Men Found In River Were Beaten

Two men found floating dead in the Okanogan River here Friday apparently were Mexican nationals who were beaten to death.

Omak Police Chief Ronald Bailey said Monday the victims were identified as two Hispanic men, ages 21 and 24. He declined to release their names until the Mexican Consulate confirmed the identification and notified relatives.

Bailey said witnesses reported the men were beaten to death at the Omak home of Scott D. Pierce, the chief said. Pierce, 20, and Anthony W. Sammons, 25, were arrested late Thursday night and charged with two counts each of first-degree murder.

Officers found a pair of wet boots and a blood-stained toolbox on the porch of Pierce’s house, Bailey said.

They were not shot, knifed or sexually mutilated as rumored, Bailey said.

He declined to give a motive for the crime.