Hikers walking through the wooded area next to Western Washington University made a grim discovery Thursday evening, October 22, 2026, finding a person dead near a tent in the forested stretch bordering the Sehome Hill Arboretum. Bellingham police, university police, and medical personnel all responded to the scene, and officers reported no obvious signs of foul play.
According to My Bellingham Now, the body was found near a tent in the forested area next to WWU, per information from the university. The outlet reported that the site contained personal items, though further details about the person's identity have not been released. The Bellingham Police Department is continuing to investigate, and officials say there is no known threat to the community.
University Promises More Details Friday
Western Washington University said it would release additional information on the case Friday, October 23, the same report noted. As of Thursday evening, no identification of the deceased had been made public, and key questions about the circumstances of the death remained unanswered.
The discovery echoes past incidents in and around the same wooded hillside that have drawn police response over the years. In January 2010, the body of a Western Washington University student, identified as Matthew Lee Stanley, was found near the observation tower at Sehome Arboretum, according to WWU News. Other students hiking in the wooded arboretum located his body at about 2:30 p.m. that day, the university reported. Investigators at the time said they believed Stanley had suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound, though official confirmation awaited an autopsy by the medical examiner.
A Wooded Hillside With a Troubled History
More than a decade later, in March 2020, the body of a man in his mid-20s was found in a wooded area north of the Buchanan Towers residence hall near the Sehome Arboretum, as reported by bellinghamherald.com. That outlet reported the man's identity had not yet been released and that no foul play was suspected at the time.
For now, Thursday's case remains under investigation, with Bellingham police continuing to work the scene and university officials expected to share more Friday. The arboretum, a heavily wooded hillside that draws hikers and students throughout the year, sits adjacent to campus and has been the site of prior discoveries that drew similar police response.
