Officials working to ID woman’s body found in ocean near Fort Bragg

A body was found Friday off the coast south of Fort Bragg, officials said.

Multiple agencies coordinated in efforts to retrieve the body from the ocean. State Parks rescue swimmers reached the body and directed it to a rescue boat that transported the body to Noyo Harbor.

Mendocino County sheriff’s deputies found the body was female, but the absence of a wallet, identifying marks or characteristics made identification impossible.

Because the recovered body did not match any Mendocino County Missing Person’s cases, the Sheriff’s Office has expanded its search to neighboring counties, Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Quincy Cromer said Monday.

The Coroner’s Division will need more time to identify the body due to its condition, using DNA and dental records, Cromer said.

The cause or manner of death will not be released until a full autopsy is complete, including toxicology reports.

“All of those searches take time,” Cromer said.

Once the body is identified, the office will notify family members before releasing the individual’s name to the public.

Agencies that responded included the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, California State Parks and the Mendocino Volunteer Fire Department.

Anyone with information about the body may call the Mendocino Sheriff’s Office at 707-463-4086. Information can also be provided anonymously through the non-emergency tip line at 707-234-2100.

You can reach Breaking News Intern Amy Moore at 707-526-8545 or amy.moore@pressdemocrat.com.