Investigators Mum on James Whitman Death Investigation

Aly Delp

Aly Delp

Published March 11, 2021 5:44 am
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CLARION, Pa. (EYT) — Investigators probing the recent death of a Clarion University student whose body was found in Highland Township remain tight-lipped about their findings.

James Whitman, 21, of Riverview, Florida, was found deceased approximately 100 feet above the Toby Creek Bridge on Bigley Road on February 21.

While his death was initially listed as accidental, his cause of death has not yet been released, and the investigation is ongoing.

“The lead investigator wishes to not share anything at this point in time,” Clarion County Coroner Dan Shingledecker told exploreClarion.com on Wednesday.

“The investigation is still ongoing.”

Calls to the Clarion-based State Police regarding the case were not immediately returned.

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Whitman’s uncle, who declined to go on record, spent some time in Clarion following the death of his nephew, asking residents and businesses for any possible video footage from along 5th Avenue on the night that he went missing.

Whitman was initially reported missing around 1:14 p.m. on February 20, after he failed to return home Friday night.

The investigation later led authorities to the area of Miola Road and McCleary Road in Highland Township, Clarion County, where troopers and members of Clarion Fire & Hose Company No. 1 searched a wooded area near Toby Creek.

In a bizarre turn of events, the search party discovered a crashed vehicle and the deceased bodies of Samuel Paine, 78, and Lucille Paine, 81, both of Strattanville, near Bigley Road and Toby Creek Bridge.

Whitman’s body was discovered nearby.

The death of Whitman and the deaths of the Strattanville couple are completely unrelated, according to investigators.

According to Clarion County Coroner Dan Shingledecker, investigators believe the vehicle where the Paine couple were located had crashed around noon on Wednesday, February 17.

Autopsies were performed on Samuel and Lucille Paine on February 22 and Shingledecker said the preliminary cause of death for both was hypothermia.

An autopsy was conducted the same day on Whitman; however, there is currently no timetable for the release of his cause of death. Shingledecker previously noted that toxicology reports can take up to a month and full autopsy reports can take up to three months.

RELATED:

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Coroner Releases Preliminary Cause of Death for Strattanville Couple

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