Gano Likely Died from Natural Causes

DAYTON – The cause of death remains unknown in the case of Shirley "Ben" Gano, the 88-year-old Oregon man whose body was found near Starbuck last week, Columbia County Coroner Rea Culwell told The Times on Monday.

Preliminary results from Monday's autopsy, however, indicate that the manner of Gano's death was natural, according to Culwell.

More tests will be conducted, but at this time the cause of death could not be determined "due to the condition of the body," she said.

Gano's body was located in a ravine several hundred feet from his vehicle near Starbuck on Monday, June 15. Gano was last seen in Colville on May 30, driving home to Rainier, Ore, in his SUV – a blue BMW X5.

For more than two weeks, law enforcement and citizens across the state aided Gano's family in searching for the man.

Last Wednesday, Columbia County Sheriff Rocky Miller released further details of the local search leading to the discovery of Gano's body.

"Mr. Gano bought gas in Richland, Wash., on the 30th, then again in Walla Walla on the 31st," according to Miller's press release. "On the 31st, Mr. Gano's family reported him missing to Colville Police Department. On June 1st, Colville notified Columbia County, asking for assistance since Mr. Gano's cell phone appeared to be in Columbia County."

Gano's cell phone was reported to be in range of the Starbuck cell tower and was not "hitting" any other tower, Miller said.

Deputies searched the area from June 1-3; on June 3 a local pilot took a Columbia County deputy on an air search as well, he said.

From there the search intensified. On June 8 and 9, the Civil Air Patrol conducted air searches, with ground searches continuing through June 13 by Columbia County and Walla Walla County sheriff's offices as well as the Washington State Patrol.

Gano's family along with a member of King County Search and Rescue and many volunteers from Starbuck and Dayton came together beginning June 13 to search various areas in Columbia and Walla Walla counties, Miller stated.

King County Search and Rescue also provided a coverage map of various intersecting cell towers to assist in narrowing the search.

"On the evening of June 14th, Mr. Gano's family learned of a blue vehicle that had been spotted a couple of days before at the bottom of a ravine, in a remote area northwest of Starbuck," Miller stated.

The family, with the assistance of several Starbuck residents, were then able to locate the vehicle.

Once they confirmed that the vehicle was Gano's and was unoccupied, they contacted the Columbia County Sheriff's Office, Miller said. Deputies arrived at the scene at close to midnight and began searching around the vehicle, looking for any trace of Gano.

At about 1:30 a.m., responders called off the search to wait for daylight. The search resumed at 7 a.m. on Monday, June 15, Miller said. Again, numerous Starbuck residents, Walla Walla Search and Rescue volunteers and local deputies worked together to comb the area.

At 10:05 a.m., Gano's body was discovered; it was approximately 600 yards north of his vehicle, Miller said. It was clear he had been deceased for some time, according to the Columbia County Coroner.

"At this time it is unknown why Mr. Gano deviated from his planned trip of Colville to Walla Walla to Rainier, or how/why he got on the private roads he was on," Miller said.

Gano's SUV was wedged nose down in the steep gully and covered with dust, however the vehicle did not appear to be damaged; its airbags had not deployed.