LOS ANGELES, CA – A man who died in Los Angeles last month was revealed to be a suspect in a 2008 child rape case in Washington state, according to a coroner’s investigation. The man, who was believed to have committed suicide by jumping off a bridge in Puget Sound years ago, was living under a false identity at the time of his death.
The deceased, identified as Christian Robert Basham, was known as Mark Clemens in Los Angeles, where he worked as a maintenance man in a downtown apartment building. Basham was 56 years old when he died on February 26, the Bremerton, Washington police department confirmed.
The Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office discovered Basham’s true identity on March 13 and informed the Bremerton Police Department. In 2008, Basham was charged with second-degree child rape and was released on a $350,000 bail.
According to police reports, a witness claimed to have seen Basham jump from the Tacoma Narrows Bridge on March 29, 2009. Although his car and a suicide note were found, search efforts involving boats and an airplane did not locate a body.
In Los Angeles, Basham’s neighbor, Tommy Cuellar, expressed shock upon learning about Basham’s real identity. Cuellar described Basham as a “normal person” and said their interactions were always positive.
The cause of Basham’s death is still under investigation, according to the medical examiner’s online case information. Bremerton detectives will continue to investigate Basham’s actions and movements since his supposed death in 2009, despite the criminal case against him being closed.