Body found near trail in Seattle's University District

October 26, 2005
KING5.com and Associated Press

SEATTLE - Police are investigating the discovery of a man's body in bushes alongside a popular path in Seattle's University District.

The pathway (in the vicinity of NE 45th St. and 18th Ave. NE) is frequently used by students who attend the nearby University of Washington.

A UW senior student, Jesse Colglazier, found the body and reported it to police around 3 p.m. Wednesday.

Colglazier said the man, who had blond hair shaved close, was face down on the ground in the fetal position about 15 feet off the trail.

"There was a kind of a mattress back there when you first had to step over, so I don't know if he was sleeping back there," said Jesse.

Police and students both said the wooded area is a homeless campground.

UW Police said they have found no signs of trauma or violence.

Police said that identification found on the man indicates that he was not a student and may have been a transient.

The victim is described as about 24 years old, but further details about his identity and the cause of death were not immediately available.