Victim of 2011 Grant County homicide identified
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 day, 1 hour AGO
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | March 3, 2026 6:49 PM
POTHOLES RESERVOIR — The Grant County Sheriff’s Office is asking for help from the public in determining what happened to a man whose body was found near the Potholes Reservoir in 2011 and recently identified.
Jorge Palayo-Rodriguez, 39, was found dead from a gunshot wound near the reservoir Nov. 23, 2011, according to a GCSO press release.
Kyle Foreman, GCSO public information officer, said Palyao-Rodriguez's last known address was Othello.
“We’re interested in knowing anything about Jorge Palayo-Rodriguez,” Foreman said.
Deputies submitted DNA for testing in 2011 but didn’t receive any matches, the GCSO release said. Samples were tested again with updated techniques and this time Palayo-Rodriguez's DNA was matched with a relative.
“It’s been 14 years when we didn’t have a good place to start, but now that we have his identification, we do have a good place to start,” Foreman said.
Deputies are asking anyone with information on Palayo-Rodrigez to contact GCSO, 509-762-1160, reference case No. 11GS15427.
“A cold case is not a closed case,” Foreman said.
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