Body identified, autopsy inconclusive

The man who was discovered dead in his truck at a Madison Park road end yesterday has been identified as Michael Westlake Michel. He was 42 years old and apparently lived in Everett.  It is not known why he was in Madison Park or how he came to die in the back seat of his vehicle, parked on E. Lee Street near Lake Washington.  Although the King County Medical Examiner's Office conducted an autopsy on the body late this morning, the official word is that "the manner of death" and the "cause of death" are each "pending" at this time.

We followed up with the Medical Examiner's Office to determine exactly what that means.  We were told that tissues and blood samples will have to be analyzed, a testing process that is expected to take from eight to ten weeks.  The Seattle Police Department, to which we were referred, gave us this statement: "It is a death investigation and that's all we can say at this time."

[Photo, showing the police preparing to have the deceased's truck towed, by J. Waltz.]