Arrest made in suspicious death of a woman in Mason County

MASON COUNTY, Wash. — Detectives with the Mason County Sheriff’s Office have arrested a man in the suspicious death of a woman found in Elma in June.

June 11 deputies were called out to a body found in a wooded area near Schafer State Park in Elma. The female body was badly decomposing and had likely been there for weeks.

The Mason County Coroner’s Office later identified the woman as 29-year-old Joanna Ruth Saunders, from Spokane.

On June 22, clothing and other items belonging to Saunders were found dumped in Shelton, over 20 miles from where her body was found.

Though their investigation detectives were able to obtain video evidence and through interviews find out who Saunders was with leading up to her death.

On Wednesday detectives arrested a male suspect. He was booked on second-degree manslaughter.

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