Human remains were discovered in the trunk of a burned vehicle that was located off a Forest Service Road in Randle last week when a tow truck driver was impounding the vehicle, one day after the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office was called out and investigated the scene.
After The Chronicle received a tip about the incident and contacted the sheriff’s office, Field Patrol Chief Dusty Breen sent a news release on Friday morning. The initial release referred to both Wednesday, April 12, and Thursday, April 13.
It stated, “A driver sent to impound a burned vehicle that was abandoned approximately 3 miles off of Forest Road 25 called 911 just after 11:50 a.m. on April 13 to report what appeared to be human remains inside the vehicle.”
Following a second tip on the incident, Breen disclosed to The Chronicle the vehicle was found on Wednesday after a deputy was called out to investigate, but the body was not discovered until the following day.
“The remains were discovered after the vehicle was moved from its original position by the impound company,” Breen said three days after the initial news release. “And, once moved, through a hole in the trunk area, that’s when the individual moving the vehicle believed he saw human remains and called law enforcement.”
The first deputy went to the scene after “a call that was generated to us on April 12 at 7:44 p.m. … The following day, the body was discovered,” Breen said.
Asked whether the vehicle was empty on Wednesday and whether remains may have been placed there the following day, Breen said “there is nothing to indicate at this time” that remains were “placed” between the initial call and the arrival of the impound vehicle.
The office confirmed that the remains were human and, on Monday, Breen said the remains were “consistent with being in the vehicle at the time it was burned.” The Lewis County Coroner’s Office has not yet disclosed the identity of the decedent. Breen said, to his knowledge, the process of identifying the remains was still ongoing.
“Investigators are continuing to follow up on the vehicle,” he said. “If anybody has information related to that case, obviously please contact our office. If they noticed a suspicious vehicle in that area or any other information.”
Breen declined to provide details about the vehicle on Monday.
To contact someone about this or any other case, call the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office at 360-748-9286 or Lewis County Communications at 360-740-1105.
