San Francisco man’s body retrieved from Russian River in Guerneville

Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office divers retrieved Monday the body of a 29-year-old San Francisco man from the Russian River, near a Guerneville vacation rental home where he had been staying with friends over the weekend, a sheriff’s official said.

The man’s body was found about noon in 12 to 15 feet of water near docks in the 15600 block of Riverside Drive, Sgt. Spencer Crum said in a news release.

The man, who wasn’t identified, was reported missing about 8:40 p.m. Sunday when he didn’t show up for dinner, Crum said. He had spent the weekend with his former husband and several friends at a vacation rental in the same area where his body was found.

The man’s friends had found his flip flops and T-shirt at a dock on the edge of the river, and his cellphone was found in the home, Crum said. Deputies searched the area Sunday night to no avail.

About 11 a.m. Monday, the sheriff’s Volunteer Search and Rescue dive team, aided by the Russian River and Monte Rio fire departments, entered the water near the docks and located his body within an hour.

Monte Rio Fire Chief Steve Baxman said about 20 people, including deputies, firefighters and three divers, participated in the recovery.

There are private docks behind most of the homes on Riverside Drive, and a deep channel runs along that side of the river, Baxman said. Most of the river is shallow this time of year, he said.

The Coroner’s Office will investigate the death, Crum said.

You can reach Staff Writer Guy Kovner at 707-521-5457 or guy.kovner@pressdemocrat.com.