Police investigating after body found on Puyallup River bank
Puyallup police are conducting a death investigation after a body was found Friday on the banks of the Puyallup River just outside the city limits.
The body has not been identified, Puyallup Police Department spokesperson Capt. Ryan Portmann said. Police are awaiting completion of an autopsy by the Pierce County medical examiner to determine the identity and cause of death.
Portmann said the body was found about 500 yards downriver from where East Main Avenue crosses the Puyallup River. A group of people walking with a dog in that area around 5:25 p.m. spotted it and alerted police about what they saw.
Cole Mitchell, 21, said he was walking with three friends along a rocky beach by the river’s edge when someone in the group saw shirts and other debris snagging on some trees by the water. The group investigated further and found the body partially on the river bank and partially in the water.
With the assistance of Pierce County Sheriff’s Department’s Swift Water Rescue team, the body was recovered.
Portmann said the body was in the water too long to report any obvious injuries.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story contained incorrect information about the group that found the body.
This story was originally published April 5, 2022 at 11:24 AM.
