The Umatilla man who was found dead just off Highway 395 nearly Hermiston early Saturday morning has been identified as 59-year-old Rodney Norman Marks.
The Oregon State Police (OSP) is continuing the investigation to confirm the cause of the death. Preliminary information indicates the cause may have been due to a medical emergency while the man was driving.
Marks was discovered by a passing motorist slumped over the driver’s seat and unresponsive around 3 a.m. The motorist spotted Marks in a 2005 Chevrolet Impala in the sagebrush about 60 feet off Highway 395 near milepost 2. Hermiston Emergency Medical Services arrived at the scene and confirmed that Marks was deceased.
A preliminary investigation indicates the vehicle was southbound on Highway 395, traveled off the highway and through sagebrush before coming to rest on a hillside. The vehicle had no visible sign that it crashed before coming to an uncontrolled stop.
OSP troopers from the Pendleton Area Command office are investigating. The Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office and Umatilla Police Department assisted at the scene.
