Detective Dave Brewer held a press conference today, to release more details on the death of Christopher Robertson.
On December 12, 2011, a naked male body wasВ discovered in a sewer manhole on Highway 6 between Price and Wellington, by PRWID workers who were doing routine checks on their sewer system.В The body was later identified as that of 38-year-old Christopher Robertson.
Robertson had been reported missing by his mother on November 29, approximately 2 weeks before his body was discovered in the manhole.
Not many details have been released about this case until today.
Detective Brewer told ETV10 News that the cause of Robertson’s death remains undetermined. There was no physical evidence recovered during the investigation to point toward a suspect. Both methamphetamine and alcohol were found in Robertson’s system, but not in amounts that would be fatal to him.
The body was so badly decomposed that during the autopsy process, Robertson’s body was only positively identified by a joint replacement part from a knee surgery he had undergone some time before his death. There were no markings or tell-tail signs of homicide discovered during the autopsy.
“Our biggest clue is the location of the body,” said Brewer. The manhole in which Robertson’s body В was discovered was just feet from the home of his grandmother and his mother, and just down the highway from where his vehicle was found abandoned just a month before. В His vehicle was left at the overpass just past the first Price off-ramp, and was found at the beginning of November, but Robertson was seen by family a few weeks later, so this did not assist police in the investigation, it was simply viewed by police as an “odd coincidence”.
Robertson’s body was reportedly submerged in the water, with the head being lodged inside one of 3 other pipes leading from the manhole. Scott Jensen, a PRWID representative at the press conference, said that “the only way we knew it was a body,  was because we could see a foot sticking out of the water.”
At this point, Detective Brewer said that the Sheriff’s office still has not named a suspect in the case. It was no secret that Robertson had been diagnosed with terminal bone cancer, and many around him said he had simply lost his will to live. Those close to him said he had started giving away his belongings and stopped receiving treatments and taking medications. В It was first speculated that Robertson may have went into the manhole himself, but was soon ruled out because of how difficult it would have been for a sick man of Robertson’s build to climb down into the manhole and pull the cover over with one hand.
“The family’s point of view is definitely that there was foul play,” said Brewer.  “We can only rely on the people he was with at the time, to give us evidence.В We have nothing physical.В He was living with friends in Price, and they said that they just didn’t see him anymore.” Detective Brewer said that those who were last seen with Robertson have been tight-lipped, and the only way they can continue the investigation is if people start coming forward.
Detective BrewerВ invites anyone who might have been with Robertson around the time he was reported missing to come forward with any information they may have regarding this case.
Please Allow the interview with Detective Brewer below up to five minutes to load.
В
{mp4}2701{/mp4}