Body ID’d As CdA Tribal Member

A body found in the Spokane River Thursday has been identified as a Coeur d’Alene tribal member missing since March. An autopsy by the Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office determined Leighton L. Welch, 35, drowned, the Spokane Police Department said today. His body was pulled from the river close to the Stevens County line and near the Nine Mile boat launch, said Officer Jennifer DeRuwe. Police don’t suspect foul play in Welch’s death, DeRuwe said. Welch, a recovering alcoholic and drug addict and Spokane Falls Community College student, hasn’t been seen since March 28/ Meghann Cuniff , SR. More here . (Leighton Welch, pictured here with his girlfriend, Michonda Weaver, hasn’t been heard from since a phone conversation with Weaver ended abruptly on March 28.)