The Grant County Sheriff’s Office Major Crime Unit in Mattawa is seeking the public’s help identifying a homicide victim found last week. The only identifiable mark on the man is a tattoo on his right bicep of a decorative cross hanging from a two-strand woven band or chain, Undersheriff John Turley said.
The man was found lying facedown on a rural farm service road about eight miles southeast of Mattawa on Jan. 20. He died of “sharp force” injuries to his head, chest and abdomen, according to autopsy results.
The victim, who had no identification on him, is 5 feet 3 inches and 152 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair that’s about a half-inch long, Turley said. He appears to be in his late 30s to early 40s, has a sparse mustache and a skin tag mole on the right front part of his neck.
No missing-person reports have been filed with the sheriff’s office, Turley said. Investigators suspect the man had been killed within 24 to 48 hours of being found, Turley said.
The road is in a rural area of southern Grant County surrounded by orchards and farms. The closest house is at least a mile away, he said. There’s a holding pond near where the body was found, just north of Road 25 Southwest. No vehicle tracks were spotted in the area, and the frozen ground made it nearly impossible to find any clues, Turley said.
No suspects have been identified.
Anyone with information about the victim or the homicide can contact Detective MB Messer at or or Detective Ryan Rectenwald at or rrectenwald @co.grant.wa.us. Callers are being asked to reference case number 09GS000693 if they have any information.