WHIDBEY ISLAND, Wash. — A 65-year-old man reported missing on Thursday was found dead on Whidbey Island on Friday afternoon, according to the U.S. Coast Guard USCG.
The man was last seen in a 12-foot dinghy on Thursday night near Point Wilson, USCG said in a release.
At around 7:45 p.m., Coast Guard watchstanders got a report of a possible man overboard after the dinghy was seen unmanned and adrift.
Another boater saw the dinghy and towed it to the Port Townsend Marina while authorities in Jefferson County started to search the shoreline for the missing man.
At around 10 a.m. on Friday morning, a person walking on a beach on Whidbey Island found the man’s body, USCG said.
“Though this search ended in heartbreaking tragedy, the dedication shown by responders throughout the day and night reflects the deep responsibility we feel to bring answers home to loved ones,” Coast Guard Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator for Sector Puget Sound Commander Daniel Delgado said.