NEAH BAY — A body found floating in the Strait of Juan de Fuca near Neah Bay on Monday is presumed to be that of a missing fisherman from Olympia, authorities said Tuesday.
Charles L. Swanson, 70, was last seen fishing near Sekiu with his golden retriever on a 17-foot white center-console fishing boat at about noon Thursday, U.S. Coast Guard officials said.
A body matching Swanson’s description was found floating in the Strait of Juan de Fuca near milepost 4 of state Highway 112 east of Neah Bay at about 12:47 p.m. Monday, the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office said.
“The body is presumed to be that of Charles L. Swanson; however, the identity of the deceased has not yet been positively determined,” Clallam County Sheriff’s Sgt. Ed Anderson said in a press release.
Clallam, King County offices
The Clallam County Coroner’s Office and King County Medical Examiner’s Office will work to determine the cause and manner of death and confirm the identity of the deceased, Anderson said.
Swanson’s 1 1/2-year-old golden retriever, Larry, and fishing boat have not been recovered.
U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard crews conducted helicopter and boat searches Friday through Sunday.
Noticed from road
The body was reported by a woman who had stopped along the highway with her family.
“They were looking out into the Strait and saw what they thought looked a little strange,” Anderson said in a telephone interview.
“They realized it was actually a body.”
Deputies arrived a short time later and found the body floating in the water along a rocky shoreline, Anderson said.
The body was recovered with jet skis and boats operated by members of the Neah Bay Fire Department and Coast Guard Station Neah Bay, Anderson said.
Swanson’s boat was last seen anchored in the Strait between the mouth of the Hoko River and Sekiu Point in an area commonly known as “the caves,” Anderson said.
Conditions were reported to have been “very rough and choppy” Thursday, Anderson said.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
