Authorities confirm identity of missing woman found dead in sleeping bag

GRANT COUNTY, Wash. — A missing Moses Lake woman who was found dead in a sleeping bag and covered by tree limbs and leaves has been positively identified, according to the Moses Lake Police Department.

Police said that 30-year-old Yanira Cedillos, who was identified by the Spokane medical examiner, was reported missing on March 4 and was found in a remote area in Walla Walla County in May.

Cedillos was found off Highway 12 just outside of Wallula Junction, after investigators got cellphone information on May 12 that led them to her, law enforcement said.

On the day that Cedillos was reported missing, detectives said they tracked the suspect’s cellphone for several minutes, and used updated data provided by a private business that assists with cellphone investigations, to find her.

When Cedillos was found, investigators believed it was her, but could not positively confirm it until an autopsy was performed by the medical examiner’s office.

Investigators said they will focus on obtaining a conviction in this “horrific incident.”

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