Mark Ashland

This article includes content which may be disturbing to some readers, such as details of suicide. Discretion is advised.

Mark Ashland
Name	Mark Lawrence Ashland
Sex	Male
Age	30
Missing from	Seattle, Washington
Disappeared	September 4, 1981
Discovered	October 9, 1984
Location	Seattle, Washington
Identified	Fall 2019
Span	35 years
Cause of death	Hanging (suicide)

Mark Lawrence Ashland (c. 1954 - October 9, 1984) was a man who disappeared from Seattle in 1981. Three years after his last contact with family, he hanged himself. Fingerprint comparison led to his identification in the fall of 2019. In February 2020, the results were publicly released. 

Disappearance

Ashland, originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, moved to Washington five years before he disappeared. He generally took jobs involving driving. He had not contacted his family since September 4, 1981, despite their efforts to locate him. He was 27 at the time he was last seen.

Discovery

Ashland's body was discovered on October 9, 1984. He had died by suicide by hanging in a wooded area in Carkeek Park, located in Seattle. He was believed to be from the area, based on what he wore. The rope used to facilitate his suicide appeared to have been purchased shortly before his death.

He was estimated to be between the ages of 18 and 34. The decedent was in a recognizable state, and it appeared he spent a significant amount of time driving with his left arm outside, based on tanning.

Identification

During the fall of 2019, authorities followed a potential lead that the decedent may have been Ashland, based on similar characteristics and clothing styles. No DNA was recovered from the body, but fingerprint information was recorded during the autopsy. A 1981 letter from Ashland to his sister contained prints that matched with the John Doe.

The identification was released publicly in February 2020.

Gallery

Reconstruction

Sources

• Komo News
• Mark Ashland at the Doe Network