Lewis County coroner identifies Chehalis murder victim

May 8-The man found dead near Stan Hedwall Park Tuesday has been identified by the Lewis County Coroner's Office.

Tyler A. Reeves, 33, of Chehalis, died of blunt force trauma to the head, Lewis County Coroner

Warren McLeod said in a Friday news release.

The coroner said the manner of death was homicide.

The Chronicle previously reported Reeves as the assumed victim, based on information obtained from court documents, but noted the official release was still pending.

Connor J. Price, the 21-year-old accused of the murder, remains in custody in lieu of $5 million in bail following his preliminary appearance in Lewis County Superior Court Wednesday.

Price faces up to life in prison for the first-degree murder charge.

The defendant, who is represented by public defender Don Blair, is scheduled for an arraignment on May 14, where he will likely plead to the charges.

The Lewis County Sheriff's Office arrested Price hours after deputies discovered Reeves' body west of the train tracks and east and north of the Newaukum River, next to Stan Hedwall Park.

The probable cause affidavit filed by the Lewis County Prosecutor's Office on Wednesday contains a statement by the lead detective, describing the investigation.

According to the affidavit, the detective identified Price as a person of interest after speaking with a source who reportedly said Price had mentioned the victim being "beat to death."

Soon after, a deputy located Price and arrested him for two active warrants. Jail records indicate the warrants were issued for failures to appear in court for fourth-degree assault charges.

The detective interviewed Price at the sheriff's office.

Price, after receiving his Miranda warning, allegedly said "something to the effect of he 'did it' and he 'stomped'" the victim, according to the affidavit.

The suspect explained, allegedly saying he had found the victim on April 29 "passed out drunk on the trail on the other side of the train tracks."

Price allegedly said he hit the victim with a stick, then kicked the victim's head and jaw.

According to the detective's statement, Price said he dragged the victim "by the hands" to a nearby area, left for a few minutes, and then returned to find the victim "holding onto a tree and saying something to the effect of 'help me.'"

Price allegedly said he pushed the victim and again kicked him in the head, before grabbing another stick and striking the victim in the head.

Detectives at the scene noted that the victim "appeared to have a significant amount of blunt-force trauma to his head and was unrecognizable with the exception of a tattoo on his chest," according to the affidavit.

Detectives also reportedly found a large stick with blood on it, along with "drag marks" that corroborated Price's account.

According to the detective's statement, Price said "he did this act alone and had done it because he had just found out that (the victim) had raped a 16-year-old girl.

Price is listed as a "transient" Centralia resident in his charging information.

Court documents indicate Reeves was sentenced on Sept. 23, 2025, to one year and a day in prison after making Alford and Barr pleas to one count of third-degree assault of a child and three counts of third-degree assault.

Reeves had initially been charged with six counts of first-degree possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit content, as previously reported by The Chronicle.

According to state court records, Reeves had never been charged or convicted of rape.

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