84-year-old missing woman found dead in Pend Oreille County

An 84-year-old missing woman was found dead Friday on a remote dirt road in the area of Cedar Creek in Ione, Washington, according to a Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office news release.

Penelope Whitehead was reported missing out of Spokane, and Pend Oreille County dispatchers were notified of Whitehead’s disappearance Thursday night, the release said.

The sheriff’s office received a report of a dead person at about 12:10 p.m. Friday. Deputies responded and identified the woman as Whitehead. Her dog, which was alive, was with her and turned over to a family member.

From Whitehead’s location, deputies followed what they believed to be her footprints in the snow. The footprints were small and had a very short walking gait.

They followed the footprints for about a half mile to Whitehead’s vehicle, which was stuck in mud.

The Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy and have yet to determine a cause and manner of death.