Still Unsolved: Eric Tamiyasu’s death and his sister’s search for the truth 24 years later

According to police reports, one of Eric’s friends, Don Dixon, entered the home looking for Eric after no one had heard from him for a few days. Dixon said he found Eric’s body and called 9-1-1.

Law enforcement officials could not immediately confirm the cause of death due to the condition of Eric’s body, which had reportedly been laying on his bed for several days. Later, the medical examiner stated that Eric had been shot three times in the head and once in his left hand.

The judgment and protocols used by the sheriff’s department following the discovery was questioned by many — particularly the decision made by former Hood River County Sheriff Joe Wampler to burn the mattress on which Eric was found.

Rumors and theories overshadowed the case, and the mystery of Eric’s killer swept the nation. During the months that followed Eric’s death and the ensuing investigation, the case became national news as true crime enthusiasts and mystery aficionados shared their perspectives.

Eric’s story was and continues to be the subject of newspaper articles, podcast episodes, YouTube documentaries and true crime message boards. An episode of “Unsolved Mysteries” aired in October 2008 and showed strange events in the days leading up to Eric’s death. Popular YouTuber Georgia Marie published a 19-minute video in November 2018 covering the case. Marie has more than 226,000 subscribers and her video titled, “What happened to Eric Tamiyasu? Midweek mystery,” has nearly 90,000 views. True crime podcasts like Last Seen Alive and PNW Haunts and Homicides have covered Eric’s case, releasing episodes in September 2021 and February 2025, respectively, that examined the details of what happened.

PNW Haunts and Homicides podcast hosts Caitlyn and Cassie shared their thoughts in an email to Columbia Gorge News: “Of course, like most anyone in the true crime space, I truly wish we could discover new information or help bring about tips in the case, but sadly, so far I’m not aware that we have,” they said.

Today, Ramona is still fighting for justice with the help of Hood River County District Attorney (DA) Matt Ellis.

In fact, Ramona has been fighting for justice for her brother the past 24 years. After reviewing Eric’s case, Ellis recognized a potential investigative approach that didn’t exist in 2001.

“One of the things that wasn’t available back when [Eric’s death] happened, was there wasn’t a major crimes team, and so the Major Crimes team for the Columbia Gorge is just doing a review,” Ellis told Columbia Gorge News. “They’re just reviewing the files and seeing if there’s anything that was missed.”

Joel Ives, HRCSO deputy and Columbia Gorge Major Crimes Team Public Information Officer, added by saying, “A review is not a reopening of an investigation, but rather a review of the existing case file to determine if there were any gaps in the original investigation.”

Ellis said the Columbia Gorge Major Crimes team is assembled when there is a “homicide or fairly significant investigation.” The Major Crimes team for the Columbia River Gorge consists of deputies and detectives from the HRCSO, Hood River City Police, Wasco County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO), The Dalles City Police, Oregon State Police (OSP), and the Sherman County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO).

“We would need to actually have something new for them to be able to push this forward, so it would probably take a lucky break from our side,” Ellis said.

Hood River county Sheriff Matt English said he supports Ellis’ request to have the major crimes team review the case.

“In the years since the homicide occurred, the sheriff’s office has had detectives both within the office and with other law enforcement agencies examine the case to ensure something wasn’t overlooked. Having additional sets of eyes look at cold cases is always welcomed,” English told Columbia Gorge News.

English was a first-year deputy with the HRCSO at the time of Eric’s death. He said case reviews are common and can bring up new information in the best-case scenarios.

Rick Princehouse worked as a detective with the HRCSO for 30 years and retired in December 2022. He had conducted interviews and spent time with Ramona trying to solve the case. Princehouse declined to comment on this story.

“People keep asking me [about the case], and I just thought, you know, I got nothing to lose. I’m just going to go for it … Let’s just make some noise and see what happens,” Ramona said. “It’s an injustice, and it does make me think, really, in the big picture, there’s so many families and people out there who have had a very similar thing happen to them … maybe this can set an example for people who have a similar situation and feel powerless. You just gotta keep pushing.”

The case remains an active investigation. If you or someone you know may have information related to the case, email the Hood River County District Attorney’s office at matt.ellis@hoodrivercounty.gov or call the HRCSO tip line at 541-387-7077.