This information is from the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office.
WOODLAND – Personnel from the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office, the Woodland Police Department and the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab are continuing to process the scene of an apparent homicide at 2145 Dahlia St., in Woodland.
Firefighters from Clark County Fire & Rescue (CCFR) were dispatched to the residence at 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday after a witness saw flames coming from the front door of the house. CCFR then found a deceased 63-year-old male inside the home. The scene and evidence was suspicious in nature, so law enforcement was notified. Woodland Police are actively investigating this incident as a homicide.
Law enforcement personnel continue to process the scene, which includes examining, collecting and preserving evidence. They are also in the process of interviewing neighbors and other people who have information that may be related to the investigation.
Officials from the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office have confirmed that the fire was intentionally set in the house and was quickly extinguished by the personnel from Clark County Fire & Rescue. There are also other circumstances about this case that cause detectives to believe this is a homicide and they are treating it as such.
The name of the victim, cause of death and other details are not being released at this time as it is still early in the investigation. Sheriff’s Office officials said they do not want to release details that would compromise the investigation.
Anyone that has any information that may relate to this case is asked to call Detective Sgt. Brad Thurman and leave a message at (360) 577-3092. Anyone who wishes to remain anonymous can do so by using a smartphone app called “tip411.” Tipsters need to look for the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office and send the tip to them using this app. The service makes the tipster completely anonymous.
