Body recovered from homeless encampment south of Ridgefield

The Clark County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after human remains were recovered Wednesday from a homeless encampment in a wooded area near Northeast 179th Street and 10th Avenue just south of Ridgefield.

Acting on an online report from a neighbor, deputies discovered the partially decomposed remains of an male adult in a tent Tuesday, the sheriff’s office said.

Authorities made a recovery plan for the following morning, in part, because the site was difficult to access, the sheriff’s office said. Volunteers from Clark County Search and Rescue and Silver Star Search and Rescue cut a path through the woods just north of 179th Street to access the body.

The sheriff’s office’s major crimes unit and the Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office disassembled the tent and recovered the remains.

It appeared the body had been at the site for an extended period of time, with initial estimates of six to 12 months, the sheriff’s office said.

The medical examiner’s office is investigating the identity of the deceased.

The sheriff’s office said there are no indications of foul play at this point, but the major crimes unit is investigating the death.