Document text
Dead man found under trestle ID'd as transient Matthew Paul Bertram is believed to have come to Ashland from New Jersey in April ASHLAND - Police have identified a man whose body was found under a railway trestle near here earlier this month. Matthew Paul Bertram, 25, a transient, died from hypothermia after he fractured his pelvis and was incapacitated, an autopsy showed. He most likely fell or jumped off the railway trestle, landing in Slide Creek about 50 feet below, said Detective Dan Hobbs of the Jackson County Sheriff's Department. A hiker discovered Bertram's bruised body lying on the bank of Slide Creek about a mile from the 2000 block of Old Siskiyou Highway 237 around 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 19. Bertram's body was most likely at the spot between two and 10 days before it was found, police said. During that time, the creek probably rose from snow melt, soaking his clothing, and temperatures hovered around 30 degrees, Hobbs said. Bertram carried no food, water, identification, or personal property with him other than clothing, Hobbs added. Police said they believe Bertram had been living as a transient in the Ashland area since coming from New Jersey in April. An Ashland police officer identified him, and Oregon State Police confirmed his identity through fingerprints. Bertram was arrested by Ashland police on Oct. 26 and jailed on charges of second-degree criminal trespass, two counts of menacing, resisting arrest and assaulting a public safety officer. There also were warrants for his arrest for his failure to appear in court on similar charges, according to Jackson County Jail records. He was released from jail on Nov. 26. Bertram served a prior jail sentence from July 29 to Oct. 13 on similar charges, a county jail spokeswoman said. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.