, still have problems, progress slow but going, see you another week." - or have someone else do this for you.
And if there's some kind of serious trouble, trying to sweep it under the rug is the worst thing to do in the long run, even if coming out with it seems scary.
All in all, I hope that the author does well, but I won't deny that this is highly unprofessional and maybe even disrespectful to the fans. Fingers crossed for a good and swift resolution.