Sequim man killed in motorcycle wreck; found at base of cliff

Jeffrey Nash ()

Jeffrey Nash ()

SEQUIM — A Sequim man missing since early Friday morning was found dead Saturday.

Deputies said he apparently drove his motorcycle over a cliff overlooking Dungeness Bay.

They found the body of Jeffrey Nash, 47, at about 8:30 a.m. Saturday at the base of the cliff north of the intersection of Cays Road and Marine Drive, said Sgt. Eric Munger of the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office.

“He was northbound on Cays Road and didn’t navigate that corner onto Marine Drive,” Munger said.

“It appears that his cause of death was injuries as a result of the accident. That cliff is 50 to 75 feet between the top and down to the bottom,” with Nash located “down the bluff on the beach below.”

The rate of speed Nash was traveling when he went over the cliff was unknown, Munger said.

Investigators do not suspect foul play, he said.

A toxicology report and autopsy are pending, he added.

The death remains under investigation.

Commercial diver

Nash, a commercial diver for A1 Commercial Diving Services, was in Port Angeles on Thursday night spending a night out with friends, said Chris Gibbs, Nash’s employer and personal friend.

“We are all commercial divers,” Gibbs said. “He is an underwater welder.”

At about 1:45 a.m. Friday morning, Nash was dropped off at the Red Lion Hotel, Gibbs said, with the intention that he would get a room for the night.

Instead, Nash apparently “decided to get on his bike to ride home,” Gibbs said.

“Some people saw him and tried to stop him, but he got on his bike and took off. That is the last time anybody saw him,” Gibbs said.

After learning that Nash had never made it home, Gibbs began organizing a search party to scour U.S. Highway 101 and Old Olympic Highway — Nash’s presumed route of travel — for any sign of his friend.

The group also made a missing person’s report after Nash had been missing for 24 hours to Port Angeles police, Gibbs said.

________

Reporter Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56650, or cmcdaniel@peninsuladailynews.com.

More in News

Port Townsend Main Street Program volunteers, from left, Amy Jordan, Gillian Amas and Sue Authur, and Main Street employees, Sasha Landes, on the ladder, and marketing director Eryn Smith, spend a rainy morning decorating the community Christmas tree at the Haller Fountain on Wednesday. The tree will be lit at 4 p.m. Saturday following Santa’s arrival by the Kiwanis choo choo train. (Steve Mullensky/for Peninsula Daily News)
Decoration preparation

Port Townsend Main Street Program volunteers, from left, Amy Jordan, Gillian Amas… Continue reading

Port Angeles approves balanced $200M budget

City investing in savings for capital projects

Olympic Medical Center Board President Ann Henninger, left, recognizes commissioner Jean Hordyk on Wednesday as she steps down after 30 years on the board. Hordyk, who was first elected in 1995, was honored during the meeting. (Paula Hunt/Peninsula Daily News)
OMC Commissioners to start recording meetings

Video, audio to be available online

Jefferson PUD plans to keep Sims Way project overhead

Cost significantly reduced in joint effort with port, city

Committee members sought for ‘For’ and ‘Against’ statements

The Clallam County commissioners are seeking county residents to… Continue reading

Christopher Thomsen, portraying Santa Claus, holds a corgi mix named Lizzie on Saturday at the Airport Garden Center in Port Angeles. All proceeds from the event were donated to the Peninsula Friends of Animals. (Dave Logan/for Peninsula Daily News)
Santa Paws

Christopher Thomsen, portraying Santa Claus, holds a corgi mix named Lizzie on… Continue reading

Peninsula lawmakers await budget

Gov. Ferguson to release supplemental plan this month

Clallam County looks to pass deficit budget

Agency sees about 7 percent rise over 2025 in expenditures

Officer testifies bullet lodged in car’s pillar

Witness says she heard gunfire at Port Angeles park

A copper rockfish caught as part of a state Department of Fish and Wildlife study in 2017. The distended eyes resulted from a pressure change as the fish was pulled up from a depth of 250 feet. (David B. Williams)
Author to highlight history of Puget Sound

Talk at PT Library to cover naming, battles, tribes

Vern Frykholm, who has made more than 500 appearances as George Washington since 2012, visits with Dave Spencer. Frykholm and 10 members of the New Dungeness Chapter, NSDAR, visited with about 30 veterans on Nov. 8, just ahead of Veterans Day. (New Dungeness Chapter DAR)
New Dungeness DAR visits veterans at senior facilities

Members of the New Dungeness Chapter, National Society Daughters of… Continue reading

Festival of Trees contest.
Contest: Vote for your favorite tree online

Olympic Medical Center Foundation’s Festival of Trees event goes through Dec. 25