Inquest Probes Patten and Colman Deaths on Lake Washington
Testimony from an inquest into the suspicious deaths of Patten and Colman near the shores of Lake Washington.
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The investigation into the deaths of Patten and Colman continues. Testimony regarding the state of the skiff and the discovery of the bodies near the south point of Mercer Island has been heard. Witnesses described finding the skiff with a broken oar and bloody signs, suggesting a violent end. Mr. Graham and others involved in the recovery of the bodies provided accounts of finding the victims in deep water, approximately 50 to 80 feet from the shore. The inquest, led by the authorities, seeks to clarify the timeline of events leading up to the discovery, with testimony from several local residents on their interactions with Miller prior to the incident.
“The boat laid on its side, surrounded by logs and debris. The boat was a skiff, fourteen feet long, with a flat bottom.”
Lake Washington was once a remote, rural frontier where land disputes and violent encounters were often settled far from the reach of quick law enforcement. Today, the quiet shores of Mercer Island and the lake are densely populated, but the memory of these early frontier mysteries still haunts the local history of the region's development.
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