The brother of a 26-year-old Onalaska man found dead in a burned vehicle on Jan. 22, 2022, is planning a protest to bring more attention to the case.
Garrett Farrier says he will bring signs and fellow supporters to the Lewis County Courthouse at 11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 18, in an effort to boost the investigation into the death of his younger brother, Ostynn “Otti” Farrier.
The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office was called at 2:40 a.m. on Jan. 22, 2022, to respond to a fully-engulfed vehicle in the 800 block of Larmon Road in Onalaska. Ostynn Farrier’s body was found in the vehicle.
An autopsy later confirmed Ostynn Farrier had ash in his lungs, indicating he was alive and breathing for at least some time while the truck was on fire.
The Lewis County Coroner’s Office later determined Ostynn Farrier’s cause of death was thermal injuries and inhalation of products of combustion.
Because his death was directly caused by the fire, Ostynn Farrier’s manner of death is undetermined until investigators determine the cause of the fire, according to the Lewis County Coroner’s Office. If the cause of the fire is determined to be arson, for example, the manner of death would be homicide.
Ostynn Farrier’s father, Ed Farrier, spoke to The Chronicle last May in an effort to bring more attention to the case, expressing frustration that there had been no breaks in the investigation.
“I’d like to see justice,” he said at the time. “It would mean that somebody didn’t get away with something that should be taken care of … It isn’t going to bring Ott back, it isn’t going to help me see my grandkids, but it will help. A lot.”
Ed Farrier, who said he had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer, has since died.
Garrett Farrier said he hopes the protest will rekindle interest in the case and perhaps produce new information. He said members of the public are encouraged to attend. He plans to bring signs for attendees to hold but said attendees should bring their own if possible.
A lifetime Onalaska resident, Ostynn Farrier started working at the age of 8 with his own lawn mowing business, and carried a remarkable work ethic throughout his life, his father said.
He bought his own house at the age of 18 and later bought a camp trailer, which was parked near his father’s.
Ostynn Farrier was a dedicated father to his own two young children, and Ed Farrier cherished the times they came to stay at the camp trailer on Ed Farrier’s property, which the kids deemed their clubhouse.
The kids would help their grandparents in the yard, planting tulips that are in bloom today, even with Ostynn Farrier gone.
In lieu of flowers for Ostynn Farrier’s memorial, his family and friends set up an account at Twin Star Credit Union in Onalaska to benefit Ostynn Farrier’s two kids.
Ultimately, $12,000 was donated to that account from multiple sources, including friends, family, Onalaska community members and Ostynn Farrier’s former employers, speaking to the impact he had on those around him.
“I always think about him,” Ed Farrier said last May.
