Whatcom County man found to have died from a blow to the head
Jul 24, 2026, 5:25 PM
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
On July 11, Cole Hilton was found unconscious with a blow to the head on the side of the road near North Lake Samish Drive and Prescott Lane in Whatcom County. Three days later, he succumbed to injuries from “multiple blunt force traumas,” according to the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office and the Medical Examiner.
Whatcom County Medical Examiner’s Office told KIRO 7 Friday that although Hilton’s family has referred to his death online as having been caused by a hit-and-run, that is not the conclusion the county has come to.
On Friday, the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office told KIRO 7 in a statement, “The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office is continuing the investigation into this incident to try to determine what occurred.”
In a Facebook post Thursday, the sheriff’s office asked the public for help identifying a cyclist seen on security footage as traveling in the same direction a few seconds before Hilton.
A GoFundMe has been set up for Hilton’s family, gathering donations to pay for future expenses. The fundraising page said the family is looking into hiring a private investigator and an attorney to further investigate Hilton’s death.
