PORT ANGELES — Clallam County sheriff’s deputies are investigating the unidentified body of a woman that was found in the woods near the site of the former Elwha Dam late Thursday afternoon.
She apparently was the victim of suicide.
Ron Cameron, chief criminal sheriff’s deputy, said the body of undetermined age was found off Lower Dam Road at about 4 p.m.
Cameron said the body was found with a single gunshot wound to the head and a revolver found near the body.
“It’s consistent with [a] self-inflicted [wound],” said Cameron, though the exact cause of death is still being investigated.
Cameron could not estimate the woman’s age. He said the body appeared to be there about a week.
The body was found about 65 yards off Lower Dam Road, after it turns into a gravel road, in a wooded area accessed by a narrow pathway, Cameron said.
Workers with the Washington Conservation Corps found the body, Cameron said.
A preliminary check with active missing person reports did not turn up anyone matching the woman’s description, Cameron added.
“As of yet, she is unidentified,” he said.
No vehicles associated with the woman have been found in the immediate area, Cameron said.
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Reporter Jeremy Schwartz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or at jschwartz@peninsuladailynews.com.
