Benny Westcott
A man was found dead near Bi-Mart in Sweet Home early on Friday afternoon, Aug. 18.
The Sweet Home Police Department responded to a call from a friend of the deceased who had located the body on a path in a wooded area next to Bi-Mart.
The SHPD responded to the scene at 12:45 p.m., and a medical examiner confirmed that the subject was deceased. Police identified the man as Cameron Wark, 33. Wark was believed to be houseless at the time of his death, according to SHPD Captain Ryan Cummings.
Cummings said the cause of death is believed to be a drug overdose.
“As part of standard procedure, they drew fluids from the body and will verify over time any presence of controlled substances that may have contributed or may not have contributed to his death,” Cummings said. “But that will be a long time before we know that answer.”
Because the death is believed to be narcotics related, the Linn Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team (LINE) was notified as well, Cummings said.
“Usually when a controlled substance causes the death, you try to have them investigate as fully as possible to hold accountable anybody who may have provided those,” he said.
While Cummings said he was not sure how long Wark had been houseless prior to his death, he said the SHPD had contact with Wark since 2016, during which time Wark had given various Sweet Home addresses as his place of residence.
Wark graduated from South Albany High School in 2008 and studied welding at Linn-Benton Community College the next year, according to his social media account. He had worked at Bright Wood Corporation in Madras and was married.