Dehydration Death Is Ruled Suicide

CLE ELUM - An Olympia man whose body was found chained to a tree committed suicide by depriving himself of food and water, the Kittitas County Coroner's Office said.

The death of Tony Adams, 24, at first was considered a possible homicide, said deputy coroner Jim Denison.

A weeklong investigation found that Adams had a history of mental illness and had left a note near his body indicating he chained himself up to keep from eating and drinking, Denison said.

Adams' body was found inside a small tent Oct. 27, in an area about a mile south of Interstate 90.

One end of a 30-foot chain was padlocked around his neck and the other around a tree about 20 feet from the tent. An autopsy showed the man died from dehydration, probably within 24 hours of when his body was found by hunters.

He was last seen by his mother about two weeks earlier.