The cause of death of a Roseville man found two months ago in the waters off Gualala has been classified as undetermined, Mendocino County sheriff's officials said Tuesday.
"There are injuries on the body, but we can't attribute them to the exact cause of death," said Sheriff's Capt. Greg Van Patten, noting the body of Stephen Clark Pease was in poor condition when it was found by recreational divers Nov. 23.
Pease, 57, was last seen alive on Nov. 3, when he checked out of a Fort Bragg motel, located about 60 miles north of where his body was found.
The rental car he was believed to be driving, a silver 2014 Chevrolet Captiva with Oregon license plate 500GKN, remains missing, Van Patten said.
The location of the vehicle could hold clues about how Pease died, he said.
Pease's initial disappearance also remains clouded in mystery. He was reported missing to the Roseville Police Department on Halloween.
Pease is the co-owner of a Sammy Hagar-themed restaurant that is the centerpiece of a revitalization effort in Roseville, near Sacramento.
The restaurant, Sammy's Rockin' Island Bar -amp; Grill, closed after Pease disappeared and is more than $9,000 behind on a $1.5 million loan with the Roseville Community Development Corp. It was designed to anchor downtown redevelopment for the city of 124,000.
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