Hood River County Sheriff's Department

[Zendik]

Anyone who knows me knows that I had a problem with the Hood River DA and LE agency. IMO they are crooked and it looks a s if they may have done another wrong but I'll let you guys decide since you guys are the experts...
Here's the deal:
UNEXPLAINED DEATH
ERIC TAMIYASU
>>Link<<

Broadcast Date: July 26, 2002
SYNOPSIS: Eric Tamiyasu lived in a remote area outside of town next to the fruit orchard business he owned and operated. When Don Dixon and other friends of Eric failed to reach him for several days, Don went to his home to check on him. Don was met by an overpowering smell. He headed upstairs to the master bedroom and found Eric's lifeless body on the bed. Investigators from the Hood River County Sheriff's Department arrived on the scene but found no sign of trauma or anything that would immediately indicate that there was foul play. But an autopsy would reveal that Eric was killed by three gunshots to the head. The advanced state of decomposition of his body had disguised the true nature of his death.
As Eric Tamiyasu's body was being removed from his house, Sheriff Joe Wampler asked Don Dixon to burn the bedding in order to spare the family the grief and discomfort. The next morning Don Dixon set fire to the soiled bedding that had been removed from Eric's room. The following day, the autopsy revealed that three bullets were lodged in Eric's head. Dealing with a homicide, several theories began to emerge. Because of Sheriff Joe Wampler's decision to burn the bed, potentially valuable clues had been destroyed. But according to the Sheriff, based on the lack of evidence that Eric's death would turn into a criminal case he had decided to burn the bed so the family would not have to go through the trauma of viewing the horrid items that were left behind. But was that the real reason he destroyed potential evidence? A possible answer may have come up in a conversation Don Dixon said he had with Eric. According to Don, Eric told him about a new romantic relationship. Don thought that the woman Eric referred to might be the Sheriff's wife. But the sheriff has steadfastly denied that he had anything to do with Eric's murder. Eric Smith, a lifelong friend, had also been a business partner of Eric Tamiyasu. Don Dixon maintains that he overheard a heated argument between the victim and Eric Smith just days before the murder. Don said that the victim believed that Eric Smith was pocketing money that the victim needed because his orchard business was on a downslide. According to Don Dixon, after Tamiyasu confronted Smith about the money, Eric Tamiyasu was clearly upset. However, according to Eric Smith, the two did not have an argument nor did he owe Eric any money. Eric Smith maintains that Don Dixon lives in a fantasy world.
The third potential suspect is the man who discovered the body, Don Dixon. It was Don Dixon who notified Eric's sister, Ramona Tamiyasu, of her brother's death just minutes after he discovered the body. According to Eric's sister, Don said it didn't look like there was any foul play, and it also appeared that there weren't any exit wounds. She asked what he meant by exit wounds and why would there be gunshot wounds? According to Don Dixon, he looked closely at the body to see if Eric had shot himself. Don maintains that Eric had been depressed and that he looked at the body closely because he believed that Eric could have committed suicide.
Investigators theorize that the killer knew not only the remote location of the Tamiyasu home but also its layout. The murder weapon, believed to be a small caliber handgun, was not found. For now, many unanswered questions still remain.
If you have any information about the death of Eric Tamiyasu, please contact the Hood River County, Oregon Sheriff's Department or call the Unsolved Mysteries hotline, 1-800-876-5353.

These guys are known in Portland for being over zealous and fraudulant police work.

[coucousis]

This is a very old story ZEN .... I mean some stuff must have happenned since then...

Is there any truth to this at all.... ???? I got no idea ... it seems to me like a lot of suspicion and not much fact stated in that article... Is there any article to confirm that the sheriff did burn the bed sheet???? Is it confirmed by other sources....
Even if it is what makes you think that they are deliberatly hidding a murder???

If any citizens are worried about that and have serious facts to back it up.... I'm sure that FED or another police force would gladly investigate any allegations. I seriously doubt that any police force could hide a murder without being ask any questions and having to respond to a higher political or LE level.

[gdowkpc]

I haven't heard anything about this story.

[mcsap]

NOt enough evidence was presented by the article to reach any factual conclusion.

[Zendik]

Coucousis wrote.....

Is there any truth to this at all.... ???? I got no idea ... it seems to me like a lot of suspicion and not much fact stated in that article... Is there any article to confirm that the sheriff did burn the bed sheet???? Is it confirmed by other sources....

This happened about 4 years or so ago the local paper ran the story and had a bit on the burning of the bed but the paper is also owned by the powers that be up here, so...... But yes, they did mention the burning of the bed.

There are a lot of questionable practices going on up here, it's a small town and they have the press in their back pocket. I've even tried to file legitimate complaints but the sherriff will not take them, so have others... The DA has had numerous complaints sent to the AG from citizens and lawyers but I don't know what's up there.

I know there's not much to go on here but is it SOP to burn a bed that a decesed person was found on? Is it a crime scene untill proven different?

[coucousis]

Of course it is not SOP to burn evidence... but mistake happens....

I've been going trougth a case 6 years ago were a similar thing happenned. A citizen from the town where I work called us to inform us that her 26 years old son had just called her to inform her that he killed a man in Montreal. We were quite surprised since we did not know about any murder or homicide that would fit what she told us. We called Montreal Police and they confirmed the death of someone as described by the mother but their case was "suicide" oriented theory and the body was already gone to the morgue. After receiving the infos we received .... Montreal police retreive the body from the morgue and called in for an autopsy which confirmed a violent death. The suspect was arrested and sentence mostly because of the confession he made to his mother over the phone...

Lets say that it was embarassing for Montreal police investigator... but hey... mistake do happen... Nobody is proud of it but it does happen.
I'm pretty sure that quite a bit of suicide could turn out to be homicide if we would re-open all possible cases....

LEO are human ... they make mistake .... In a perfect world we would know upon arrival on the scene if it is a murder or a suicide but sometimes it is just not obvious.

[Zendik]

I can understand making mistakes but these guys up here have a reputation of doing wht they want when they want to whoever they want. I'll dig up everything I can and believe me there is a lot going on east of the Sandy River.