22-year-old found dead in river after high-speed police chase, Washington cops say

Two days after authorities searched for a man who ran from officers after a high-speed chase, his family found his body in a river, Washington police and media reports say.

Chandler Radley, 22, led Washington State Patrol troopers on a pursuit Wednesday night, according to a Facebook post from the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office. Radley crashed his car and fled into a wooded area towards the Naches River, the post says.

State troopers did not try to search for him “as it was dark and unknown hazards,” Casey Schilperoort, a spokesperson for the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office, told McClatchy News in an email. Troopers did try to find Radley at his parents’ home, but he wasn’t there.

Radley’s father contacted WSP on Friday, saying his son hadn’t contacted any family members or friends, Schilperoort said. Yakima sheriff’s deputies searched the crash site for Radley by foot, drone and boat but they were unsuccessful.

After Friday’s search, the sheriff’s office declared Radley a missing person.

Over the weekend, Radley’s family continued to search for him. They found his body in the river near Bergland Lake Sunday, according to the sheriff’s office.

He could not be resuscitated. The coroner will conduct an investigation to determine whether there is “any information that leads to a crime,” but an initial examination did not show any signs of foul play, Schilperoort said.

CORRECTION: The crash occurred Wednesday night, not Thursday as originally reported.

This story was originally published March 15, 2021 at 3:22 PM with the headline "22-year-old found dead in river after high-speed police chase, Washington cops say."