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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend February 18, 2006 No foul play suspected after body found in trailer By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune A man found dead inside a compartment of a specialty trailer Thursday at a sales lot on Crater Lake Avenue likely died of natural causes, a preliminary Jackson County Sheriff’s report said. Dr. James Olson, a deputy state medical examiner, was set to perform an autopsy, including a toxicology screening, late Friday to determine the cause of death. The body of Michael L. Bitner, 51, of La Center, Wash., was discovered about 5 p.m. Thursday by a salesman and customer at Hardcastle’s, a trailer retailer at 6270 Crater Lake Ave., north of Medford. Bitner, who had lived in the Medford area as a transient, appeared to have died of natural causes while sleeping in the exterior compartment, sheriff’s Detective Colin Fagan said. He likely had been dead a week or less. Several customers had looked at the trailer this week, but Bitner’s body wasn’t discovered until one potential buyer asked if an extra generator would fit in the exterior cabinet. The salesman popped open the door to show him the space, and found the body inside, Fagan said. Advertisement The trailer combined a car-hauling unit and a fifth-wheel recreational vehicle. It had been for sale on consignment at Mankins Motorsports, 807 S. Central Ave., Medford, for six months until the owner had it moved to Hardcastle’s Feb. 10, Fagan said. Fagan said the owner of Mankins Motorsports told investigators he regularly shoos homeless people off his lot. Investigators haven’t determined when or where Bitner climbed into the storage compartment, but suspect he wanted a protected place to rest. They found no evidence of a struggle or that Bitner became trapped in the compartment. Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department’s criminal investigations section at (541) 774-6800. Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4485, or e-mail No foul play suspected after body found in trailer ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Computer Security Discount Hotel Reservations Casinos Canada dvd-r Generic Viagra Myspace Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Student Loans Sudoku Online Advertisement s Advertisement