By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
Authorities may never know how the wanted Colorado man, whose body was found this summer at Riffe Lake, died.
James A. Sprague, 49, was found dead in July near the Mossyrock Dam fishing area. He was being sought by Denver police for the March slaying of his girlfriend.
The Lewis County Coroner’s Office got word yesterday that DNA tests confirmed the badly decomposed remains were Sprague’s, but they don’t expect to learn more about what killed him.
“There is actually no possibility we will be able to determine a cause and manner because of the condition of the body,” Chief Deputy Coroner Dawn Harris said this morning.
Denver police had obtained an arrest warrant for Sprague after his 30-year-old girlfriend was found March 25, dead with a head injury in the bathroom of her home, according to the Denver Police Department. Rose Westendorf died from blunt force trauma, and it was determined to be a homicide, according to the department
In April, a vehicle belonging to Sprague was impounded after it was found abandoned near the Blue Lake Campground outside of Randle, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office. (The Denver Police Department reported it belonged to Westendorf)
On July 28, some 30 miles away, a recreational boater found an adult’s body on the shore’s edge at the west end of Riffe Lake.
Items in the area suggested he might have set up camp there and a backpack next to the body contained Sprague’s identification.
It’s a reservoir where water level goes up and down. Harris said the water and the length of time he had been there make it impossible to conclude how he died.
The cause and manner of his death, as well as the date will all be listed as unknown, Harris said.
Sheriff’s detectives continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding Sprague’s death.
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Read “News brief: ID found with body near Mossyrock belongs to murder suspect, sheriff’s office says” from Friday July 30, 2010 here
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter