Coroner identifies body of man found in canal

YAKIMA, Wash. -- Yakima County authorities confirmed Friday that the body pulled from a Lower Valley canal earlier this week was that of 19-year-old Joseph John of Yakima.

John had been missing since December when he was last seen with 20-year-old Fernando Figueroa, whose plastic-wrapped body was pulled from the same canal in January. An autopsy showed Figueroa had died of multiple gunshot wounds.

Witnesses told investigators that John had accompanied Figueroa, who was either buying drugs or negotiating a drug deal when he vanished, said Stew Graham, chief of detectives for the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office.

Graham said the investigation into Figueroa’s death has stalled. No suspects have been identified.

If John’s death is ruled a homicide, it would be the 11th for the county this year. An autopsy is set for today.  Investigators said it appeared his body had been in the canal for several months.

Coroner Jack Hawkins said John was identified by dental and medical records as well as clothing that matched a description at the time of his disappearance. John also had a steel plate in his elbow that helped establish his identity, Hawkins said.

Sheriff’s deputies said his body was found Thursday by a federal employee doing maintenance work on a diversion dam in the Marion Drain canal near State Route 22 and Track Road.

According to court records, John spent most of his life living with his grandmother on South Seventh Street. A man at the home Friday afternoon told a reporter that she was not home.

John pleaded guilty last year to charges of vehicle theft for stealing a sheriff’s office bait vehicle that was parked at East Arlington and South Eighth Street in October. He was sentenced to 47 days in jail.

Anyone with information about the deaths and disappearances of the two men can call the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office at 509-574-2500. A cash reward  may be available for anonymous tips reported to Crime Stoppers of Yakima County, 800-248-9980.