Officers investigate unattended death

Wahkiakum County Sheriff’s Department have investigated an unattended death at a residence on Bradley Mountain and determined the victim died of a massive heart attack, Sheriff Mark Howie reported Friday.

Robert Conner's wife told officers that she found him unresponsive in his recliner chair Wednesday morning. She called the sheriff’s office dispatch center and officers responded.

A large amount of blood was observed at the scene and was later determined to have been caused by a wound on the Conner's leg.

Howie said a state crime scene investigation team had studied the scene. An autopsy was conducted Friday, with the medical examiner determining the cause of death was a massive heart attack.

"With circumstances like this, we take a full court press," Wahkiakum County Prosecuting Attorney/Coroner Dan Bigelow said. "We did a very thorough autopsy; before the autopsy yielded its results, we asked the Washington State Crime Lab to come down here and do a thorough work up of the scene. I will still be looking at their report, but based on the autopsy, this was a natural death."

"Suspicion was warranted based on the facts at the time but turned out to be unjustified," Bigelow said.