Clark County law enforcement arrested a man Tuesday morning on suspicion of murder in the death of a man who went missing in early February in Camas.
The body of Michael Chad Holmes was found Saturday near Washougal’s Hathaway Park, according to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
SWAT officers served search and arrest warrants Tuesday morning and took 47-year-old Randy John Schmidt into custody on suspicion of second-degree murder, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
Holmes was last seen Feb. 5 when he left his family’s residence and got into a man’s car. He reportedly headed for Fern Prairie Market, 1817 N.E. 267th Ave., the sheriff’s office previously told The Columbian.
The sheriff’s office said Tuesday that Holmes’ disappearance happened under suspicious circumstances. Deputies said the vehicle he entered was a tan GMC Yukon, which was located last month in the Lewis River.
Deputies and Clark County Fire & Rescue crews were dispatched in the late morning of March 7 to 33500 N.W. Hale Road, a boat ramp at the East Fork of the Lewis River, north of ilani, for a report of an unoccupied submerged vehicle.
When asked about the vehicle, sheriff’s Detective Adam Beck said it possibly could be part of an ongoing investigation and requested the vehicle’s recovery be kept out of the news for the time being.
“Trace evidence was located in the recovered vehicle, which tied the vehicle to Holmes,” the sheriff’s office said in Tuesday’s news release.
Holmes’ body was found Saturday in the Washougal River; he appeared to have suffered a traumatic head injury, sheriff’s Sgt. Brent Waddell said.
The Clark County Major Crimes Unit continues to investigate Holmes’ death.
