Detectives seek help to identify woman’s body found in river in Otis Orchards

Detectives are seeking help identifying a woman whose body was found in the Spokane River on Saturday morning.

A passerby called 911 at about 11:20 a.m. Saturday to report a body floating in the river about two blocks east of Harvard Road, in Otis Orchards. Deputies responded along with personnel from the Spokane Valley Fire Department.

The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said Monday that detectives, working with the medical examiner’s office, have been unable to identify the woman.

The sheriff’s office said she was a white woman with dark hair and released photos of the clothes she was wearing: a distinctive black and white hooded shirt with stripes and the word “California,” beige cargo pants and gray underwear with the word “PINK” on the waistband.

The medical examiner’s office has released no information about the cause and manner of her death.

The sheriff’s office asked that anyone with information about the woman call Detective Mike Drapeau at (509) 477-6921. The reference number for the case is 10130020.

On its website, the medical examiner’s office lists 22 cases of unidentified human remains discovered in Spokane County. Half of those bodies were found in the river. The oldest cases date back to 1961.