Arcata Police reclassify October death of Carrie Crook at Valley West encampment

Autopsy and toxicology results prompted Arcata Police to reclassify the October 2025 death of 48-year-old Carrie Crook, who was discovered inside an improvised structure at the Valley West encampment, the department announced Feb. 25, 2026.

Crook was found dead in October 2025 at the Valley West encampment in Arcata; officers initially opened an investigation after treating the scene as a possible homicide, Arcata Police said. The discovery of Crook’s body in an improvised structure at that encampment set off investigative steps typical of a suspicious-death inquiry.

The reclassification followed completion of an autopsy and subsequent toxicology testing, Arcata Police said. Those medical examinations, which investigators received in the weeks leading up to the department’s Feb. 25 announcement, were the stated basis for changing how the case is categorized.

Arcata Police have not provided additional public details about the specific medical findings or an amended cause of death in the announcement, but confirmed the case’s status has changed since the initial October 2025 investigation. The victim has been identified as 48-year-old Carrie Crook in the department’s release regarding the Valley West encampment death.

The department’s Feb. 25, 2026 announcement closes the initial phase of the investigation that began at the Valley West encampment in October 2025; Arcata Police said the reclassification was based on the completed autopsy and toxicology results. The department made no further statements about arrests or active leads in its announcement.