Redmond PD: Intoxicated teen died of hypothermia

A 19-year-old Redmond-area woman whose body was found Sunday morning in a dry irrigation canal died of accidental hypothermia related to exposure, police said Tuesday.

They also confirmed they had conducted a search after being called to the area of a nearby bar hours earlier, just after 3 a.m. on a report that Garr was missing and intoxicated. Family and friends had been trying to find her without success overnight, Lt Mike Kidwell said in a news release, adding that a police search of the area also did not find her.

“The Redmond Police Department wants to remind people that extreme cold, combined with alcohol consumption, will intensify the dangerous effects and onset of hypothermia,” Kidwell said.

Kidwell said reports from the continuing investigation will be forwarded to the Oregon Liquor Control Commission.

The agency presumably would investigate whether Timber’s or another establishment served or over-served Garr, or who else might have provided alcohol to the teen, who was two years under Oregon’s legal drinking age.

A memorial of lit candles glowed in the snow Monday as some of Garr’s friends mourned her loss, just feet from the empty southwest Redmond canal, behind Timber’s and Big R.

“It doesn’t really feel real, you know?” said friend Forrest McMellon. “So I had to come out here — I don’t know, maybe just to feel closer to Jamie or something.”

Detective Sgt. Jesse Petersen said it was Garr’s boyfriend who found her body in the canal Sunday morning, several hours after friends and family reported her missing Saturday night and police had conducted a search.

Customers and an employee of Timber’s said Garr had been drinking in the bar earlier Saturday night, despite being under the legal age of 21. A manager declined to comment on the case further. The restaurant is located just a few hundred feet from the canal.

McMellon said he believed it was all a terrible accident.

“She’s was the sweetest girl. It’s just so sad,” McMellon said, adding that he’ll always remember Garr as a beautiful young woman who loved snowboarding, hanging out with friends and having a good time.

“Jamie, I just want to let you know that I love you and we all miss you,” McMellon said, wiping away tears.

Petersen said Garr’s death is not related to another Redmond death over the weekend. The body of a 21-year-old man, Sam Villa, was found in a burned-out car on a northwest Redmond street Friday night.

However, they are seeking the public’s help in both investigations. Petersen asked anyone with information regarding the deaths of Villa or Garr to contact Redmond police through county dispatchers at 541-693-6911.