Death investigation underway in Tacoma after bodies of 2 men found in recycling plant
Tacoma police are conducting a death investigation after two men were found dead earlier this month in a recycling plant on Tacoma’s Tideflats. Police so far don’t suspect foul play.
The men, identified Monday as 33-year-old Zach Hillis and 36-year-old Jeremy Lindsay, were found dead April 12 and April 15, according to the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office. Their remains were found at JMK Fibers, a recycling facility in the 1400 block of Port of Tacoma Road.
It’s unclear how the two ended up there or when they died. Tacoma Police Department spokesperson Shelbie Boyd said officers responded to the plant each time after an employee reported the bodies.
Detectives are waiting for the medical examiner to determine the cause of death for the men. Boyd said the initial investigation didn’t point to homicide.
Hillis and Lindsay were both Seattle-area residents, Boyd said, but she didn’t know whether they knew each other. She said Tacoma police have been in contact with Seattle Police Department. Lindsay’s father, Oral Sledge, told Fox 13 that Lindsay was resourceful and witty, someone who would give you “everything.” His wife, Ashley, told the TV station that she’d last heard from her husband in February or early March, sometime after he was released from jail.
“He didn’t deserve to go the way that he did,” Ashley Lindsay said.
The News Tribune wasn’t able to reach a manager at JMK Fibers. A person who answered the phone there Monday said they weren’t allowed to speak with reporters.
JMK Fibers is a Waste Management facility that operates in a 90,000-square-foot building, according to its website. It receives recyclables collected from several northwest states as well as King, Pierce and Kitsap counties.
This story was originally published April 24, 2023 at 2:49 PM.
