Chuan Yang, an Asian male, 28, was last alive before his remains were discovered on May 3, 2017, in a wooded stretch of West Spokane County known as the West Plains. A turkey hunter hiking near Brooks Road and Thorpe Road came upon a human skull partially covered by dirt, prompting a wide search of more than 100 acres. Over the following weeks, additional remains and personal effects surfaced in the same area, including clothing and other items that suggested he had been there for some time.
By mid-September 2017, the Spokane County Medical Examiner identified the remains as those of Chuan Yang, 28, and reported that he died from a gunshot wound to the head. Investigators at the scene had also found a. 45-caliber handgun and a. 45-caliber shell casing near the remains, details later confirmed in court documents and by law enforcement. At that point, the manner of death had not yet been determined, and detectives kept working to establish whether a crime had occurred.
On October 26, 2017, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office announced that the investigation was closed after ruling the death a suicide. The agency noted that the gun located near the remains was a. 45-caliber Glock and that Yang’s Social Security card was also found at the scene; records showed he had purchased the handgun in 2015. With the manner of death determined to be self-inflicted, there were no arrests and no suspects sought in the case.
