The Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office has positively identified human remains found in Klickitat County on September 28, 2023. The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information is urged to contact the KCSO. The remains have been identified as Gary A. Zosel, who went missing in December 2021. Columbia Community Connection reported
Press Release from Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office:
Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office
Press Release from Sheriff Bob Songer
December 1, 2023
Human Remains Found on 9/28/2023 In Klickitat County have been Positively Identified
On September 28, 2023, a citizen made a startling discovery in a wooded area near the 200 block of Bates Road, White Salmon. The individual stumbled upon skeletonized human remains, prompting an immediate response from the Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington State Patrol Crime Scene Response Team.
At present, the Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office and the Klickitat County Prosecutor/Coroner are diligently working to identify the deceased individual and determine the cause and manner of death. This ongoing investigation seeks to shed light on this mysterious case.
Officials have requested that anyone with information relating to this incident come forward and contact KCSO Sgt. Erik Anderson at erika@klickitatcounty.org. The community’s assistance could prove crucial in solving this tragic case.
To facilitate the identification process, the human remains were transferred to the Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office. There, a forensic pathologist will conduct a thorough examination.
In a significant development, on October 3rd, 2023, Sondra Lentz reached out to the Klickitat County Prosecutor/Coroner’s Office. Lentz informed the office that her son, Gary A. Zosel, 41 years old, had gone missing on or about December 18, 2021. At that time, Zosel was residing in the Snowden area of Klickitat County.
Following this new lead, Klickitat County Sheriff’s Detective Sergeant Erik Anderson interviewed Mrs. Lentz. During the interview, she revealed that her last communication with Zosel was a routine text message on December 18th, 2021 at 0618 hours. She grew concerned when she didn’t hear from him after that date since they typically maintained regular contact every couple of days.
The Klickitat County Prosecutor’s Office obtained dental charts and X-rays of Gary A. Zosel, which were subsequently sent to the Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office for evaluation by a forensic odontologist.
On November 29th, 2023, Detective Sergeant Erik Anderson received confirmation of the positive identification of the human remains as Gary A. Zosel. This breakthrough was made possible through the collaborative efforts of the Klickitat County Coroner’s Office, forensic pathologist Dr. Martha Burt of the Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office, forensic anthropologist Dr. Andrew Seidel of the King County Medical Examiner’s Office, and forensic odontologist Dr. Kyle Tanaka, a consultant with the Washington State Patrol Missing/Unidentified Persons Unit.
Sheriff Bob Songer expresses his gratitude to everyone involved in assisting Detective Sergeant Erik Anderson with this exhaustive investigation, which ultimately led to the positive identification of the human remains as Gary A. Zosel. Their dedication and expertise have been instrumental in bringing closure to this tragic case.
The Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office is urging anyone with information about Gary A. Zosel’s disappearance and/or death to come forward and contact Klickitat County Sheriff’s Detective Sergeant Erik Anderson at 1-509-773-4455 or via email at erika@klickitatcounty.org. The authorities are counting on the community’s support to help uncover the truth behind this distressing event..