Man on Missoula’s Northside Died From “Bluntforce Impact,” No Foul Play
Update March 21: The police investigation into the death of Keith Byington, whose body was found near the railroad tracks in Missoula on March 4, has concluded that no foul play was involved in Byington's death.
Update March 6: The official corner's report has been released and it appears that Keith Byington, the man whose body was found near the railroad tracks on Montana's northside, died of "blunt force injuries consistent with low speed impact by a train and/or train tracks."
Foul play does not appear to be a factor in Byington's death, but the police would still like any information about the event. Anyone with info is advised to call the Missoula Police Department.
Original March 5: The Missoula county coroner has identified the body of the man found on Missoula's northside on Tuesday, March 4. The body was reportedly found in the snow near the railroad tracks behind the Kettlehouse brewery.
"We have identified the male as 34-year old Keith William Byington," said Missoula County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Paige Pavalone. "He was a disabled transient. He was found on Montana Rail Link property by a Montana Rail Link Employee. The body was transported the Montana State Crime lab and the cause of death will be determined post-autopsy."
The Missoula Police Department is still investigating the scene.
"We have uncovered some information that leads us to believe that this was not necessarily a natural death," said Missoula Police Detective-Sgt. Travis Welsh. "We can't say that it was a crime and we can't say that it was an accident. We're still in the investigation stage however, there are some questions that we need to answer before we can make a determination."
There was little certainty as to how long the State Crime Lab would take to process an autopsy report.