Missing woman, 92, found dead in woods near Centralia

Aug. 22—After several days of searching, missing 92-year-old Centralia woman Martha Norman was found dead in a wooded area near Black Bear Lane in Centralia at approximately 12:20 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 22.

"The investigation is ongoing and is being conducted with the Lewis County Coroner's office," the Lewis County Sheriff's Office stated in a news release Tuesday afternoon.

Norman was last seen alive at her Centralia residence in the 100 block of Black Bear Lane at about 5:15 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 18, according to the Lewis County Sheriff's Office.

Norman has dementia and is believed to have walked away from her residence, according to the Lewis County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies were notified she was missing at about 6:30 p.m. Aug. 18.

Lewis County deputies and search and rescue teams with K9 units worked through the night Aug. 18 in an attempt to locate Norman but were unsuccessful, according to a news release from the sheriff's office.

A Silver Alert went out early Saturday morning.

"We spent the entire night out there and the entire day the following day and the ensuing day searching for Miss Norman. So far, it's been unsuccessful," Field Operations Bureau Captain Rick Van Wyck said at a Lewis County Fire Commissioners Association Meeting on Monday, Aug. 21.

At the time, Van Wyck announced plans for K9s and a large group of search and rescue personnel from throughout Western Washington to resume the search Tuesday morning.

"It's just a tragic situation for a 92-year-old ... we're still holding out hope that the searchers will be able to find her," Van Wyck said Monday.

Anyone with information related to the case is encouraged to contact the Lewis County Sheriff's Office at 360-748-9286.