Sheriff's say Swisshome man was killed by his own son

Sheriff's say Swisshome man was killed by his own son

By Elissa Harrington

EUGENE - Lane County Sheriff's say a Swisshome man found dead last month was killed by his own son. 55-year old Gary Wolgamott was found by an unidentified family member alone in his house.

Detectives say now it was his only son, 32-year old Joshua Wolgamott, who fired the bullet the evening of the 15th.

Investigators say Gary Wolgamott was killed by one bullet that came from a high caliber rifle. That weapon was owned by his son Joshua Wolgamott. The 32-year old is now behind bars on charges of intentional murder. If he is found guilty, he could be put behind bars 300 months to life.

As for what part of the body was hit and what type of relationship the pair had - authorities are being very tight lipped. Here's what we do know.

Physical evidence, witness accounts and talks with Joshua Wolgamott himself are the main factors that led to his arrest. Sheriff Russ Burger with the Lane County Sheriff's Office says, "He became the focus of the investigation at one point very early on. And then as other possibilities were discounted he again became the focus of the investigation."

The motivation behind this crime is something we're still trying to figure out. Here's some information we've compiled about the suspect. He's Gary's Wolgamott's only son. He lives in Walton with three children. As for criminal history, investigators say his record is fairly minor.

The deceased Wolgamott, on the other hand, was best known for his fishing skills and often gave tours along the Siuslaw River. An announcement placed in the paper for the Gary Wolgamott memorial service suggested that folks could take boats down the Siuslaw in his memory. The organizer? His arrested son, Joshua.

I called the number on the ad. A girl picked up and said the event had been canceled.

KVAL was the only station at Gary Wolgamott's funeral just two Saturday's ago and his son Joshua was there.

Joshua Wolgamott did not speak to our camera's but was at the funeral. Pictures of the pair were on display and letters from Gary Wolgamott's grandchildren mourning their grandfather hung on the walls.
Icon
Current Temp 51 °F
Partly Cloudy
More Weather

YouNews

This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.

On Demand

Resources and info you need to prepare for the switch to DTV.

Stay Connected