Police said the vehicle was spotted near Chiawana Park and the case is being treated as a homicide.
PASCO, Wash. — A man found dead inside a car submerged near the Chiawana Park boat launch has been identified as Jason Watts, authorities said Fri., Feb. 27, after a fisherman reported the vehicle in the Columbia River just before 8 a.m.
The identification added a new layer to a case that Pasco police said they are treating as a homicide investigation while they gather evidence and await results from the coroner. Court records show Watts had been due in Benton-Franklin Superior Court that morning for a scheduled appearance during a jury trial involving child sex-abuse charges. The death prompted the court to end the case the same day, officials said.
Pasco police Cmdr. Thomas Groom said a fisherman called in the discovery shortly before 8 a.m. Fri. Officers responded to the Chiawana Park boat launch and found a vehicle in the water with one person inside. The person was believed to be dead at the scene, police said. Crews moved to pull the vehicle from the river and secure the area as investigators began documenting the scene. The boat launch was closed for hours while dive and recovery teams worked around the partially submerged car and detectives looked for witnesses in the area.
The Franklin County Coroner’s Office later identified the man as Jason Watts. Police have not publicly released a cause or manner of death as of Sun., March 1, and investigators said they are continuing to treat the case as a homicide until evidence points them elsewhere. Pasco Police Capt. Bill Parramore said detectives planned to work the case methodically. “We only get one shot at this,” Parramore said, describing an approach focused on preserving evidence and following up on leads. Authorities have not said whether they believe anyone else was involved or how long the car had been in the water before it was spotted.
Watts’ name appeared on the Benton-Franklin Superior Court docket for an 8:30 a.m. Fri. appearance that would have been day five of his jury trial, according to court records. Prosecutors had filed charges against him in multiple cases over several years, court records show. Records list a 2013 charge of first-degree child molestation. In 2017, records list charges of first-degree rape of a child and second-degree child molestation. A separate case in 2019 included a charge of third-degree child molestation, records show. The charges were allegations that had been set for trial; police and court officials did not announce any verdict before the death.
Authorities said Watts was expected in court the morning he was found, but he did not show up. The court reconvened later that day, shortly after 1:30 p.m., according to an account provided by law enforcement and court proceedings described by local reporting. Presiding Judge Bronson Brown told jurors what had happened and released them. The judge formally dropped the charges because the defendant was dead, ending the trial without a decision on the allegations. Investigators did not say whether the timing of the trial played a role in the death, and they said they would not speculate while the case remains under investigation.
Police described the scene as active and sensitive as crews worked to recover the vehicle without disturbing potential evidence. Authorities said they worked with Columbia Basin Dive Rescue to retrieve the car and process the area around the boat launch. Detectives canvassed the park and nearby river access points and asked anyone who may have been in the area Fri. morning to come forward. Police also said they were trying to determine where the vehicle entered the water and whether it traveled any distance before it came to rest near the launch.
In court-related details that drew attention after the identification, Parramore said Watts had been able to post bail before his trial began. He said bail had been set at $200,000, and he noted that in Washington, defendants commonly post a percentage of the total to be released before trial. Officials have not said when Watts was released, where he stayed during the trial, or whether he was under any additional conditions. Those details, along with any potential digital or physical evidence, are among the areas investigators typically review in a death investigation.
As of Sun., March 1, police said the investigation remained open and that they were waiting for additional findings from the coroner’s office. Authorities have not announced any arrests or named any suspects, and they have not released information about injuries or other evidence that would explain why police initially classified the case as a homicide investigation. Police said updates would be shared when confirmed information becomes available and investigative steps are complete.
Author note: Last updated March 1, 2026.