A former Langley man who was visiting his wife and children during the holidays was found shot to death in his car about 4:30 p.m. Saturday in a driveway on Wahl Road, west of Freeland.

Russel Douglas, 32, died of a gunshot wound to the head sometime Friday or Saturday, according to Island County Sheriff Mike Hawley. He said Douglas was killed with one shot from a small-caliber weapon that was fired from about 1 foot away from the victim. No gun has been found.

Hawley said his office is treating the incident as a homicide.

“It’s frustrating because we cannot find a motive for the shooting. We don’t have any suspects at this time,” Hawley said. “We have ruled out robbery and there is no indication that drugs were involved.”

Hawley said Douglas was found by a passerby walking his dog. Douglas was slumped behind the steering wheel of his yellow 200 Geo Tracker.

Although the area is not heavily wooded, the victim’s car had been backed into a pullout — about 25 yards in — on a private drive off Wahl Road, and would not have been visible from the roadside.

Owners of the property were not at home at the time, according to Hawley. He said there does not appear to be a link between the homeowners and Douglas.

Douglas was last seen Friday morning when he left the Langley-area home of his estranged wife, Brenna Douglas, owner of Just B’s Salon in Langley.

According to Hawley, Russel Douglas told family members he was going to run errands, then failed to returned.

“Without an obvious motive, weapon or suspect, it’s critical that we find out what he did after that,” Hawley said.

Douglas had moved to Renton from South Whidbey in the past year, but frequently returned to the island to visit and socialize. He had two young children, a boy and a girl.

Hawley said there is some indication Douglas and his wife were attempting a reconciliation. Douglas was employed as a zoning manager for Tetra Tech, and traveled throughout Washington. His work involved cell tower sites.

According to Island County Detective Mike Birchfield some of Douglas’ clothing and paperwork — consistent for a man who travels for work — were inside the car.

Detectives searched the Wahl Road area looking for the weapon Saturday evening and again on Sunday morning.

Birchfield executed a search warrant on Douglas’ Renton home Sunday evening. According to Hawley, “nothing obvious was found in his home that would lead us to a suspect.”

Detectives did take Russel’s laptop computer and are in the process of gathering cell phone records and voice mail messages.

“We would like to know who he talked to and who called him on Friday or Saturday,” Hawley said.

The Island County Coroners’ office performed an autopsy exam but did not pinpoint an exact time of death, just sometime within the 20 hours of discovery. Washington State Patrol forensic specialists examined Douglas’ vehicle — which had been towed Saturday afternoon to Coupeville — for evidence yesterday.

Occupants of homes and vacation rentals near where his body was found are asked to report any suspicious circumstances they may have witnessed Friday or Saturday. The rural Wahl Road area is about 6 miles from the Freeland business center. The street dead-ends above Mutiny Bay, on the west side of the island. Investigators are also working with Crimestoppers to establish a reward fund for information about the crime.