Monday, December 9, 2024

Discovery of Unidentified Body in Russian River Prompts Investigation by Mendocino County Authorities

The following is a press release from the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office. The information has not been proven in a court of law and any individuals described should be presumed innocent until proven guilty:


The Russian River near Ukiah [Picture by Matt LaFever]

On 3-24-2024 at about 04:30 PM, a kayaker on the Russian River called the Ukiah Police Department (UPD) to report they had possibly observed a human body in the river. UPD notified the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office of the incident as the location was in the County jurisdiction. Sheriff’s Office personnel along with numerous fire agencies responded to the area of Morrison Creek and Old River Road and began searching the area for the possible body.

Fire personnel utilized an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to search the river area. At about 5:35 PM, Fire personnel located a deceased subject in the river. Fire personnel trained in swift water rescue entered the fast-moving water and were able to safely remove the decedent from the waterway.

Sheriff’s Office Deputies were on scene and began a Coroner’s Investigation. The female adult decedent was in a state of advanced decomposition which made it impossible to identify the subject. It appeared the decedent had been in the water for some time, and no obvious signs of external trauma were observed.

The case is currently under investigation and anyone with information related to this investigation is requested to contact the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office at 707-463-4086. Information can also be provided anonymously by calling the Sheriff’s Office non-emergency tip line at 707-234-2100. 

Additional information regarding this investigation and the identification of the decedent will be released when it becomes available. 

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MendoFever Staff
MendoFever Staff
Editor's Note: Whenever an article's byline reads "MendoFever Staff", the contents of that article were not composed by any of our reporters. Types of writing that will be attributed to "MendoFever Staff" include press releases, letters to the editor, op-eds, obituaries— essentially writing that is not produced by a reporter.

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