December 13, 2023
OLYMPIA, Wash. – The Washington State Patrol’s (WSP) investigation into the death of an Evergreen State College student continues. On Monday evening, one student was found deceased in a campus apartment and two other students were transported to local hospitals with suspected carbon monoxide poisoning. The Thurston County Coroner released the name of the deceased student, Jonathan Rodriguez, a 21 year-old male from Dupont, WA. WSP has no official update on the current conditions of the two hospitalized students.
WSP has engaged the services of an outside forensic engineering firm that specializes in carbon monoxide investigations and failure analysis. The name of the firm and their findings will be provided when the investigation is complete.
“Every life is precious and any loss, especially a college student just starting their life’s journey, is difficult,” said WSP Chief John R. Batiste. “We all share the sorrow of this tragic news and will keep those impacted in our thoughts and prayers during what will no doubt be a very difficult holiday season.”
The Chief continued, “Please know that WSP is methodically and conscientiously investigating the case and will share what we find with the public as soon as we are able to do so. Our job is to investigate, not speculate, and we ask for the public’s patience while we do this important work.”
###