Man arrested after body found at ‘end of a dead-end street’ in Thurston County
A Thurston County judge set bail at $50,000 for a man accused of unlawfully disposing of human remains in connection to a homicide investigation.
James Wade Brady, 67, attended his preliminary appearance hearing in Thurston County Superior Court on Wednesday.
Deputies booked Brady into the county jail Tuesday on suspicion of unlawful disposal of human remains and unlawful possession of a firearm. His arrest occurred a day after investigators found a deceased man with apparent injuries in the Lake Lawrence area of the county. The Sheriff’s Office said detectives were investigating the man’s death as a homicide. However, Brady has not been accused of causing the man’s death.
Judge Allyson Zipp found probable cause for the two alleged crimes and set bail at $50,000. In doing so, she found conditions are necessary to reasonably assure he would return to court when required and there exists a substantial risk he may unlawfully interfere in the case.
“These allegations are serious,” Zipp said. “They involve the yet unexplained death of an individual and the subsequent disposal of that individual’s body at the end of a dead-end street. There are circumstances in the allegations that lead to concerns about the nature of how that death occurred.”
When reached on Wednesday, Coroner Gary Warnock described the deceased as a 61-year-old man. He said he’s waiting on a toxicology report before determining his cause of death.
Warnock declined to share his identity because his office was still attempting to contact his family.
Deputy prosecuting attorney Sierra Mitchell asked Zipp to set bail at $50,000. However, public defense attorney Diana Wildland asked for Brady to be released on his personal recognizance.
Wildland acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations, but said Brady has not been accused of a violent crime.
“My client is in a financial circumstance where he has extremely limited means to post bail, if any means at all, and so I fear that any amount of bail would be tantamount to a no bail hold in this case,” Wildland said.
Brady has lived in Washington state since around 1991 and has family and friends in the area, she added.
Court records indicate Brady has a criminal history that dates back to 1982. More recently he was convicted of first-degree robbery and attempting to elude police in 2017.
Prosecutors have until 5 p.m. Friday to charge Bardy with a crime or else his bail will expire. If he is charged, he must return to court on Jan. 20 for his arraignment hearing.
The investigation
A probable cause statement describes the investigation into Brady from the perspective of law enforcement. Prosecutors prepare these statements to help judges find probable cause and set conditions of release.
The probable cause statement gives this account of what happened:
Deputies responded to the 14800 block of Lindsay Road just before 3 p.m. on Jan. 12 after someone reported a dead body in the area.
There appeared to be blunt force trauma to the top and front of the man’s head, possibly consistent with a hammer, according to court records. His forehead also appeared to be cut and there was an odd circular pattern on his stomach.
Based on his condition, detectives reasoned he must have died a few days ago.
Residents in the area told detectives an unfamiliar blue van drove by earlier that morning.
One resident shared home security footage that showed an early 2000s Honda Odyssey drive by.
Detectives noted tattoos on the deceased man’s body and contacted the Washington state Department of Corrections. The agency matched the tattoos with those of a former inmate, allowing detectives to identify him.
Detectives then reviewed law enforcement calls that involved the deceased man. In one call, he asked law enforcement to give him a ride home next to an auto shop and gas station in Olympia.
A detective went to the auto shop. There, she allegedly found an RV as well as a Honda Odyssey that matched the one seen in the home security footage.
An employee allegedly identified the driver and the detective called for back-up. As she waited, the detective noticed the driver sitting in the RV.
When back-up arrived, detectives approached the driver and allegedly identified him as Brady. While speaking to him, a detective noticed a circular pattern on a floor mat in the van that matched the pattern on the deceased man’s stomach, according to court records.
Detectives also allegedly observed a blue tarp, the handle of a hammer sticking out from under the tarp, a 1-inch-thick brown rope and a small sledgehammer.
Brady allegedly told detectives he was home all day Monday until 8 p.m. and no one else used his van.
Detectives booked him into the county jail.
A search of the Flock Safety camera database allegedly indicated the van traveled through Yelm Monday morning, near where the deceased man was found.
After obtaining a search warrant, detectives recovered evidence from the RV and van, including the hammer, rope, floor mat, tarp, a cell phone and biological materials, according to court records.
Detectives also allegedly found a sawed-off shotgun behind the RV driver’s seat, according to the statement. Given Brady’s past convictions, he was not allowed to possess firearms.
This story was originally published January 15, 2026 at 5:30 AM.
