The Chelan County community has been grappling with the tragic loss of a young man, Justin Lasater, who was recently reported missing. The Chelan County Sheriff's Office posted on their social media detailing the circumstances of Lasater's disappearance and subsequent discovery.
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Lasater, a 24-year-old from Entiat, was last seen on December 2 and did not show up for work the following day. The initial missing person's report indicates that a tracking app placed his last known whereabouts on 97A, north of Rocky Reach Dam. While deputies quickly checked the area, including Swakane Canyon, neither Lasater nor his vehicle, a white Nissan Pathfinder, were located at the time
Despite efforts to contact Justin on December 4, there had been no success, prompting an extensive search by Chelan County Volunteer Search and Rescue along with deputies. They scoured the Entiat River drainage but came up empty-handed. It wasn't until December 8 that conditions permitted the Sheriff's Office Air Support Unit to fly over the region, leading to a somber discovery north of milepost 211 on 97a.
The search crews found a white SUV submerged in the Columbia River, with rescue swimmers from Chelan Fire Rescue confirming the vehicle as Lasater's. A noticeable grim reality set in when they identified an occupant in the driver's seat. The Washington State Patrol, assuming jurisdiction due to the location of the collision, later confirmed the driver was indeed Justin Lasater. The circumstances surrounding the incident are still under investigation by the WSP.
