Bones are those of missing Granite Falls teenager

Published 9:00 pm Sunday, October 22, 2006

VERLOT — Bones found Tuesday on Mount Pilchuck are those of a Granite Falls man missing for more than a year, the Snohomish County Medical Examiner reported this afternoon.

The skeletal remains of Brandon Riley Kempf, 19, were discovered Tuesday by two hikers on the north side of the mountain.

Kempf was last seen in August 2005 near Blue Bridge on the Mountain Loop Highway. His clothes were recovered on the bridge, but until last week there was no sign of the Granite Falls teen.

The cause of death remains under investigation, according to the medical examiner.

The case has been treated in court as a homicide.

Prosecutors on Sept. 29 dismissed a second-degree murder charge against a Lake Stevens man who had been charged in connection with Kempf’s death. Aaron J. Hillman, 20, was released from the Snohomish County Jail after spending more than six months behind bars awaiting trial.

Prosecutors can refile charges at a later date.

Hillman reportedly told people he had killed Kempf, statements that led to his arrest early this year in northern California.

Hillman’s attorney, public defender Neal Friedman, said he’s waiting for word from the medical examiner before deciding what the discovery of Kempf’s remains may mean for his client.