PORT TOWNSEND — The death of a 32-year-old Port Townsend man whose body was found near McCurdy Point on Monday has been ruled a suicide.
Timothy O. Merrals’ body was found after a multi-agency search.
A self-inflicted gunshot wound was determined to be the cause of death and no autopsy is planned, Deputy Prosecutor David Alvarez, who was acting as coroner, said today.
After Merrals’ body was found, a suicide note was subsequently found in his car, Alvarez said.
Merrals had been reported missing by his parents Sunday, police said.
His car was found at the North Beach Community Park on Monday and a unified command was formed that included Port Townsend Police, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, East Jefferson Fire-Rescue, state Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Coast Guard.
The immediate area was searched on foot along the beaches to the east and west of North Beach, while two marine rescue boats, the fire department’s Guardian and the sheriff’s office Valor, searched offshore.
A Coast Guard helicopter crew found Merrals’ body at about 3 p.m. in about 20 feet of water.
Along with the body, police discovered a hollow-point, .38 caliber special revolver with one round missing, according to Alvarez.
Rescuers lifted the body into the Guardian and took it to the marina where it was transferred to Kosec Funeral Home.
Services have not been determined. For more information, call Kosec Funeral Home at 360-385-2642.