The shooting death of David Knauer, who died Nov. 14, 2022, in his RV in Tunnel Rock Acres, has been listed as a suicide.
Custer County Coroner Chad Workman said last week Knauer’s manner of death was determined to be suicide. Workman had been waiting for the results of an autopsy to be released before listing a manner of death in the case.
There’s only one site in Idaho where autopsies can be conducted and Workman said it’s not unusual to wait several months for the results to come from the Ada County office.
Knauer, 65, died shortly after Custer County Sheriff’s Deputy Gavin Jones arrived at the RV where Knauer and his wife lived. Knauer’s wife Sharon called 911 at 6:13 p.m. Nov. 14 to report her husband had shot himself.
The Sheriff’s Office is still investigating the death, Jones said last week. Sheriff’s Office personnel are still looking for information on a pickup that was seen leaving the area of the Knauer home about 30 minutes before the shooting was reported. And, Jones is awaiting results of a forensic review of the handgun used in the shooting.
Anyone with information about the pickup, described as an older two-tone brown and tan Chevrolet with a black cow catcher, is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 208-879-2231 or send an email to custersheriff270@gmail.com.
It may soon take less time to get autopsy results. Development of the East Idaho Forensic Pathology Center in Pocatello is underway. Funding is in place and former Ada County Coroner Dotti Owens has been hired by the Bannock County Commission to work as a consultant on the project, which is a joint effort between Bannock County and Idaho State University. Bannock County is using up to $2 million in American Rescue Plan Act money and the Idaho Legislature committed $900,000 to the project.
Officials around Idaho have noted the need for a second pathology center in the state. It’s expected the new center in Pocatello will handle autopsies for 17 eastern Idaho counties.
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