By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – A vehicle tagged to be towed because it was parked on the shoulder of a road south of Chehalis turned out to contain a dead person.
The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office says on Saturday morning, a deputy posted a 24-hour notice on a pickup truck sitting on the shoulder at Southwest Interstate Avenue and Bishop Road.
“They came back the next day and started looking more inside the canopy and could see someone in the back,” sheriff’s Chief Deputy Bruce Kimsey said.
The adult male was found dead in the back of the truck about 6 a.m. yesterday, along with items consistent with a person sleeping in the truck, Kimsey said.
Kimsey said the investigation revealed a propane heater, which will be tested.
He didn’t know how long the pickup had been at the spot, but at least two people who work in the area say they saw it sitting there all last week.
Chehalis resident Brendee Arnold recalled the first time she saw it as early last week as she drove home from work. There was a person standing beside the truck, she said.
Kimsey said he won’t say if the death is suspicious or not suspicious; he will wait for information from an autopsy.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter