Aron Christensen pictured in an undated photo. Christensen's family's lawsuit centers on a theory that Lewis County tampered with evidence in his death investigation.
Corey Christensen
Family members of a hiker slain under suspicious circumstances in Lewis County have filed a legal claim against the county, stating their intent to seek roughly $20 million in damages.
Attorneys representing Aron Christensen’s estate claim the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office “sabotaged” the investigation into his and his 4-month-old puppy’s deaths in August 2022 on a hiking trail south of Packwood, Washington.
The family’s attorney, Lorenzo Leoni, was traveling on Friday and did not provide a statement. His office released a copy of the tort claim, a filing that often proceeds a formal lawsuit, at OPB’s request.
The tort claim centers on Christensen’s puppy, Buzzo, and the attorney’s belief that the sheriff’s office “maliciously damaged” the young Australian cattle dog’s body to tamper with the case.
Potential witnesses, the tort claim said, include a dozen deputies, two Lewis County Coroner’s Office staffers, a contracted forensic pathologist and two veterinarians.
Representatives with Lewis County could not be reached on Friday.
Christensen died of a gunshot wound on Aug. 19 while on a camping trip with his dog and friends at Walupt Lake Campground. The 49-year-old told friends he and his dog would go on a solo hike and return the next morning, according to police records.
That night, Ethan Asbach, 19, and a 17-year-old companion began hiking in roughly the same area and reportedly heard growling. Asbach said he fired one shot from a 9-millimeter pistol. He later told investigators he found Christensen and Buzzo dead.
Aron Christensen's puppy, Buzzo, pictured in an undated photo. Christensen's family's lawsuit centers on a theory that Lewis County tampered with the puppy's body during the death investigation.
Corey Christensen
Forensic experts have not identified whether a single bullet killed both Christensen and his dog. Canine DNA did appear on the bullet recovered from Christensen’s chest, but medical experts have suggested multiple possibilities.
“The chances of Buzzo’s DNA being on the outside of Aron’s shirt is pretty likely,” said Lewis County Coroner Warren McLeod in a recent interview. McLeod also noted that search-and-rescue teams carried Christensen’s and Buzzo’s bodies wrapped in the same tarp.
In the wake of the shooting, Christensen’s family and some Lewis County residents have raised questions about how effectively the case was investigated. A detective also told Christensen’s family that Asbach was a “good kid with a good family,” according to The Oregonian/OregonLive.
In one example, according to reports, they questioned why the responding deputy reported that Christensen died from a puncture wound by a stick and then diverted detectives who had been en route to the scene.
In April, Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer announced he would not charge Asbach with any crimes.
Since then, multiple medical professionals have reported dueling findings while examining Christensen’s puppy. The dispute was first reported by The Chronicle newspaper.
Days after Christensen’s death, local veterinarian Dr. Brandy Fay conducted a necropsy on the puppy. She reported a wound that was more consistent with a stabbing than a gunshot.
Months later in December 2022, the sheriff’s office commissioned a second necropsy that reported an exit wound from a gunshot. The Chronicle reported that Dr. Kris Otteman, a board member of the International Veterinary Forensic Sciences Association, conducted the second necropsy.
Christensen’s family reportedly asked Fay to take one last look at Buzzo. She said she found a broken rib that was not present earlier. In a report, Fay left open the possibility the second wound was made after Buzzo had already died.