Russell Investments' chief economist found dead in Tacoma

Mike Dueker - Chief Economist Russell Investments

Russell Investments' chief economist found dead in Tacoma
The Associated Press
January 30, 2014 Updated 19 hours ago


Russell Investments chief economist Mike Dueker was found dead Thursday, and police said it appeared he had taken his own life by jumping from a ramp near the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.

An officer who knew Dueker was missing in the area spotted the body about 8:30 a.m. at the base of a 40- to 50-foot embankment for a state Route 16 ramp, Pierce County sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said.

Dueker’s car was parked at nearby War Memorial Park, and it appears he jumped over the 4-foot fence of a bike-jogging trail along the ramp, Troyer said. Police do not believe the death was an accident or that Dueker was a victim of a crime, Troyer said.

The 50-year-old University Place resident apparently died early Wednesday when his family thought he was out jogging. But he was not dressed for jogging and was wearing jeans and a sweater, Troyer said. His family had been looking for him. The body was hard to spot, Troyer said.

Dueker had joined the financial services company in 2008. A spokeswoman, Jennifer Tice, said she couldn’t speculate on any issues Dueker had.

"We were deeply saddened to learn today of the death of our colleague and friend Mike Dueker. Mike was highly respected and regarded at Russell Investments and in the broader financial services industry. In the five years that he worked at Russell, he made valuable contributions that helped our clients and many of his fellow associates. Our thoughts are with Mike’s family and friends during this difficult time," Russell Investments said in a statement.

As chief economist for Russell Investments, Dueker wrote for Russell's Market Outlook publications, forecasting the business cycle and the target federal funds rate. He developed and maintained a business cycle index published monthly on Russell.com.

Dueker also led Russell’s participation as one of 50 Blue Chip forecasters for both Blue Chip Economic Indicators and Blue Chip Financial Forecasts.

Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2014/01/30/3019967/body-discovered-in-west-tacoma.html