2 arrested in connection with discovery of man’s body buried near Nisqually River

The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office arrested a Yelm man and woman Thursday in connection with a homicide investigation.

According to a news release from the Sheriff’s Office, the arrest was made on June 13 with the help of Yelm Police, Tumwater Police, the Thurston County Narcotics Task Force, and TCSO detectives. Detectives had been investigating the homicide since June 7, when a man’s body was found buried near the Nisqually River.

The body was identified by the Thurston County Coroner as Robert Erwin, who had been reported missing from the Yelm area. The coroner said Erwin’s cause of death was homicide, but any further details were awaiting confirmation from detectives.

The man and woman, both in their mid 30s, were booked on suspicion of rendering criminal assistance, tampering with physical evidence, and unlawful disposal of human remains. The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to contact detectives@co.thurston.wa.us.

This story was originally published June 14, 2024 at 10:51 AM.

Ty Vinson

The Olympian

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Ty Vinson covers the City of Olympia and keeps tabs on Tumwater and other communities in Thurston County. He joined The Olympian in 2021. Before that, he earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism at Indiana University. In college, he worked as an intern at the Northwest Indiana Times, the Oregonian and the Arizona Republic as a Pulliam Fellow. Support my work with a digital subscription