National

Rafters spot body in river at state park and pull it to shore, Washington police say

Rafters discovered a body in the Spokane River on May 11 in the area of Plese Flats in Riverside State Park, authorities said.
Rafters discovered a body in the Spokane River on May 11 in the area of Plese Flats in Riverside State Park, authorities said. Street View Image from August 2022 © 2023 Google

UPDATE: The Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the body as 20-year-old Joseph Kamau, police said in a May 17 news release. Kamau has been missing since March 3.

The original story is below:

Rafters spotted a body in a Washington river and pulled it to the shoreline, police said.

The rafters were on the Spokane River at about 4 p.m., Thursday, May 11, in Riverside State Park, the Spokane Police Department said.

They brought the body to the shore in the Plese Flats area, a boat ramp area in the park, police said.

Police and the fire department responded to the river, and firefighters brought the body up from the embankment.

The body was taken to the medical examiner, who will identify it and determine the cause of death.

The investigation is ongoing.

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This story was originally published May 12, 2023 at 7:18 PM with the headline "Rafters spot body in river at state park and pull it to shore, Washington police say."

Helena Wegner
McClatchy DC
Helena Wegner is a McClatchy National Real-Time Reporter covering the state of Washington and the western region. She’s a journalism graduate from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She’s based in Phoenix.
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