Human Remains Found in Klickitat County Positively Identified as Gary A. Zosel

Accident – Death – Obituary News : Press Release from Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office:

Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office
Press Release from Sheriff Bob Songer
December 1, 2023

Human Remains Found on September 28, 2023, in Klickitat County have been Positively Identified

On September 28, 2023, a concerned citizen made a shocking discovery in a wooded area near the 200 block of Bates Road, White Salmon. The citizen stumbled upon skeletonized human remains, prompting immediate action from the Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington State Patrol Crime Scene Response Team.

Since then, the Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office and the Klickitat County Prosecutor/Coroner have been diligently working to identify the decedent and determine the cause and manner of death. The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities are appealing to the public for any information that may aid in the case. Anyone with relevant information is urged to contact KCSO Sgt. Erik Anderson at erika@klickitatcounty.org.

To facilitate the identification process, the human remains were taken to the Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office. There, a skilled forensic pathologist meticulously examined the remains to gather crucial insights.

On October 3rd, 2023, Sondra Lentz reached out to the Klickitat County Prosecutor/Coroner’s Office, reporting that her son, Gary A. Zosel, had gone missing around December 18, 2021. Lentz informed authorities that Zosel was residing in the Snowden area of Klickitat County at the time of his disappearance.

Detective Sergeant Erik Anderson, assigned to the case, promptly contacted Mrs. Lentz for a follow-up interview. During the conversation, Mrs. Lentz revealed that she last heard from her son via text message on December 18th, 2021, in what seemed like a routine exchange. However, she expressed concern as she hadn’t heard from him since that day, despite their regular communication every couple of days.

In an effort to confirm the identity of the human remains, the Klickitat County Prosecutor’s Office obtained dental charts and X-rays of Gary A. Zosel. These records were then sent to the Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office, where a forensic odontologist evaluated them meticulously.

Finally, on November 29th, 2023, Detective Sergeant Erik Anderson received the long-awaited news that the human remains had been positively identified as those of Gary A. Zosel. This significant breakthrough was made possible through the combined efforts of the Klickitat County Coroner’s Office, forensic pathologist Dr. Martha Burt from the Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office, forensic anthropologist Dr. Andrew Seidel from the King County Medical Examiner’s Office, and forensic odontologist Dr. Kyle Tanaka, a consultant with the Washington State Patrol Missing/Unidentified Persons Unit.

Sheriff Bob Songer expressed his gratitude to everyone involved in the investigation, particularly Detective Sergeant Erik Anderson, for their relentless efforts in bringing closure to the case. He acknowledged that the positive identification of the human remains as Gary A. Zosel was a significant milestone.

The Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office is now urging anyone who may have information regarding Gary A. Zosel’s disappearance and death to come forward. Detective Sergeant Erik Anderson can be reached at 1-509-773-4455 or via email at erika@klickitatcounty.org. Any piece of information, no matter how small, could prove vital in unraveling the circumstances surrounding this tragic event..