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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Body found in Columbia River ID’d as man missing for two years

Associated Press
EPHRATA, Wash. (AP) — A body that was found in the Columbia River nearly a year ago has been identified by the Grant County coroner’s office as a Seattle man who has been missing more than two years. The office said Tuesday that 75-year-old Toshio Ota died of a blow to the head and the death is a homicide. The Grant County sheriff’s office says the body was found on Aug. 25, 2012, in the river about a mile south of the Interstate 90 bridge near Vantage. It was identified with the help of Seattle police using dental records. Crimestoppers says Ota went missing in March of 2011 with no explanation for his disappearance. The sheriff’s office is investigating.