It has been determined that a man found dead of a gunshot wound to the
head in Rhododendron was a suicide.

The incident occurred Aug. 31 in an undeveloped campground 50 yards from
the south side of Hwy. 26, just south of East John Lake Road.

Investigators responded to the campsite where the deceased male was
discovered, with a clearly visible wound to the head.

The deceased was forensically examined during an autopsy performed by the
Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office Sept. 1.

“The deceased has died as a result of a gunshot wound,” was the terse
statement released by Larry Newman of the ME’s office.

The victim has been identified as a 53-year-old construction worker from Las
Vegas who had come to Oregon to look for work.

Homicide and Violent Crimes Unit investigators located a commercial-grade
blowgun at the campsite. The blowgun was sent to the crime lab for
examination. As a result of the forensic examination, it was determined that
the blowgun was the instrument the victim used to discharge the self-inflicted
fatal round to his head.

Investigators described the blowgun as being approximately 30 inches long
and made of an aluminum-grade metal. This blowgun is not typically used to
discharge ammunition.

However, in this case, the victim was able to make use of the blowgun to
deliver the fatal shot.

“It was a suspicious and complex crime scene from the beginning,” said Jim
Strovink, public information officer for the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office.

“It was a pristine area. A vehicle was there, no weapon, no suicide note.”

Apparently the victim put a round in the blowgun and set the instrument in
the campfire, put the barrel to his head, and waited for the heat from the
campfire to fire the round, Strovink said.