TX – Austin authorities made a gruesome discovery on Wednesday, March 25, when they found a man’s body on the conveyor belt at a recycling center.
The man was identified as 18-year-old Silas Octavia Strimple of Washington state.
The Travis County Sheriff’s Office said there’s no signs of foul play, but Strimple’s death is still being considered suspicious, KXAN reported.
Strimple is the third person within the last 12 months to be found dead at an Austin-area recycling plant, the Austin American Statesman reported. At least four people have been found dead at recycling plants since 2015.
In December 2020, the body of 62-year-old Randall Shinault was found at a recycling center in Creedmoor, about 17 miles southeast of downtown Austin. Shinault’s death is also being investigated as suspicious.
In March 2020, the body of 31-year-old Collen LeBlanc was found at a facility at eastern Travis County. His death is also under investigation.
“Most likely the place where this person died is probably not here. He was probably brought in on a (garbage) truck. So we have to start going back and seeing if we can figure out exactly what led to this,” Kristen Dark, Travis County sheriff’s office spokeswoman, said after LeBlanc was found.
Authorities are still actively investigating Strimple’s death and anyone with information about him is asked to contact the Travis County Sheriff’s Office tip line at (512) 854-1444.
