Body recovered near Rock Island Dam identified as Wenatchee man

WENATCHEE — The Chelan County Coroner's Office has identified the man whose body was recovered from the Columbia River near Rock Island Dam earlier this month as 66-year-old Barry Dechenne of Wenatchee.

Coroner Earl Crowe announced the identification Wednesday. The cause and manner of Dechenne's death remain unknown and are still under investigation by the Chelan County Coroner's Office and detectives with the Chelan County Sheriff's Office.

The remains were discovered the evening of July 20 after the Chelan County Sheriff's Office received a report of a body in the Columbia River near Rock Island Dam at approximately 7:38 p.m. Deputies responded to the area, confirmed the report and summoned detectives and personnel from the Coroner's Office, who recovered the body by marine unit.

When authorities first announced the recovery, investigators said they were working to identify the deceased and determine the circumstances surrounding the death. At the time, they also confirmed the remains were not those of 18-year-old Erik Luna of Bridgeport, who has been missing since February, after speculation connected the discovery to the unsolved missing persons case.

Officials have not released additional information about how Dechenne died. The investigation remains active, and anyone with information that may assist investigators is asked to contact the Chelan County Sheriff's Office.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media