Missing Richland man found dead 65 miles from Tri-Cities

A missing Richland man has been found dead.

Deputies were called to Naught Road near Bickleton on Friday for a call reporting an unattended, unlocked vehicle with personal items in the front seat, according to a Wednesday news release from the Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office.

While looking around the area, a body was discovered in a field.

Klickitat County deputies began an investigation with a police dog and K9 officer. There was no sign of a struggle or indication of a crime, they said.

The man was identified as Christopher Muller, 53, of Richland. He had been reported missing by his parents earlier in the day.

The Klickitat County Coroner’s office will investigate how he died, but at this time it appears to be a medical episode, according to the news release.

Cory McCoy

Tri-City Herald

Cory is an award-winning investigative reporter. He joined the Tri-City Herald in Dec. 2021 as an Editor/Reporter covering social accountability issues. His past work can be found in the Tyler Morning Telegraph and other Texas newspapers. He was a 2019-20 Education Writers Association Fellow, and has been featured on The Murder Tapes, Grave Mysteries and Crime Watch Daily with Chris Hansen.