Marine found dead in vehicle on Okinawa identified as 20-year-old corporal

A Marine found dead last week inside a vehicle in northern Okinawa has been identified as Cpl. Joseph R. Mcdonald, a 20-year-old Wisconsin native.

Mcdonald was a small-arms repairer and technician with 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, III MEF said in a news release Monday.

He enlisted in 2024 and joined the division last year. His awards include a meritorious mast and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, according to the release.

Mcdonald was found 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.

He had suffered a head wound and was holding an object resembling a small handgun, the spokesman said. He declined to provide further details about the object.

Emergency personnel confirmed Mcdonald was dead at the scene at 4:17 p.m. He was not in uniform, and police found no other injuries, the spokesman said.

The vehicle’s doors were locked, but its rear hatch was unlocked and the engine was off, he said.

The spokesman declined to name 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 may speak to the media only on condition of anonymity.

“Our deepest condolences go out to the Marine’s family, friends, and colleagues,” III MEF spokesman 1st Lt. Tyler Thomas said by email Monday.

U.S. military and Japanese authorities are continuing to investigate the death, according to III MEF’s release.

A previous version of this story incorrectly spelled the deceased Marine’s name as Joseph R. McDonald. The correct spelling is Joseph R. Mcdonald.