The Chronicle

The body of a missing woman was recovered from a sunken vehicle in the Chehalis River near Oakville Monday

The victim, 45-year-old Sabrina Lynn Cole, had been missing since March 20.

Her body was recovered after Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office received information from volunteer searchers on April 3 that they’d located what they believed to be a car in the Chehalis River down river from the Elma Gate Road West boat launch in Oakville, according to a press release.

The Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office and the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife responded to the location and were able to utilize an underwater camera to locate the vehicle in the river and confirm it was registered to Cole. The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office dive team was contacted and responded to the scene. Due to the water conditions and a lack of resources at that time, they were unable to send divers into the river, according to the Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office.

The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office dive team, Olympic Mountain Search and Rescue, Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, Chehalis Tribal Police and the Grays Harbor Sheriff’s responded on April 5 in an attempt to recover the vehicle, and Pierce County divers were able to attach tow lines and remove the vehicle from the river around noon. Cole was located deceased in the vehicle, according to the Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office.

The Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office will work with the coroner’s office to determine a cause of death and will work with the Chehalis Tribal Police Department to investigate the incident.

If you have any information on this case, contact the Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office at 360-249-3711.