Is there a serial killer loose in Spokane? That's a question a lot of people have been asking on KHQ's Facebook page over the last 24 hours after the discovery of four bodies in Spokane County.
One viewer wrote "I have lived here all my life and have never seen so many dead bodies. We as the public have a right to know if we need to be scared, we have a right to know if there is another Yates running around. Please help us out and let us know what is really going on in Spokane?"
The viewer is referring to Robert Yates, a serial killer who was active in Spokane in the mid to late 1990s. So what's going on?
Well, KHQ talked with Spokane Police and the Spokane County Medical Examiner and learned that...life is going on.
Most people on KHQ's Facebook page are pointing specifically to four bodies found since Saturday.
One was found Tuesday night at Napa and Mallon. The Medical Examiner says the autopsy is pending, but Spokane Police say it's not a suspicious death.
Another body was found Monday under the Hamilton overpass. Again, autopsy pending, but not suspicious.
A third body found in Cannon Park on Saturday was determined to have died from natural causes.
And a fourth body, also Saturday at 3rd and Arthur, is pending toxicology reports, but not suspicious.
The Spokane County Coroner's Office says four bodies in four days is not unusual. In fact, a spokeswoman told KHQ her office responded to three dead bodies on Wednesday morning.
KHQ also reached to Spokane Police who told them "we do not have a serial killer in Spokane. There is nothing in these investigations that would lead us down that path."
Spokane County has about 490,000 residents. In 2016 there were 4,966 deaths and of those only 25 were deemed homicides. The vast majority of deaths are due to natural causes, or accidents.
(story: Luke Thoburn, KHQ News Producer, KHQ.com; photo: KHQ.com)