A mid-September call about a vehicle sitting on a turnout north of Aberdeen turned into a homicide investigation that has been quietly running since, after deputies found a 61-year-old man dead from a gunshot in the car.
Martin Morales-Sotelo, Aberdeen, was confirmed dead from a gunshot by an autopsy, homicide being the manner of death, said Grays Harbor Coroner George Kelley in a phone interview.
The initial call came in at 6:10 p.m. on Sept. 16 of an unfamiliar vehicle sitting on a pull out near the intersection of Bear Gulch Road and East Wishkah Road, said Paul Logan, the Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office’ chief of special services, in a news release.
Deputies responding to the call found Morales-Sotelo dead in the driver’s seat of a black Ford Explorer, shot and killed. There was no one else in the vehicle and no firearm was located at the scene, Logan said, saying it was definitely a homicide, not a death by suicide. Morales-Sotelo was killed between about 1 p.m. that afternoon and 6 p.m., Logan said. There was no damage to the vehicle from gunshots, Logan said.
“We’ve got some theories and we’ve got some persons of interest that we’re looking into,” Logan said. “We’re looking for the public’s help. If anyone knows him or part of his life or anyone who knows anyone who had conflicts with him, we want to know.”
Deputies investigating the case took advantage of the minimal fanfare raised online or elsewhere to track down and interview family members and associates, Logan said. There appears to be no obvious motive for the homicide, Logan said, no clear reason why he was killed.
“We’re not seeing any of the obvious signs here,” Logan said. “That doesn’t mean there isn’t something under the surface we haven’t found yet or haven’t confirmed yet.”
Morales-Sotelo had been a resident of the region for about 20 years, working primarily in the seafood industry until 2020, according to a news release. He lived in another car, located in Aberdeen. The vehicle he was found dead in also belongs to him, Logan said, though it had been gifted from someone else and took some time to establish ownership. He’s survived by a wife and two adult children, according to the news release.
Logan asked anyone with information to call the sheriff’s office at 360-249-3711 or email detectives directly at sodetectives@graysharbor.us.
Contact Senior Reporter Michael S. Lockett at 757-621-1197 or michael.lockett@thedailyworld.com.
