Remains found by river are of missing Pasco man

PASCO -- The family of a missing Pasco man has gotten the news they never wanted to hear.

Remains found last week along the Columbia River near Wallula has been identified as 21-year-old Peter Sullivan, said Walla Walla County Coroner Frank Brown on Thursday.

Friends and family have been searching for Sullivan since July 10 and Pasco police had him listed as a missing endangered person.

"There is sorrow, certainly, and we are grieving, but there is no fear or despair," Sullivan's family said in a written statement. "We can take comfort in knowing that Peter is with Jesus, the best place that he can be, and that we will see him again one day."

Two people walking along the shoreline near the Boise Paper plant discovered the partially decomposed remains Aug. 24, Brown said. A state anthropologist was called to help make an identification.

Dental records were used to identify Sullivan. The cause of death still is unknown, Brown said.

Walla Walla County Sheriff Mike Humphreys said they are working with Pasco police detectives to investigate the death.

"We're still waiting to hear from the forensic anthropologist to see if there's any kind of trauma (to the body)," Humphreys said. "It's a suspicious death, it's under investigation, but there doesn't appear to be any foul play."

Sullivan lived with his brother, Brandon, in the Stonegate Apartments on Road 68 and worked as a cart courtesy clerk at the Walmart down the road.

His parents, Nancy and Terry Sullivan, are missionaries in Benin, West Africa, and returned to the Tri-Cities on July 25 to help search for Peter.

"This is not, of course, the result any of us wanted. Nevertheless, God has answered our prayers. We prayed for Peter's safety, and he is safe. We prayed for healing for Peter's mind, and now he is whole and perfect in body and soul," the family said.

"We prayed for Peter to know in a profound way that God loves him, and now he knows that love better than any of us. We prayed for Peter's life to draw people to God. Prayer brings us closer to God, and all those who prayed because of Peter are closer to God than they were."

The Sullivans talked to the Herald last week about their search for their son, who grew up as a missionary kid, graduated from Richland High School and had attended Columbia Basin College.

His mother said Peter was quiet and withdrawn around people he didn't know, but if he was comfortable around somebody he could "go on and on and on," she said in a story that ran Sunday.

The last recorded sighting of Peter was just after 5 p.m. July 9 at the Walgreens on Road 68. His parents said the apartment manager reported seeing Peter walking in front of the apartments July 19, but didn't know Peter was missing.

Members of West Side Church in Richland and co-workers at Walmart helped his family look for Peter by posting fliers around town, going to homeless shelters and searching other areas where homeless people gather.

"Those people are a lot more acutely aware now of the condition of the homeless. That's a way to grow," Nancy Sullivan said Thursday. "That can't be a bad thing."

The Sullivans said they're grateful for the support from everyone who searched for Peter and expressed thanks to Brown and Pasco police Detective Reuben Marquez for "their extraordinary sensitivity and kindness through this process."

They're also taking solace in knowing that Peter's life, though short, was meaningful.

"Peter's life touched so many people ... just a kid here in the Tri-Cities has affected so many people's lives around the world. That's really neat," Terry Sullivan said. "We miss Peter, but his life affected people more than we can ever know."