Officials ID body found while clearing North Cascades Highway

BELLINGHAM — Officials released the identity of a man whose body was found as crews worked to clear the North Cascades Highway in late March.

The man was identified as 52-year-old William Summer, according to the Skagit County Coroner’s Office.

The Washington State Patrol responded to reports of a body discovered by a Washington State Department of Transportation employee during seasonal cleaning in the area on March 20, in the seasonal closure between Ross Dam Trailhead and Silver Star Gate.

Summer was found on the side of the road near Milepost 150, according to a release from the Washington State Patrol. He was not found near a vehicle, Trooper Kelsey Harding told The Bellingham Herald.

The cause and manner of Summer’s death are still under investigation, according to the release.

The North Cascades Highway connects Whatcom and Skagit counties with the Okanogan County destination towns of Winthrop and Twisp.