Crime & Safety

UPDATE: Body of Puyallup Man Found in Gig Harbor Ditch

Puyallup resident Leon Dwayne Baucham, Jr. was found in a ditch near Purdy just outside Gig Harbor, according to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department. His death is being investigated as a homicide.

Updated: Friday, July 13, at 4:23 p.m.

The male body found in Gig Harbor on Thursday has been identified as 33-year-old Leon Dwayne Baucham, Jr. of Puyallup, according to the Pierce County Medical Examiner.

Officials have ruled his death as a homicide. The cause of death has been determined as a gunshot wound to the torso.  

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Updated: Friday, July 13, at 10 a.m.

The Pierce County Sherriff’s Department has initially identified the body as a 36-year-old man from East Pierce County, according to The News Tribune.

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Original post:

The body of an unidentified male was found in Gig Harbor on Thursday night, according to Pierce County Sherriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer’s Twitter page.

Around 10 p.m., authorities pulled the body from a ditch near Purdy in the 14900 block of 82nd Avenue NW.

Troyer tweeted that the body had “obvious signs of trauma due to homicide” and does not believe it’s a hit-and-run victim.

The also responded to assist with the crime scene.

Local residents who were walking their dog initially found the body, according to The Seattle Times.

Patch will provide more information as it becomes available. Click on "Keep me posted" below to receive email updates on this story.


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