By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – The man who was found dead inside a seemingly abandoned pickup truck in Chehalis earlier this month has been identified as 64-year-old Rickie J. Hornbeck.
The Lewis County Coroner’s Office says Hornbeck is from Vader, but the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office has said he had become homeless and was sleeping in his vehicle.
The Ford F150 with a canopy had been sitting on the shoulder at Southwest Interstate Avenue and Bishop Road for an unknown length of time when a sheriff’s deputy tagged it to be impounded on Jan. 6.
A deputy returned the following morning, called for a tow truck and discovered Hornbeck dead in the back, along with a propane heater.
The sheriff’s office said they would have the heater tested.
The coroner’s office knew early on who he was, but delayed releasing his name until they could locate his next of kin.
Coroner Warren McLeod said an autopsy turned up nothing suspicious, but the cause and manner of the death can’t be determined until the results come back from toxicology tests.
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For background, read “Sheriff’s Office: Dead man was local, living out of his truck” from Wednesday January 10, 2018, here
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter