Zack Hillis and Jeremy Lindsay: Bodies of 2 men found 'shredded like trash' at Tacoma recycling plant
TACOMA, WASHINGTON: The lifeless bodies of two men were found "shredded like trash" within the same week at JMK Fibers Recycling Center in Tacoma, Washington. One of the corpses discovered on April 12, has been identified as Zack Hillis. His father, Stacey, was notified the next day.
"It's a grief you don't have any words for," Stacey Hillis told local Fox affiliate KCPQ. The devastated parents were not planning to attend their son's viewing due to the state the body was in. "Shredded like trash and thrown on conveyor belts and crushed in the garbage can multiple times," said Stacey. "No parents should ever hear that, let alone bury your son. [Zack] wasn't just a body found at a recycling plant. He was a son, a brother and an uncle."
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Zack's father said his son suffered from fentanyl addiction as well as schizophrenia. However, he was not the only one found in the recycling center. Oral Sledge told KCPQ that his son, Jeremy Lindsay, 36, was discovered at the same facility days later on April 15. "We just hope and pray he wasn't alive when he was either put in there or in any process of this recycling center machinery," Sledge told the outlet. "The description of the body after going through that even after it's found is horrendous."
Jeremy's wife spoke to him after prison release
Jeremy's wife, Ashley Lindsay, said she last spoke to her husband after he was released from prison. "I didn't want to believe it but they confirmed it with a distinctive tattoo that Jeremy has," Ashley told the outlet. "[Jeremy] needed help and he wanted to meet up with me to help him get better," she continued. "That's what we were working towards and after that, nothing."
According to family members, Zack and Jeremy, who were only able to be identified by their fingerprints due to the condition of their bodies, had been previously imprisoned.
Duo possibly met in prison
Jeremy's father and wife believe it's possible that the two men had met in prison. "[Jeremy] was resourceful, he was witty and he was one of those guys that would give you everything," said Oral Sledge. Zack's father agreed, telling local CBS affiliate KIRO, “It was almost bittersweet because my son didn’t die alone, is what I’m thinking, because they had met in jail."
A GoFundMe was created by Oral to raise funds for his son's funeral and burial. "There is an ongoing death investigation as the cause and circumstances of his death are inconclusive," Oral wrote in the fundraiser's description.
No foul play
Tacoma Police told KIRO they don't believe foul play was involved. “There were no homicidal injuries that were immediately observed, but we’re still doing a thorough investigation, still waiting for that medical examiner’s final cause of death to come in,” Shelbie Boyd with the Tacoma Police Department told the outlet.
A spokesperson for JMK Fibers Recycling Center, confirmed the bodies were found on two separate days. "Neither incident involved our employees or persons working at our facility", they said. "We stopped operations immediately, instructed employees to leave the area, notified authorities and then cooperated in full with the investigation authorities."
