Two years after an Oregon man and his puppy were gunned down in the woods of Washington State, his family is taking action against the alleged gunmen and his father, who to this day have not faced criminal charges.
Aron Christensen, 49, was hiking on the remote Walupt trail in Washington State wth his 4-month old puppy Buzzo in August of 2022 when they were shot to death.
Ethan Asbach, who was 19 at the time, confessed to Lewis County deputies that he and his father were in the same woods with a rifle when they came upon Christensen, mistaking him for a wild animal, according to KOIN. His father, Michael Asbach, admitted to giving him the gun, which he legally couldn't carry into the National Forest under Washington State law.
Lewis County Police never pressed charges against the Asbachs, but now, they are facing a $3 million dollar lawsuit.
In the lawsuit filed against the Asbachs, Christensen's family says Aron is dead as "As a direct and proximate cause of Ethan's conduct, Aron (and Buzzo) are now dead, and Plaintiffs are permanently deprived of Aron's companionship and economic contributions to the family," according to KOIN.
The family also alleges in the GoFundMe set up to cover expenses that Ethan Asbach left Aron to die in the woods and "continued hiking."
The family is suing the Asbachs for $3 million, citing "extreme emotional distress and economic loss as a consequence of needlessly losing Aron," the Oregonian reported, adding that multiple attempts to bring charges against the Asbachs have failed.
Last year, Washington Governor Jay Inslee rejected a request for an independent probe, and Lewis County Prosecuting Attorney Jonathan Meyer declined to charge the pair, the outlet reported.
