Discovery of Unidentified Body in the Columbia
A man’s remains, recovered near Coyote Rapids, leave investigators with little evidence beyond dental work to identify him.
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A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The remains of a man were found floating in the Columbia River by Roderick Sprague while gathering driftwood on Tuesday, near Coyote Rapids. The body was so badly decomposed that it was beyond recognition, except for gold bridges in the upper teeth that may serve as a means of identification. Sheriff Duffy and Coroner Green, accompanied by William Guernsey, arrived Wednesday, removed the bridgework in the hope that the man’s name and the facts of his death may be determined, and buried the corpse near the river bank. It was the opinion of the coroner that the man must have been in the water for at least a year, and as he was without clothing, he was probably drowned while bathing.
“The body was so badly decomposed that it was beyond recognition except for gold bridges in the upper set of teeth that may serve as a means of identification.”
Unidentified bodies are still occasionally recovered from the Columbia River, a reminder of the river's historical status as both a source of life and a final, anonymous resting place. In 1916, dental work was the high-tech forensic standard; today, DNA testing carries that burden of closure.
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