‘No need to look any further’: Santa Rosa’s Larry Atchison found dead 1 month after disappearance

Lawrence “Larry” Atchison, an at-risk Santa Rosa man who went missing Feb. 27, was found dead Monday afternoon a few miles from his home, police said Tuesday.

“Larry has been found and is at peace, there’s no need to look any further,” his stepson Pierre Gachet said Tuesday afternoon in a post to the Facebook group created after Atchison’s disappearance.

“Though he may not be here to hug us, he is here in spirit. All attempts were not in vain. Your thoughts, prayers, and efforts are a testament that Larry was never truly alone.”

Before he was found, Atchison’s wife, Cecilia Gachet-Atchison, on Monday told The Press Democrat she missed her husband’s sweetness, his voice and his presence. For the past three years, they had spent every minute of every day together.

“I go to our room and the room is empty and I go to the living room and the room is empty,” she said.

Gachet-Atchison said Monday afternoon she was holding onto hope that he was not gone forever. She said she and her family were “waiting for him to come home.”

Atchison’s body was found about an hour later.

A woman walking on a rural trail in the 4500 block of Fawn Hollow Lane, southeast of Santa Rosa's Bennett Valley neighborhood, noticed a body lying on the ground and believed the person was dead, according to a release from the Santa Rosa Police Department.

The woman contacted the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, and deputies who responded to the location noticed the clothing on the body matched those of Atchison and confirmed he was deceased.

The Sonoma County Coroner’s Office confirmed Tuesday that the body was Atchison.

Atchison, 64, went missing around 4 p.m. Feb. 27 after leaving his home on Leafwood Circle, while his wife, who he doesn’t usually stray from, was in the bathroom.

He was found in an area just under 2 miles from his home.

Santa Rosa detectives do not believe foul play was involved, but a cause of death has not yet been released.

The Sonoma County Coroner’s Office does not have the resources to determine an approximate time or date of death for a body that has been found due to multiple variables that might affect the rate of decomposition and other pathological indicators, said Misti Wood, a Sheriff’s Office spokesperson.

The discovery capped off a monthlong investigation involving a large effort from Atchison’s family, community members and local law enforcement agencies, such as the Santa Rosa police and Sonoma County Search and Rescue.

Atchison was a retired truck driver. He was funny, Gachet said. Gachet and Gachet-Atchison said he had an incredible ability to turn around any phrase to make people laugh.

He had binders of CDs and loved music, mainly ‘70s rock. He loved to watch movies and loved pretty much any genre, except for horror. He especially loved action movies, Gachet said Monday to a Press Democrat reporter.

Atchison also collected miniature Corvettes and Peterbilt trucks, which he kept neat and pristine in a cabinet in his living room. When he worked, he always made sure to tuck in his shirt and kept his clothes clean throughout the day.

“He took pride in taking care of things,” Gachet said Monday.

Atchison also loved his dogs, JoJo and Zoe, and his favorite “hobby” was spending time with family.

Throughout the search, Gachet spoke with The Press Democrat multiple times and expressed how much effort the community and his family had put into the search. Some people took off work, those in other states looked for information remotely and others hit the streets after work each day to hand out missing posters.

“No matter the heartache during this tragic event our family grew stronger in perseverance and resilience,” Gachet said in the Facebook post Tuesday. “You as a community helped us in achieving that. 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.”

“Cherish your loved ones,” he added. “From my family to you, thank you…thank you…thank you.”

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