Cowlitz Indian Tribal Public Safety Department’s interim chief, Charles Gardiner, was found dead in a vehicle after he allegedly fled a northeast Vancouver residence where a burglary was reported.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) is investigating the case and the circumstances surrounding Gardiner taking his own life, the Cowlitz Indian Tribe stated on Friday, April 25.
Around 9:43 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23, CCSO deputies responded to a report of an occupied residential burglary in the 9000 block of Northeast 79th Street in Vancouver, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.
“The caller reported a male subject inside the residence,” the release states. “The male subject fled the residence on foot. As deputies and other law enforcement officers searched the area, they located a vehicle with a deceased person matching the subject’s description.”
CCSO sent an update confirming the deceased person involved in the April 23 incident was Gardiner. The CCSO Major Crimes Unit is actively investigating the case, including the circumstances as to why Gardiner was inside the residence to begin with.
CCSO stated that due to the nature of the investigation, additional details cannot be released at this time.
Gardiner worked for the Washington State Patrol for over 25 years before joining the Cowlitz Indian Tribal Department of Public Safety in December 2020, according to his LinkedIn profile.
