Man found dead in Pierce County nature preserve identified

Puneet Bsant / The News Tribune (TNS)
Posted 1/16/25

A 45-year-old man who was found dead on a jogging trail at the Parkland Prairie Nature Preserve has been identified, according to the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Francisco …

You've reached your limit of
free articles this month!

Unlock unlimited access for just $1 for your first month

Click here to start a digital subscription

Please log in to continue

Log in

Man found dead in Pierce County nature preserve identified

Posted

A 45-year-old man who was found dead on a jogging trail at the Parkland Prairie Nature Preserve has been identified, according to the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Francisco Guzman Gaytan died on Jan. 5 near the 13000 block of South Yakima Avenue. His official cause and manner of death are pending, the office said in a news release. That is a temporary designation used when additional investigation, information and/or test results are required for certification.

Deputies were dispatched at about 7:30 a.m. after a resident saw Gaytan’s body and called 911 for a welfare check, The News Tribune previously reported. No weapons were found at the scene although there were indications of foul play to make the death appear suspicious.

Gaytan was found with “blunt trauma,” according to a Pierce County Sheriff’s Department Facebook post.



Anyone who knew Gaytan is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Department so detectives can gather more information about him.

As of Wednesday, no arrests have been made. The investigation is ongoing.

© 2025 The News Tribune (Tacoma, Wash.). Visit www.TheNewsTribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.