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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Woman found dead in Spokane River identified but name not released

In hopes that someone might recognize her, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office released a rendering Thursday and identified the body of a woman who was found dead in the Spokane River last weekend.

According to the sheriff’s office, a passerby spotted the woman and alerted authorities at about 11:20 a.m. Saturday. She was floating in the river about two blocks east of Harvard Road, in Otis Orchards.

The sheriff’s office said detectives are declining to release the name of the woman until a later date. The body was found with no identification at the scene and detectives had not been able to identify the remains until Thursday.

The circumstances and cause of her death remain under investigation. Detectives estimate she had been in the river for a week or more before she was found.

With no local missing person reports or substantive tips matching her description, and indications that she was not homeless or transient, detectives believed she may have been from out of town.

The rendering was created by Carl Koppelman, a self-taught sleuth and forensic artist in California. The sheriff’s office noted it’s an approximation of what the woman looked like – not a photo.

The sheriff’s office described her as a white woman, between 40 and 60 years old, about 5-foot-3 and 120 pounds. Her hair was long, about 14 inches, dark with flecks of gray and styled into an intricate bun and ponytails, secured with numerous barrettes. She wore earrings. She had no tattoos. She had a small scar on her back.

She was found wearing tan Outer Edge-brand cargo pants with zippered portions that could be removed to make shorts; a lightweight, long-sleeved, black-and-white hoodie with a striped flag and the word “California;” a floral-patterned tank top; gray undershorts with the word “Pink” around the waistband; brown Keen sandals; a silver necklace and stud earrings.

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.