Double homicide: the grim trail from Goldendale to Toppenish Newhouse meets with farmers on ag issues

Representative Dan Newhouse visited Goldendale last Tuesday to discuss top issues facing the agriculture industry. The roundtable discussion was one leg of the Congressman’s Farm Bill Tour where he is meeting with Central Washington farmers to talk over their priorities for this year’s Farm Bill. Dan Newhouse is currently serving as the U.S. representative for Washington’s 4th congressional district. He served as director of the Washington State Department of Agriculture before his election to Congress. The new Farm Bill,

Multiple law enforcement agencies combine in investigation

Last Thursday and Friday, multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Klickitat County Sheriff’s Offi ce (KCSO) and an FBI Taskforce, joined in investigating a double homicide.

On March 16 at about 10 p.m., the Klickitat County Department of Emergency Management received information from the FBI Taskforce out of Yakima of a possible suspect involved in burning two bodies on the Yakama Nation Tribal Reservation in the Toppenish, Washington, area. One of the suspects was believed to be in the Goldendale area.

The following day about 2 p.m., Officer Michael Steljes with the Goldendale Police Department, Deputy Zack McBride with the Sheriff’s Office, and agents with the FBI Taskforce located a vehicle associated with one of the sus- pects in the case in Goldendale. A traffic stop was conducted on the associated vehicle, and two subjects were taken into custody. The first subject was determined to be a suspect in the burning of the two bodies. The second subject was determined to not be involved in the incident but was found to have a warrant for his arrest in an unrelated case. Through the investigation, it was determined a homicide involving the two dead bodies had occurred on Box Canyon Road north of Goldendale. A third crime scene was located along Highway 97 on the Yakama Nation Tribal Reservation.

Agents with the FBI Seattle Office as well as agents with the FBI Yakima Office processed the crime scene where the bodies had been burned. The Washington

State Patrol sent a detective unit along with a Washington State Patrol Crime Scene Response Team to assist in processing the other crime scenes.

A second suspect was identified and is believed to be the shooter. This suspect is believed to still be armed with the weapon used in the homicide and is thought to have been driven to Rufus, Oregon.

The Sherman County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the investigation and called in The Dalles Police Department SWAT Team and the Mid-Columbia SWAT Team.

Attempts were made to arrest the second suspect at his residence, but the suspect left approximately 20 minutes before the SWAT teams arrived. Warrants were issued for the

See Murders page A8