Friends of Aron Christensen Protest in Chehalis, Ask for Justice, After Another Month Passes Without Charges Filed in the Case

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Another month has passed since Aron Christensen and his dog, Buzzo, were found dead on a hiking trail near Walupt Lake in East Lewis County. 

With no clear answers yet on what happened to the two and the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office’s investigation at an apparent standstill, Christensen’s friends and family joined Lewis County community members on the corner of West Main Street and Southwest Chehalis Avenue in Chehalis on Sunday to again publicly demand justice for Christensen and Buzzo. 

The family and friends of Christensen have told The Chronicle they are frustrated with a lack of information from authorities and the failure to arrest a suspect in the case following Christensen’s death.

A hiker found Christensen, 49, of Portland, dead next to his 4-month-old puppy on the 101 trail 3 to 4 miles away from Walupt Lake just after 3:55 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 20.

Two months later, on Oct. 26, the Lewis County Coroner’s Office ruled Christensen’s death a homicide, caused by a gunshot wound to the chest. The next day, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office referred first-degree manslaughter and animal cruelty charges against two suspects — Michael Asbach, 20, of Tenino, and a 17-year-old girl from Rochester. The prosecutor’s office referred the case back to the sheriff’s office on Nov. 2 for further investigation.

As of Monday morning, no charges have been filed and no arrests have been made.



“We are confused, disheartened and exasperated by the handling of this case and fully believe that by now, over 90 days after Aron was killed, arrests should be made,” wrote family and friends of Christensen in a GoFundMe.com post last updated on Nov. 15. 

The crowdfunding campaign, accessible at https://gofund.me/cdfb6252, is collecting funds to cover the family’s legal fees and “subsequent investigations” associated with the case. 

“We are grateful and appreciative of the continued overwhelming support and kindness our family has received from people across the country,” wrote family and friends in the GoFundMe post. “We know that an entire community hopes to help us press for the truth, gain closure, foster healing and find justice for Aron and Buzz.” 

The demonstrators told The Chronicle they received a positive response from the Lewis County community from their first protest in Chehalis on Nov. 5. 

Christensen’s family and friends are asking anyone with information pertaining to Christensen’s and Buzzo’s deaths to contact them via the GoFundMe page. 

Lewis County Sheriff’s Office asks anyone with information pertaining to the case to contact the office at 360-748-9286 or contact Lewis County Communications at 360-740-1105.