Soap Lake man's body recovered

Victim allegedly killed himself

SOAP LAKE — The body of missing 21-year-old Anthony "A.J." Scarboro was recovered Saturday afternoon.

The body of the late Soap Lake man was discovered by a fowl hunter, Chief Criminal Deputy John Turley said. The body was located three miles south of Soap Lake, near Ephrata Lake.

"Detectives at the scene, along with the coroner, determined that Scarboro apparently had taken his own life and had been at that location for quite some time," Turley noted.

An autopsy is scheduled for today. No further information is to be released until after the autopsy is completed, he said.

Family reported Scarboro missing Dec. 15 after he was missing for five days, he said. His vehicle was recovered in mid-December near Ephrata Lake with the keys still in it.

The sheriff's office was initially worried he may have been a victim of harsh weather conditions or he may have left the area and forgotten how to get back due a disability he had.

A couple of years ago, Scarboro was involved in a car accident causing him to lose his short term memory function, Turley said.

Several rescue missions were conducted to locate Scarboro by the sheriff's office.

His vehicle was located at the north end of Ephrata Lake in December and the area was searched on foot and horseback by search and rescue teams, he said. Aerial searches were conducted without success. People who knew him were interviewed as part of the search.

Weather halted some necessary search work.

— Staff report