On Sunday, Dec. 9, at about 5:49 a.m., two motorists came upon a black 2012 GMC crew cab pick- up parked in the middle of SR 112 at about milepost 7.5. The motorists checked on the occupants of the vehicle. They found a male in the driver’s seat and another male occupant on the back passenger seat. The occupant in the driver’s seat was covered in vomit, smelled of alcohol, and he did not make sense to the witnesses when they tried to talk with him.

The back seat passenger was laying across the back seat, with his legs up on the seat and his head down on the floorboards. Witnesses initially thought he was passed out, but when they checked on him, they found he was not breathing. Clallam County Fire District 5 Medics and Neah Bay Tribal Police initially responded to the scene but they were unable to resuscitate the passenger.

There was some minor collision damage to the vehicle; however, the passenger’s cause of death did not appear related to collision injury.

The Washington State Patrol and Clallam County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene to assume the investigation. The investigation revealed the driver was 19-year-old Tommy Lee Tyler of Neah Bay. The deceased was identified as 21-year-old Neah Bay resident Michael Clayton McGee. Tyler was taken into custody for DUI.

Detectives with the Sheriff’s Office and the State Patrol began investigating leads and interviewing witnesses. Detectives learned that Tyler and McGee attended a party in Clallam Bay the night before. Witnesses said McGee drank a very large quantity of alcohol in a short period of time. Video evidence supported the witnesses’ claims. McGee became very intoxicated, so the partygoers took him out to the truck to sleep off his intoxication. A witness that arrived at the party later noticed McGee shivering in the back seat of the truck. That witness retrieved a blanket and wrapped McGee up.

Sometime later, Tyler, who had also been drinking heavily, used the truck to take another partygoer home. The evidence and witness statements suggest that after dropping off the other partygoer, Tyler became confused as to his location, and was unable to find his way back to the party.

At this time, cause of death is unknown and the investigation is ongoing. A coroner’s hold has been placed upon the decedent pending autopsy.

If anyone has information regarding this matter, please contact Detective Sergeant Eric Munger at (360) 417-2576. CCSO Case #2018-28226