Oxford Eagle, Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Coroner: Remains belong to Ole Miss football player
Washington, a wide receiver, was in class of 98

By KELLY SHACKLETON
Eagle Staff Writer

The remains found July 8 in the construction zone at the University of Mississippi stadium belong to student Jamie Washington, according to local authorities.

In a written statement, the Yoknapatawpha County Coroner's office said dental records and a past bone fracture matched Washington, who was a senior at Ole Miss and a wide receiver for the Rebels football team when he was reported missing in the spring of 2002.

The statement also confirmed that Washington's injuries suggest his death was attributable to foul play.

"With a case like this, with the remains being so deteriorated, there's a lot more forensic study needed, but it's safe to say we're treating this as a criminal investigation," said Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Department Public Information Officer Elizabeth Jones.

Washington's corpse was found lodged in the foundations of the Vaught-Hemingway Stadium May 18. An initial assessment from the coroner's office estimated that the body had been buried for between four and five years -- suggesting that the body had been buried on the site during the stadium's last round of renovations in 2002.

Jones declined to speculate on the exact timeline of Washington's death and his body's burial, saying further investigation was needed.

Jones added that the sheriff's department is actively seeking leads in the case and requested that anyone with information about Washington's whereabouts in the spring of 2002 should call the department hotline at 915-0001.

"At this point the challenge is going to be establishing, so long after the fact, where the victim was and who he came in contact with," Jones said.

Washington's mother, Lorena Washingon of Moss Point, was notified of the positive identification Friday, Jones said. Mrs. Washington declined to be interviewed.

University officials reacted to the announcement of Washington's death with condolences, saying he had been a model student-athlete.

"I think all of us remember James Washington as a unique individual and a real team player," said Football Head Coach Reginald Tunney, reached at home Saturday afternoon.

Washington came to Ole Miss on an athletic scholarship in the fall of 1994 and immediately began seeing action as a wide receiver for the Rebels. He set the Southeastern Conference (SEC) season record for rushing in the fall of 1995, but after breaking his leg during play at the 1996 Red/Blue game he was sidelined for part of the following season. Washington remained on the reserve list for the remainder of his career, with Ole Miss superstar Greg Urbanski becoming the team's leading wide receiver.

Urbanski was named the SEC's most valuable player in the fall of 2002 and was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after graduation the following spring.

The construction activity that unearthed Washington's remains is part of the university's, $60 million Campaign for Excellence in Athletics, which includes plans for several new facilities as well as the "bowling-in" of the stadium's south end zone and expansion of the upper deck Rebels Club area. The area where the remains were found is being excavated so the existing upper-deck foundations can be reinforced with new supports.

Construction has been halted as investigators continue to comb the crime scene for evidence. Every effort will be made to wrap up in the next week so construction could remain on schedule for the fall season, said Jones -- who added, however, that there were no guarantees.

"Obviously, football is important to everyone here, but it's a crime scene, and we're going to have to be satisfied that we've gotten as much as we can in terms of evidence before we open it up again," she said.