Spokane7
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May 4, 2010 in City
Dishman Hills homicide victim was beaten to death
The Klages family talks about Douglas Klages who was found dead in the Dishman Hills Natural Area last Friday. Detectives now believe it was a homicide. Left to right, Douglas’ daughters, Racheal Rydell- Klages, 14, Erika Klages, 19, and parents of Douglas, Karen and Don Klages. COLIN MULVANY colinm@spokesman.com
(Full-size photo)(All photos)
When Douglas Klages last talked to his parents, he was planning for the future.
The 46-year-old Spokane native struggled with alcoholism but wanted to clean up. He told his parents so in a phone call last Thursday.
“He said, ‘I know you’ll be happy: I’m lining myself up for a treatment program,’” said his father, Don Klages. “It was a terrible addiction.”
The next day, Don and Karen Klages learned of their son’s murder.
Hikers found his body in a small cave inside the Dishman Hills Natural Area Friday afternoon, where Spokane County Sheriff’s detectives believe he’d been camping.
An autopsy showed he died from blunt-force trauma to his head, according to the Medical Examiner’s Office.
Now, as detectives search for his killer, Doug Klages’ friends and family are struggling to understand how a man with no enemies and a generous heart could end up beaten to death. Klages’ death is the first homicide investigated by the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office this year.
“This community is grieving,” said Dean Whisler, day room manager at the Union Gospel Mission, where Klages stayed on and off for several years. “Everyone loved him.”
Detectives are trying to piece together how Klages spent the last 24 hours of his life, said Sgt. Dave Reagan, Sheriff’s Office spokesman.
No time of death has been publicly released, but employees at Truth Ministries men’s shelter, 1910 E. Sprague Ave., said he showed up between about 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, then left after arguing with another guest.
Klages was extremely drunk that night, but “he didn’t drink all the time,” said Director Marty McKinney. “He stayed here quite a bit.”
Klages, a father of two, graduated University High School in 1982. He loved to cook and started working in restaurants as a teenager. He had experience at top restaurants, but his alcoholism soon kept him from permanent employment, Whisler said. He owned a home with his wife but moved out after a divorce, family said.
He always had a home with his parents in Cusick though he often stayed at shelters in Spokane and sought treatment for his addiction. But he never prevailed, Whisler said.
Still, Whisler said, “He never blamed his circumstances on someone else.”
“You could tell that he was not what you would consider a typical transient person,” Whisler said. “Even when he would come looking like crap because he’d been out sleeping on some bench, he looked like Patrick Swayze.”
Klages showed up at the Gospel Mission, 1224 E. Trent Ave., last Tuesday looking for a place to stay. But he still was drunk from the night before, Whisler said, and he promised to sober up before returning.
“He said, ‘Oh gosh, Dean, you wouldn’t believe how much I drank…I think I’ve hit my bottom this time,” Whisler said. “His transparency was so refreshing and honest, even in the midst of the demons he was fighting.”
Klages was an easy-going man known for his cooking abilities and strong work ethic, Whisler said. ‘He’d say ’When I’m busy, I don’t think about drinking,” Whisler said.
Klages’ daughters, 19-year-old Erika and 14-year-old Racheal, called him “a great dad” who never missed a birthday. When Racheal visited from New York last summer, Klages’ goal was to stay sober for her, Whisler said.
Whisler said Klages grew up camping and was “quite skilled at it.”
He likely went to the Dishman area “because he felt safe out there.”
“He didn’t come across as someone you’d want to take advantage of, but he does seem like the type to take the shirt off his back,” Whisler said. “Someone with ulterior motives could have taken advantage of that servant’s heart.”
Human trafficking suspects released 
west on May 04 at 7:51 p.m.
Dishman Hills needs a huge development to rid the area of campsites. A road should go thru there to 57th for quick route to valley. Its off limits for this..but transient camps are better??
zelda on May 04 at 8:36 p.m.
There are large parts of Fernan Saddle in Idaho that are just as dangerous. Dishman Hills is worth preserving and protecting. Lowlifes already have established routes from the S. Hill to the Valley, namely Palouse Hwy to Hwy 27. The longer they have to take the long way around town, the harder it is for them to scoot from one crime scene to another. The problem isn’t the landscape; it’s the prevalence of people comitting crimes. Transients are camped all along the river in Spokane Valley and eliminating the river won’t take care of the situation.
Condolences to Douglas Klages’ family. This is beyond sad and I’m sorry he didn’t live long enough to find his way in the world. I hope that justice, if not peace, comes to his parents and daughters.
bdr on May 04 at 9:50 p.m.
Well now…..after reading all that, encapsulated by (whistler said) quote 90 times. It truthfully is a sad story about a dad with no job and only a single felony for non support payment.
I was shocked to hear of the death because I was on the REI tree team that planted at camp Caro.
If the fellow could have held off the booze he could have seemed skilled enough to catch up and restore himself.
(Ive dealt with alcoholics and have to say these people are NOT humans you can reason with).
I assume the jails are to full of violent’s to house addicts.
this family lost due to over crowding.
No_Forked_Tongues on May 04 at 10:28 p.m.
Probably the anti-panhandlers posting on Doug Clark’s column are the perps.
cos283 on May 07 at 7:21 p.m.
I knew Doug in high school, we were good friends. We did alot together, worked on cars in shop class,went to parties and camped,water sking,boating,etc.He had alot of friends.The greatest thing that happened is he accepted Christ one evening when we were reminiscing of old times. I know he is in a better place, but he will be missed.
Good bye old friend!
Tom