Ephrata resident's cause of death remains unknown

Body found near warehouse Nov. 3

EPHRATA — The cause of death remains undetermined today of a 23-year-old Ephrata man whose body was found lying near an Odessa Union Warehouse on Thursday by grain elevator employees.

Ephrata Police Chief Joe Varick identified the man as Jason Edward Turner. Turner's driver's license identified him as a Marlin resident, but Varick said Turner was known to be living in Ephrata and working at a welding shop in Moses Lake.

Turner's body was discovered fully dressed shortly before 8 a.m. when employees thought they had come across a homeless person sleeping on a slab of concrete between two grain elevators, Varick said.

So far, officers found no sign of trauma to Turner's body and are currently awaiting a toxicology report from the Grant County Coroner's Office to determine the official cause of death, he said.

Varick said police have so far ruled out foul play and found nothing to indicate otherwise at the scene. At this point, he said, there was no indication that Turner's death was a suicide.

Turner was found with enough money where police believe he would have no reason to be sleeping outside, Varick said, and he had been residing at an Ephrata mobile home.

Police have been canvassing nearby businesses and drinking establishments to determine where Turner was last seen or what he may have been doing near the grain elevators, Varick said.