In brief: Woman found dead at home

Detectives with the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office are investigating what they’re calling a suspicious death in Deer Park.

A woman in her 40s was found dead inside her home in the 500 block of North Reiper Street when deputies conducted a welfare check around 8:30 Saturday morning, according to a Sheriff’s Office press release. Detectives had obtained a search warrant to the home after someone called 911 concerned about uncollected mail and packages at the home.

No details about what led deputies to consider the death suspicious were released Saturday. An autopsy will be conducted early this week to determine the cause of death, and the woman’s identity will be released by the Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office afterward, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Staff reports

Man dies in one-car crash

A Spirit Lake man was killed in a one-car crash near Rathdrum early Saturday.

Daniel M. Davis, 33, was northbound on state Highway 41 north of Nautical Loop Road when he drove off the roadway in a BMW 540, according to the Idaho State Police. Davis’ vehicle struck several trees and he was ejected, sustaining fatal injuries. The vehicle caught on fire and was fully engulfed before first responders arrived.

ISP is investigating the cause of the crash. Davis was not wearing a seat belt, ISP said.

Chelsea Bannach

Fairchild evacuates main gate

A suspicious vehicle caused the main gate at Fairchild Air Force Base to be shut down for several hours Saturday.

Security forces detained a civilian woman after she attempted to enter the gate through the outbound lane about 11:45 a.m. The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office and Washington State Patrol took the woman into custody, and she was admitted to an area hospital for an unknown reason.

As a precaution, the surrounding area was evacuated. Security forces, firefighters and an explosive ordnance disposal team responded to the area, officials said. Officials declined to say whether the woman made threats.

“The safety and security of everyone at Fairchild is paramount, and I’m proud of the way our airmen responded,” Col. Mike Hill, the 92nd Mission Support Group commander, said in a prepared statement. “We worked with local authorities to resolve the situation and we appreciate their help.”

The incident remains under investigation.

Chelsea Bannach