Two men were found dead at separate rest areas off of Interstate 5 within hours in Thurston County on Saturday.
The deaths were unrelated and are not believed to be the result of foul play.
The first decedent, identified by the Thurston County Coroner’s Office as Damon Claiborne, 54, of Salem, Oregon, was found in an abandoned vehicle at the I-5 southbound Maytown rest area at approximately 1:30 p.m. on Dec. 27, according to reporting by The Olympian and KIRO 7 News.
Washington State Patrol troopers were sent to check on a vehicle that had been parked at the rest area for about a week before it was reported, according to Trooper Kameron Watts.
At about 5 p.m. that same day, troopers responded to a report of a death at the I-5 northbound Scatter Creek rest area, according to reporting by The Olympian and KIRO 7 News.
A co-worker reportedly found the decedent, identified by the Thurston County Coroner’s Office as Luis Gutierrez-Ramirez, 63, of Centralia, and contacted their employer, who called 911.
The Thurston County Coroner's Office conducted medical exams on Tuesday, Dec. 30, to determine each man’s cause and manner of death.
The results of those examinations were not publicly available Tuesday afternoon.
