CENTRALIA — The Marion County Coroner’s Office and Centralia Police Department are currently investigating the death Thursday afternoon of a 32-year-old contract worker at the Centralia Junior High.

Matthew Smith, of Tilden, was working as a welder on the construction project at the school.

Preliminary information indicates Smith was experiencing functional issues with his welding machine and went to investigate.

When he failed to return in a timely manner, co-workers checking on him discovered him collapsed and unresponsive.

He was transported to the Emergency Department of SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Centralia, where he was pronounced deceased.

An autopsy scheduled for Friday morning will hopefully determine whether Smith came into contact with electrical current or experienced an unknown medical event.

Foul play is not suspected at this time.

As this is a work-related death, information has been forwarded to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for concurrent investigation.