Family of woman found dead in Kennewick gravel pit want answers

A Kennewick woman found dead Sunday in a gravel pit near the Benton County Fairgrounds reportedly went missing a few days before Christmas but family members didn’t learn of her disappearance until after the start of the new year.

Now her relatives wonder how the chronic alcoholic who struggled to walk and suffered from dementia could have gotten to the gravel pit a mile from where she lived.

Pamela Kenney, 59, was found Sunday by a man walking his dog. Investigators say there were no signs of violence and that she likely died of hypothermia three to 10 days earlier.

Her niece, Jacy Herrera of Richland, saw a Tri-City Herald Facebook post about the discovery of a woman’s body and feared the worse. She called her mom in Mount Vernon, Wash., who then called investigators.

Herrera said she and other family members are frustrated at the lack of information about Kenney and the circumstances of her death and her whereabouts in recent weeks.

“She had a lot of problems but she was our family, and we loved her,” said Herrera.

Herrera hadn’t spoken with her aunt in months but her mother visited Kenney about two months ago after getting a call from one of the people Kenney lived with, saying Kenney was in bad shape.

Kathleen Justice, Kenney’s sister, took Kenney for a medical checkup and began looking for other housing options but Kenney refused any help.

“The problem is Pam didn’t want to give up the drinking,” said Herrera.

Weeks after Justice’s visit, one of Kenney’s roommates called Justice and told her they hadn’t seen Kenney for more than a week. Kenney, who has one daughter, Sarah, in Prosser, lived with a boyfriend and his family.

“They said they went shopping and came back to find her missing,” Herrera said.

Justice returned to the Tri-Cities to search for her sister.

Clerks at an east Kennewick grocery store said they’d seen Kenney in recent days when she tried to buy alcohol with a card issued for disability benefits. The family also called jails and homeless shelters in an unsuccessful attempt to find her.

The Benton County coroner is waiting for toxicology results from Kenney’s autopsy, and Detective Sgt. Kevin McCary said they are still investigating but “at this point there is no indication of wrongful death.”

Herrera said they can now begin the grieving process but they also hope to learn more about what happened to her.

“We’re just trying to get answers,” Herrera said.

This story was originally published January 12, 2016 at 6:03 PM with the headline "Family of woman found dead in Kennewick gravel pit want answers."