Update, July 22: The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office has released security footage and is asking for help identifying a bicyclist who may have witnessed the incident.
Read our latest coverage here.
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Bellingham, Wash. — The family of Cole Hilton, a longtime figure at Whatcom Gutter & Construction, is asking the community for help as they search for answers about his death earlier this month near Lake Samish.
In a message posted to the company's Facebook page, Cole's wife, Linda Hilton, shared that he had died and that the family is still trying to process the loss while seeking to understand what happened.
The appeal
The family is asking anyone in the Lake Samish area to check for security or doorbell camera footage from a specific window:
North Lake Samish Road, July 11, 2026, between 1:00 and 2:00 p.m.
According to the family, investigators have been told that Cole's injuries are consistent with being struck by a vehicle, based on the medical findings they have received so far. They are asking anyone with video or information from the area during that time to come forward.
Residents along North Lake Samish Road are the primary focus, but the family said footage from East Lake Samish and from entryways around the lake could help as well. Anyone with relevant Ring, doorbell, or other camera video is encouraged to reach out.
"Every piece of information could help us better understand what happened," the family wrote.
Remembering Cole
In her message, Linda described Cole as someone who spent more than a decade dedicated to Whatcom Gutter & Construction, caring deeply about the company's employees, customers, and suppliers. She pointed to his integrity, work ethic, and willingness to help others as the things that left a lasting mark on the people who knew him.
Many in the community knew Cole through the business, through The Bourbon, or simply through everyday life in Whatcom County. The family said the company's team is grieving alongside them and thanked the community for the support they have already received.
Whatcom Gutter & Construction said it intends to continue serving its customers in the days ahead, and asked for patience and grace during a difficult time.
Anyone with footage or information related to the afternoon of July 11 on North Lake Samish Road can contact Linda Hilton directly at lindafmhilton@gmail.com.
If you have information for investigators, the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office tip line is 360-778-6663, case #26A24488.
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Editor’s note: Updated July 22 with contact information provided by Linda Hilton and the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office tip line. Details regarding Cole Hilton’s identity and the nature of his injuries come from a public statement posted by his family. The Sheriff’s Office has not publicly identified the victim or stated a cause. We will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.
Thank you for sharing about the passing of my husband. Will you update your information on your article to show my personal email
Lindafmhilton@gmail.com
Not to contact my Whatcom Gutter Co office.
Thank you.
Linda Hilton.
It’s the least we could do. We’re sorry for your loss and having to deal with all this on top of it 🙁
Generally I’d recommend against sharing your email address like this publicly, so you could avoid spam but with Gmail, it’ll automatically go to spam anyways so I suppose that would be okay.
But yeah, I’ll update this article and include your email. I’ll keep links to Facebook still though, just in case.