College Place man found shot in the Walla Walla River had been dead awhile
A College Place man was fatally shot before being left in the Walla Walla River near Madame Dorion Memorial Park, according to the Walla Walla County Coroner’s Office.
Arcane J. “AJ” Wilkinson died from a gunshot wound, according to the autopsy. Coroner’s officials said they are not certain how long ago he suffered the fatal wound, but said he had been in the river for some time.
Wilkinson disappeared from College Place around Dec. 15 and had not been seen since, the College Place Police Department said.
A kayaker discovered Wilkinson’s body floating near where the Walla Walla River meets the Columbia River shortly before 8:15 a.m. on Jan. 29, the Walla Walla County Sheriff’s Office said. After a 911 call, deputies, the Columbia Basin Dive Rescue team and Walla Walla County Fire District 5 brought the body to shore.
The Walla Walla flows into the Columbia near Madame Dorion Memorial Park by the junction of Highways 12 and 730, about 20 miles south of Pasco.
The homicide investigation is ongoing, Walla Walla County sheriff’s deputies said in a Tuesday afternoon release.
Family members had been concerned about AJ for weeks after losing touch with him, said both his father, Glendon Wilkinson, and aunt, Linda Wilkinson.
AJ Wilkinson had a troubled past and was on probation when he moved to College Place with a woman from Louisiana. They broke up, but he met another woman and had a child on the way, family members said.
He loved fishing and cooking, and was working as a cook before his death. Linda Wilkinson said her nephew was trying to get clean.
“He was somebody’s son and brother and nephew, and he means something to all of us,” she said. “We’re all kind of walking around stuck in this surreal bubble. This is something that you see happen to other people.”
Anyone with information about what happened to AJ Wilkinson is asked to call the Walla Walla County Sheriff’s Office at 509-524-5400.
This story was originally published February 4, 2020 at 5:16 PM.