Published on: December 17, 2024, 07:17h.
Last updated on: December 17, 2024, 07:17h.
The remains of an individual who had been missing for three years were recently found and identified by a medical examiner in Washington State. This individual was last seen alive at a local casino.
The identity of the deceased individual was confirmed by the Cowlitz County Coroner’s Office as Terry “TJ” Shinaver, aged 32, from St. Helens, Oregon.
Shinaver was found in a truck submerged in water in Woodland, Washington, discovered on December 7.
Tragic Accident
An autopsy revealed that the cause of death was accidental drowning, according to the coroner’s office. The man was identified through dental records. Further details regarding injuries were not disclosed.
A tow truck operator came across Shinaver’s truck while searching for a different vehicle in the area.
According to the coroner’s office, “Law Enforcement had been called out to recover a vehicle that had gone off the road and into the water off Dike Road in Woodland.”
When the tow truck recovered the vehicle, they realized that the one they retrieved was not the one that they were there to recover, and this vehicle had someone in it. The vehicle recovered … belong[ed] to Terry Shinaver.”
Woodland is located approximately 30 miles to the north of Portland.
Visit to ilani Casino Resort
Shinaver was last seen on the night of April 30, 2021, at the ilani Casino Resort in Ridgefield, Washington. The casino is operated by the Cowlitz Indian Tribe and is situated a short distance from where Shinaver’s vehicle was found.
Authorities have not disclosed the circumstances that led to Shinaver’s truck ending up in the water.
It remains unclear whether the vehicle lost control, veered off the road, and plunged into the water, or if there were other factors that contributed to the man’s death.
Shinaver was alone in the truck at the time of the incident, as only his body was recovered.
At the time of his disappearance, a description of Shinaver was released by local law enforcement. He was described as being six feet tall, weighing around 155 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a yellow long-sleeve work shirt, Carhartt jeans, and Carhartt boots.
He had been driving a black 1993 Ford Ranger with Oregon license plates. It is believed that this vehicle is the same one found submerged in Woodland.
The missing person case was being investigated by the St. Helens Police Department in Oregon.