Body found next to Riverfront Park dam was of missing 28-year-old man

Garrett Cabeza, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
·1 min read

May 10—A man who went missing in March and whose body was found last week next to the dam in Riverfront Park has been identified.

Alexander Piceno, 28, drowned, according to the Spokane County Medical Examiner's Office. It ruled the death a suicide.

The Washington State Patrol reported in late March that Piceno had not been heard from since March 23.

Piceno's body was found May 2 while dive teams were searching for evidence in an alleged downtown robbery.

The Spokane Police Department and the Spokane County Sheriff's dive team were attempting to retrieve evidence thrown into the river by suspects of a pepper-spray robbery downtown, according to Spokane police Sgt. Teresa Fuller. Surveillance footage showed a suspect throwing something into the river after the robbery, Fuller said.

The water in the dam was lowered around 10 a.m. May 2 as part of an agreement between Avista Utilities and police. Piceno's body was found against the grate of the dam when the water was lowered, Fuller said.