Dead man found in Spokane Valley identified

A dead man found in high grass on the shoulder of the gravel road at 4414 E. Buckeye Ave. early this morning was identified this afternoon as Traivon C. Asterino, 35. Spokane County sheriff’s detectives are investigating the incident as a homicide, which is standard procedure, said spokesman Deputy Craig Chamberlin. The family has been notified, Chamberlin said. The Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office reported in a news release that he died of a “contact gunshot wound to the chest.” The release said Asterino’s manner of death was pending investigation. A man out walking around 5:30 a.m. found the body on the north shoulder of the road, just east of Havana Street near city limits. Newspaper files show the births of at least three children to Asterino. Asterino also had a history of run-ins with law enforcement from 1997 to 2012, serving jail time for numerous charges including reckless driving, robbery, assault and possession of stolen property, the files show.