Homeless woman killed by train identified

LONGVIEW – The Longview News-Journal has identified a 33-year-old homeless woman was killed about 11:30 p.m. Jan. 1 while reportedly crawling under a train in Longview. A police report released by the Longview Police Department through a public information request identified the woman as Ashley Nicole Ray. A witness to the incident told one of the responding officers that Ray had tried to crawl under a train on the tracks at the dead end of the 200 block of North Second Street.

A report that several officers contributed to said there is a dirt path in that area that is known to be used by homeless and transient people. The incident occurred about 2,100 feet west of the Union Pacific Railyard on Whaley Street.

A “bright yellow sign” near where the woman died says locomotives operate by remote control in that area, and there is a “no trespassing” sign, the report states.

“… There were multiple train tracks, with switch tracks. The area is used by the railroad to add or remove cars to different trains depending on where the destination was going after leaving Longview,” the report states.

The report says no foul play is suspected, and an autopsy was to be conducted.