Investigators ID body found in a remote Benton County field. But was it murder?

Investigators have identified the person found dead in a field in late April.

While they know who the person was, they aren’t releasing who it is yet while the investigation continues, according to Benton County Coroner Bill Leach and the Benton County Sheriff’s Office.

Officials are concerned potential suspects in the death may flee if more information is released.

The person’s family has been notified but officials are not releasing the adult’s gender or age.

Farmworkers working in the area found the remains at the edge of a crop circle field on April 29. The field was in a remote area between Finley and Plymouth.

It’s believed the person had been there for years.

Since then the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Officer performed an autopsy.

The body is now in the hands of Kathy Taylor, a forensic anthropologist, to determine if the person was killed or died naturally.

Taylor has equipment and expertise that the Benton County Coroner’s Office doesn’t have, Leach said. It’s unclear how long it will take her and a small staff to examine the remains.

Investigators had been looking at missing person cases from Benton and Franklin counties, including Estela Torres Rodriguez, who was likely killed in her Franklin County home; Nathan Rich, who is believed to be dead after disappearing in 2018, and Jessica Adams, who disappeared in 2020.

Anyone with information they believe could help the investigation can contact the Benton County Sheriff’s Office at 509-628-0333.