Washington State Patrol detectives are investigating after a man was found dead Thursday morning in Vancouver near the northbound Interstate 205 onramp from westbound Mill Plain Boulevard.
Trooper Will Finn said that a Washington State Department of Transportation crew was working in the area about 7 a.m. when workers spotted the body of a man lying in the bushes about 20 feet from the road. They tried to revive him, but he was deceased.
The man had been seen in the same area Wednesday, one of a group of transients who were asked to move along, Finn said. He apparently returned to the area later. Homeless people are known to frequent that freeway interchange.
Detectives with WSP confirmed with an acquaintance that the man was transient and moved to the area approximately a year and half ago from California, Finn said.
The Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the man as Ronald I. Hubner, 44.
Although detectives are in the process of the initial death investigation, there was no immediate sign of trauma or foul play.
At least 10 people with local connections and were homeless at the time — including a newborn — have died this year.
Community members gathered at St. Paul Lutheran Church Wednesday, one of many of the vigils held that night around the country to memorialize deaths among the homeless population.
The medical examiner’s office took custody of the body and will perform an autopsy. Full autopsies and toxicology tests can take weeks.
The temperature was as low as 29 degrees in Vancouver on Wednesday night, according to the National Weather Service.
The roads remained open during the investigation, causing only minimal impact to traffic, Finn said.
