PORT ANGELES — A deceased man was located following search and rescue efforts after a family member had reported him missing for several days, the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office said.
David Chet Boyd was found Saturday in the North Lees Creek Road area east of Port Angeles about 90 minutes into a search, the Sheriff’s Office said. He was located down a steep embankment near a creek bed by a Kitsap County K-9 search team using a cross-trained K-9 capable of both trailing/ground search and cadaver detection, the agency added.
Next of kin has been notified, and no foul play is currently suspected, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Boyd was reported missing by a family member after not seeing or hearing from him for four or five days, the Sheriff’s Office said. Family members told deputies the last known contact with Boyd was on Dec. 20 and said it was unusual for him to be out of contact.
Boyd’s vehicle and phone were located at his residence, and family members expressed concern that he may have wandered into the nearby wooded area, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Deputies attempted to locate Boyd by checking local hospitals and behavioral health facilities. When those efforts were unsuccessful, the search and rescue mission was activated.
Responding agencies on Saturday included the Clallam County search and rescue team, a drone operator from the Sheriff’s Office and K-9 teams from Kitsap County.
Once Boyd was located, a coordinated recovery effort was conducted by the Clallam County search and rescue team, the Port Angeles Fire Department and Clallam 2 Fire Rescue. Responders constructed a pulley and rope system to extract Boyd from the bottom of the embankment.
The investigation is ongoing, the Sheriff’s Office said.
