The body of a person found last week in Hazel Dell has been identified as a Portland man.
The Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office identified 74-year-old Earl Darling as the man whose body was found by a passer-by in a wooded area near Northeast 78th Street and 13th Avenue on Sept. 8.
Though the medical examiner’s office said the cause of death is still under investigation, Clark County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Todd Barsness said that their investigation so far leads detectives to believe that Darling’s fatal injury was self-inflicted.
His body was found in an area frequented by transient campers, the sheriff’s office said.
