Marine found dead with head wound inside vehicle on Okinawa

NAGO, Okinawa — A U.S. Marine was found dead with a head wound inside a vehicle in northern Okinawa, according to the Marine Corps and Japanese police.

The male Marine was discovered Friday afternoon in the driver’s seat of a vehicle parked at a medical facility in Nago’s Gusuku district, an Okinawa Prefectural Police spokesman said by phone Monday.

The Marine was holding an object resembling a small handgun, the spokesman said. He declined to provide further details about the object.

“We can confirm a U.S. Marine assigned to III Marine Expeditionary Force was found deceased in Nago City,” III MEF spokesman 1st Lt. Tyler Thomas said by email Monday.

The Marine’s name is being withheld until 24 hours after notification of next of kin, he wrote.

“Our deepest condolences go out to the Marine’s family, friends, and colleagues,” Thomas said.

Someone associated with the medical facility called police at 3:11 p.m. Friday and reported that “a man is bleeding from his head inside a car,” the police spokesman said.

Emergency personnel confirmed the Marine was dead at the scene at 4:17 p.m., according to police.

“No other injuries were confirmed,” the spokesman said. The Marine “was not wearing a uniform.”

The vehicle’s doors were locked, but its rear hatch was unlocked and the engine was off, according to police.

The spokesman declined to identify the vehicle’s owner but said it did not have a Y license plate. Vehicles registered in Japan to people covered by the status of forces agreement generally bear plates displaying the letter Y.

Some Japanese government officials must speak to the media only on condition of anonymity.

U.S. and Japanese authorities are cooperating to determine the circumstances surrounding the Marine’s death, Thomas said.

He declined to provide further details, citing privacy and the integrity of the investigation.