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Law enforcement reveals they think Kayla Croft-Payne died from overdose

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – As expected, authorities have gone public with further information about the missing Kayla Croft-Payne.

Earlier this week, law enforcement revealed they believed she died in northern Cowlitz County about the time she went missing. They said they had recently been looking for her body in Oregon.

2010.0616.kayla.myspace [1]

Kayla Croft-Payne

Yesterday, the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office revealed they believe she died from an overdose and that it happened in an RV park in their county.

The then-18-year-old Lewis County resident was reported missing in early May of 2010.

The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office has investigated the case over the course of the past five years and conducted numerous interviews of people that have knowledge of the case.

In a news release issued yesterday, Cowlitz County indicated the new information that got them to this point was obtained by Lewis County investigators. The suspected location of the death prompted the transfer of the case to Cowlitz detectives.

The new and credible information passed along to them included that Croft-Payne’s body was transported to a remote and heavily wooded area in Oregon and concealed, according to the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office.

The (Longview) Daily News [2] reports detectives believe she was buried in northwestern Oregon, and it was because people were scared of notifying authorities and didn’t know what to do.

In yesterday’s news release, Cowlitz authorities stated that detectives from the two counties have conducted multiple extensive searches over the past six weeks in Oregon.

No human remains were found.

“Out of respect to the current property owners, we are not describing the area where Kayla is believed to be located,” the sheriff’s office wrote in its news release.

Early in the investigation, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office said the last place they could verify her spending time was a trailer park in the Toutle area. Among their theories early on, was that she died of a drug overdose.

The Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office is still looking for further information from anyone who knows something.

They offered up numerous ways to contact them.

Detective Cory Robinson and Sgt. Brad Thurman can be reached at 360-577-3092.

Callers who wish to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers of Cowlitz County at 360-577-1206. People can also give tips by texting 847411 and downloading “CCSOTip”.
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For background, read “Law enforcement: ‘Credible report’ the missing Kayla Croft-Payne died in Cowlitz County” from Tuesday November 17, 2015, here [3]