Photo: Clark County Sheriff's Office
An investigation is underway after authorities in Washington state discovered a woman's body inside an abandoned barn. The Clark County Medical Examiner's Office has identified the victim as Joanna Speaks, a 32-year-old from Oregon, according to the county's sheriff's office.
On April 8, Ridgefield Police and Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue responded to reports of a dead person at an abandoned property near the 8000 block of S 5th St in Ridgefield, Washington. While there are scant details about the circumstances of Speaks' death, she died of "blunt head and neck injuries," KOMO learned. Detectives are investigating it as a homicide.
According to reporters, investigators have evidence indicating her body was moved to the location.
Officials are looking to speak with anyone who saw any suspicious people or vehicles in the 8000 block of South 5th Street over the last few weeks. They also wish to contact anyone who spoke with Speaks or knows anything about her whereabouts or the people she was associating with before her death. Detectives also shared photos of Speaks when they reached out to the public for assistance on Tuesday, April 18.
No word on if Speaks was reported missing by authorities in Oregon before her body was found.
Anyone with information about the case is encouraged to call the Clark County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit Tip Line at 564-397-2847.