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Kidnapped marijuana store employee found dead

Casey Rose adds a candle to a group placed outside Lucid Marijuana during a candlelit vigil for Cameron Smith on Monday, Sept. 11, 2017, outside Lucid Marijuana in Cheney, Wash. Rose said he met Smith a few times, and that Smith was kind to his dog. Smith, 46, a Lucid Marijuana store employee, was kidnapped at gunpoint Sunday after the store refused to sell to two customers. (Tyler Tjomsland / The Spokesman-Review)
By Nina Culver nculver47@gmail.com

The body of kidnapped marijuana store employee Cameron Smith has been found, according to reports from KHQ.

Smith and his car were taken from the parking lot of Lucid Marijuana on First Street in Cheney on Sunday. The suspects in the case have been identified as Donovan Culps and his niece, 18-year-old Violetta Culps. Both had reportedly entered the store to buy marijuana but were turned away when they could not show identification.

Smith, 46, was in his car eating lunch when he was abducted at gunpoint. His car was located on the edge of Airway Heights on Tuesday and his wallet was found on the Spokane Indian Reservation on Monday.

Donovan Culps, 36, was arrested in Goldendale, Washington, on Thursday. He led police on a chase until he crashed his car into a tree. He was booked into the Klickitat County Jail on charges of first-degree kidnapping and first-degree robbery.

Yakima police have arrested a second woman suspected of being present during the abduction, said Yakima County sheriff’s Sgt. Aaron Wuitschick. Alisha Jackson, 18, was in custody on a different matter for about a day and was released before paperwork on her new charge had been filed. She was arrested on a federal charge of failing to report a felony on Friday, Wuitschick said.