Upriver Drive Jogger Discovers Dead Man Victim Identified As A Secret Witness Subject; Body Apparently Dumped During Morning Commute

Someone dumped a 38-year-old Spokane man’s body on Upriver Drive during the Tuesday morning commute, Spokane sheriff’s deputies said.

A man jogging in the 4500 block of East Upriver discovered the body of Peter Andrew Pettersen about 8:30 a.m., deputies said. He was lying in a bicycle path on the south shoulder, just under a guardrail.

The jogger had run past the area about 15 minutes earlier, and the body wasn’t there, authorities said.

Detectives routed traffic around the scene for several hours so they could gather evidence, including tire tracks left in the snow. They also interviewed residents of a nearby apartment complex but found no witnesses.

An autopsy performed Tuesday showed Pettersen died of a gunshot wound to the torso.

It was clear he was killed elsewhere before being dumped, detectives said.

Authorities hope motorists saw something and will call deputies.

“Someone probably saw a vehicle stopped or slow down at the point where the body was dumped,” sheriff’s Lt. John Simmons said. “That person may not realize what was happening, but we need to hear from anyone who saw a vehicle at that location between 8:15 and 8:30 this morning.”

Pettersen was sought by Secret Witness in August on five warrants for assault, burglary, theft and criminal trespass, police said. He was convicted 33 times for crimes ranging from burglary to drug possession.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Crime Check at 456-2233 or Secret Witness at 327-5111. Secret Witness pays a $2,000 cash reward for information that solves a homicide.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo Map of location where body was found