Two men were found dead at separate Interstate 5 rest areas in Thurston County on Saturday, discovered hours apart in what authorities believe were unrelated medical emergencies.
The men were identified as 63-year-old Luis Gutierrez-Ramirez from Centralia and 54-year-old Damon Claiborne, a U.S. military veteran believed to be from the Salem, Oregon area.
Claiborne was found inside a vehicle that had been parked at the Maytown rest area for about a week before it was reported, WSP Trooper Kameron Watts said.
Troopers were then sent to the Scatter Creek rest area, where they found Gutierrez-Ramirez. He was discovered by a coworker, who contacted their employer. The employer told them to ring 911.
Authorities believe both deaths were caused by medical issues.
The coroner’s office does not think the deaths were a result of foul play.
The week-long gap between when Claiborne’s vehicle was parked at Maytown and when his body was discovered raises troubling questions about how someone can die in a public rest area without anyone noticing for seven days.
Rest areas along Interstate 5 see constant traffic as travelers stop to use facilities, walk dogs, or rest during long drives. Yet Claiborne’s vehicle sat in the car park for a week before someone reported it, suggesting either the vehicle was parked in an area that didn’t attract attention or that people noticed but didn’t report it.
Washington State Patrol typically checks rest areas for abandoned vehicles or people sleeping overnight in violation of posted time limits. How a vehicle remained parked for a week without triggering a welfare check suggests either patrol resources were stretched thin or the vehicle wasn’t flagged as suspicious.
Claiborne being a U.S. military veteran adds another layer to the tragedy. Veterans experiencing homelessness or housing instability sometimes live in vehicles, using rest areas as temporary overnight stops. Whether Claiborne was homeless or simply traveling when he died hasn’t been disclosed.
The discovery of Gutierrez-Ramirez by a coworker at the Scatter Creek rest area suggests he may have been a truck driver or worked in a profession requiring Interstate 5 travel. Coworkers knowing to look for him at that specific rest area indicates he had patterns or routines his colleagues recognised.
The coworker contacting their employer before ringing 911 reflects common workplace protocols where employees notify supervisors before involving emergency services. The employer directing them to ring 911 shows appropriate escalation once the situation’s seriousness became clear.
The two deaths occurring at separate rest areas on the same day being unrelated coincidences demonstrates how Interstate 5 rest stops serve as locations where vulnerable people sometimes die from medical emergencies whilst traveling.
Both men being middle-aged, 63 and 54, places them in age ranges where heart attacks, strokes, and other sudden medical events become more common. The coroner determining medical causes rather than foul play suggests obvious evidence of natural death at both scenes.
The lack of foul play suspicion means neither death appears to involve violence, overdose, or other criminal activity. Medical examiners can often distinguish between natural deaths and those requiring investigation based on body position, injuries, and scene evidence.
Gutierrez-Ramirez being from Centralia, a town about 30 miles south of the Scatter Creek rest area, raises questions about why he was at that location. He could have been traveling for work, experiencing a medical emergency whilst driving and pulling over, or meeting someone there.
Claiborne being from the Salem, Oregon area means he was traveling away from home when he died at Maytown, a rest area on the northbound side of Interstate 5. Whether he was traveling to Washington for work, visiting family, or relocating remains unknown.
The military veteran designation for Claiborne but not Gutierrez-Ramirez suggests either Claiborne’s military service was recent or notable enough to mention, or that authorities haven’t yet confirmed whether Gutierrez-Ramirez had military background.
Rest area deaths occur regularly across the country but receive little public attention unless they involve violence or unusual circumstances. Most result from medical emergencies, overdoses, or people experiencing homelessness who die from exposure or health conditions.
