September 5, 2018

FBI Seeks Information in Death of Yakima County Man

Update: Following the FBI’s request for information, information developed that indicated John Sampson’s death was the result of an accident.

The FBI is seeking information regarding the death of a 53-year-old man in Wapato, WA.

On August 17, 2018, John Sampson was found unconscious with a severe head injury by the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office in a parking lot located at 717 West 1st Street in Wapato, Washington.

He was transported by ambulance to Astria Regional Hospital in Yakima, Washington, where he received medical treatment and was later pronounced dead. Autopsy results from the Yakima County Coroner’s Office indicate that Sampson died of head trauma.

Before he was found injured, Sampson was last seen at a pool tournament at the Hideout Restaurant at 401 South Wapato Avenue, Wapato, Washington, that evening. He left the restaurant on foot around 10:30 p.m..

If you have any information regarding Sampson on the night of his death, please contact the FBI’s Seattle Field Office at 206-622-0460. Tips can also be submitted anonymously online at https://tips.fbi.gov.

The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Seattle Field Office Yakima Resident Agency, with the assistance of the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office and the Yakama Nation Tribal Police