On the evening of September 16, 2024, a passing driver found a black Ford Explorer parked in a pullout near East Wishkah Road and Bear Gulch Road in Aberdeen and alerted authorities. Deputies from the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office discovered 61-year-old Martin Morales-Sotelo, a Hispanic man, deceased inside the vehicle. An autopsy confirmed fatal gunshot wounds and the death was ruled a homicide; no firearm was recovered at the scene, which investigators said ruled out suicide.

Morales-Sotelo had lived in the Grays Harbor area since about 2004 and worked for years at Ocean Gold Seafoods in Westport until 2020. More recently he supported himself as a mechanic and by transporting people to rural areas to pick salal and mushrooms. He had been living in a silver Dodge Avenger for the year before his death; the black Explorer where he was found also belonged to him, reportedly a gift from someone else. He is survived by an ex-wife and two adult daughters.

Detectives determined he was likely killed between about 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. on September 16, processed the scene, interviewed potential witnesses and reviewed area surveillance, but had not identified a clear motive. Does anyone with knowledge of Morales-Sotelo’s work, travel to rural harvest sites, or contacts in the Aberdeen area have information that could help investigators?