Coroner: Santa Rosa’s Larry Atchison died of heart disease complications

Officials have determined a 64-year-old at-risk Santa Rosa man who was found dead March 27 after he went missing for a month died due to complications of heart disease.

Lawrence “Larry” Atchison’s death was accidental, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office Coroner Unit concluded in a report that were released last week.

In the findings, Deputy Daniel Avina indicated Atchison died from a blood clot that was found in a vessel of his heart. Officials believe the clot formed as a result of hypertensive atherosclerosis cardiovascular disease ― a heart condition which can restrict blood flow.

Other contributing factors in his death included environmental exposure, dementia and ketoacidosis, which is a complication of diabetes.

The Coroner Unit conducted a postmortem exam to determine Atchison’s cause of death after his body was found in an area just under 2 miles from his Bennett Valley home.

A woman and her dog found Atchison about 2:40 p.m. March 27 on a rural trail in the 4500 block of Fawn Hollow Lane, southeast of Santa Rosa's Bennett Valley neighborhood.

Deputies who responded to the location matched the clothing to those belonging to Atchison. The Coroner Unit positively identified Atchison the next day.

The discovery of Atchison’s body ended a monthlong investigation, which began after Atchison left his home on Leafwood Circle on Feb. 27. Atchison was considered at-risk because he had been diagnosed with dementia.

Family members and authorities said he usually stayed close to his wife, but he unexpectedly left their home while she was in the bathroom.

The search for Atchison involved a large effort that included his family, community members and local law enforcement agencies, such as the Santa Rosa Police Department and Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office’s Search and Rescue Unit.

“No matter the heartache during this tragic event our family grew stronger in perseverance and resilience,” Atchison’s stepson Pierre Gachet said in a June 13 Facebook post. “We are grateful to all of you and Larry would be too. Someday we will all get to see our loved ones again. Until then, live your life with love and meaning.”

Atchison is remembered as a man whose favorite “hobby“ was spending time with his family, who loved to make people laugh, and who “took pride in taking care of things,” Gachet told The Press Democrat in March.

You can reach Staff Writer Madison Smalstig at madison.smalstig@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @madi.smals.