Missing Coulee City Man’s Body Found in Remote Douglas County

A tragic end to a missing person's case.

   Coulee City Man Found Deceased in Douglas County

Since July 5th, Douglas County Searchers and others had been looking for a Coulee City Man reported missing.  He was last seen leaving his home July 5th.

70--year-old John Morrison was captured on surveillance cameras leaving his home, driving away. Then just over an hour later, a trail-animal cam near Orondo in Douglas County captured an image of someone who matched his description.

  Searchers Found his Body July 16th

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office received a report July 14th. about an abandoned car on a rough gravel road near Orondo, which is about 51 miles west of Coulee City.  The reporting party feared it might be a stolen car, but then it was matched to the missing man.  Deputies had also been alerted about the animal-cam sighting.

Officials began to search, and the vehicle was released back to the family.

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After searching, Morrison's body was located in very steep terrain, several hundred feet felow where his car had been located.  The area was initially inaccessible to most retrieval equipment.

With help from the Spokane County Sheriff's Office, and their Aviation Unit, Morrison's body was able to be retrieved from the area.  Initially, Investigators said they were not sure how long he had been there.

Authorities have not said if they know why he was there, the Coroner will determine the cause of death.