Mystery still surrounds the deadly March 19 explosion at Milepost 48 of Hwy.
26 east of Rhododendron.

What is known is Jeffrey Roger Williams, 24, of Portland, was killed in the
blast, and Oregon Medical Examiner Dr. Karen Gunson determined March 23
that the death was a suicide, according to U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman
Laura Pramuk.

“We were lucky enough to find fingerprints and we had enough of the hands
to do a fingerprint analysis,” Gunson reported. “It confirmed it is Jeffrey
Williams.”

Friends and family of Williams were puzzled, stating he was a well-adjusted
person and gave no indication that he was thinking of suicide, according to a
March 24 report by The Oregonian. However, Gunson indicated there was
enough evidence in Williams’ background, his actions before the event, his
medical records, and that he bought the explosive close to the time he used it
to conclude the incident a suicide.

Authorities searched Williams’ Portland apartment and found no suicide note.
The blast created an 11-foot wide, 2-foot deep crater a few feet off the road
and closed Hwy. 26 until 9 p.m. that night. That day, Gunson confirmed
Williams died of “blast injuries and body fragmentation.”

The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a 6:25 a.m.
dispatch and arrived on the scene at 7:30 a.m. Finding evidence of the
explosion, the Metropolitan Explosive Disposal Unit was summoned to the
scene to gather evidence.

By 3 p.m., the FBI’s Evidence Response Team began processing the scene
using bomb technicians and a robot to determine that no further threat
existed. The robot was used to open the trunk of a nearby abandoned vehicle
– Williams’ 2002 Ford Focus – and a backpack was removed from the trunk,
X-rayed, but no other explosives were found.

In all, dozens of personnel from multiple agencies worked the explosion area.
Authorities were able to determine that the victim was killed by an exploding
target mixture not regulated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms.
It is believed the blast was caused by a substantial amount of Tannerite, a
material commonly used by target shooters to make exploding targets. These
targets are readily available at most gun stores and on the Internet, and the
mixture, when placed in a receptacle like a can, will explode when hit by a
bullet. Gun fragments were found at the scene, according to Pramuk.