Mail Tribune News - Dead man remains unidentified

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)

2001-07-01

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Dead man remains unidentified Body found in late February at drive-in By Jessica Smith Jackson County sheriff�s deputies say they need the public�s help to identify a man found dead more than a month ago at the old Starlight Drive-In. The man�s body was discovered Feb. 23 by a West Medford man who regularly visits the defunct drive-in to drink with transients who use the site as shelter, according to the sheriff�s office. Sgt. Rich Fogarty said the man was likely dead only a few hours before his body was found in the drive-in building on South Pacific Highway. Deputies are waiting to identify the man before releasing information about his death, which appears to be a suicide. Fogarty declined to be more specific about how the man died. "There were no signs of trauma other than what we would expect from the suspected cause of death," Fogarty said. "There were no signs of a struggle or a fight." Trying to identify the man, deputies tested his fingerprints against databases in seven western states. No matches have been made. "Nothing�s been turning up," Fogarty said. "He�s a fairly young guy. You�d think somebody would know something." Deputies have sent the man�s fingerprints to the FBI for analysis. It may take several months before the results are known, Fogarty said. In the meantime, the sheriff�s office asks anyone with information about the man to contact deputies. The man, a Caucasian described as 6 feet 4 inches tall, weighing 150-pounds, has a mustache, brown hair and hazel eyes. When he was discovered, the man was wearing a hooded gray sweatshirt jacket, a maroon long-sleeve shirt, a thermal top, a black T-shirt, jeans and black tennis shoes. A knit watch cap, a green Cabelo�s brand Gortex coat, a cigarette lighter, a pair of sunglasses and a battery-operated travel clock were found near the man�s body. According to deputies, the man appeared to be well groomed. He had no tattoos or scars. A photo of the man is available at the sheriff�s office below the Jackson County Jail. For more information, call 774-6800. Reach reporter Jessica Smith at 776-4481, or e-mail [email protected]     Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.