PORT ANGELES — On Sunday evening, Lee D. Renfro told his brother he was going for a walk. Three days later, he was found dead on the former Rayonier mill site about 300 feet north of the old guard shack.
A Navy veteran, Renfro, 32, always loved the water and likely jumped over a small barrier at the former mill’s vehicle entrance to get a better view of Port Angeles Harbor, said his mother, Judy Renfro, of Forest Grove, Ore.
“He was going for a walk and never came back,” she said, trying to hold back the tears while standing on the Waterfront Trail near the vehicle entrance Thursday.
Port Angeles Police Detective Cpl. Jason Viada said Lee Renfro’s body was reported by a trail user shortly before 6 p.m. Wednesday.
There was no evidence of foul play, he said.
Viada said the body was “clearly visible” from the trail, which runs east to west, parallel to the harbor.
But, he added, “it would also be possible for someone to walk up and down the trail and not notice [him].”
Lee Renfro, a truck driver, also lived in Forest Grove, about 28 miles west of Portland.
Visiting brother
He was visiting his twin brother, Donald Renfro, who lives in Port Angeles.
Judy Renfro, who came to Port Angeles with her husband after her son went missing, believes Lee Renfro died from a brain aneurism.
She said he was suffering from “violent headaches” for the last few years.
The cause of his headaches had not been diagnosed.
An autopsy to determine the cause of death was scheduled for Thursday evening.
Results could take a day or a few weeks, depending on how extensive the autopsy needs to be, said Port Angeles Police Sgt. Glen Roggenbuck.
“He didn’t go out there to commit suicide,” said his mother.
“He definitely didn’t try to end his life.”
Until the autopsy results are available, police won’t be able to confirm that he died Sunday, Viada said.
Lee Renfro has a five-year-old son who lives in Japan with his ex-wife, said his mother.
He is also survived by a second brother and a sister, she said.
Judy Renfro said he will be buried in Forest Grove.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
