The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office announced tonight that positive identification of the body found on a Pacific Ocean beach near Oil City was made today.
A tattoo on the badly decomposed body matched that of David Hudson Jr., the Hoh tribal fisherman who went missing last month after a boat capsized in the Hoh River.
More in Monday’s editions.
Earlier report:
OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK — A body recovered from a West Jefferson County beach Friday remained unidentified early Saturday evening.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office believes the body is likely that of 21-year-old Hoh tribal member David Hudson Jr. whose boat capsized last month.
Relatives were expected to meet with a deputy Saturday evening to try to identify the body.
Chief Criminal Deputy Joe Nole and Sheriff Tony Hernandez couldn’t be reached Saturday night to get the results of that meeting. Hoh Chairwoman Maria Lopez and Hudson’s relatives also couldn’t be reached.
The body, while male, was too decomposed to be identified by authorities.
Nole said Friday that the Sheriff’s Office believes the deceased man is Hudson based on its state of decomposition and location near the river.
“Even though we can’t say how many days he’s been in the water . . . being in that state of decomposition and being in that location, it just all ties in,” he said.
“It’s a high probability that it’s going to be him.”
The Sheriff’s Office has received no other missing persons reports in the area, Nole said.
Hudson has not been located since his sister, 29-year-old Elva Hudson, saw him swept downstream after their boat capsized in the rain-swollen Hoh River on Oct. 11.
Elva Hudson made it to shore. They were both fishing; neither were wearing life jackets.
A hiker found the body in driftwood about 300 yards north of the Hoh river on Thursday.
The hiker reported the body to the park at about 5:30 p.m., said Dave Reynolds, park spokesman.
A ranger hiked in that evening and made the call to recover it the following morning during daylight hours, he said.
It was recovered at 10:30 a.m. Friday.
Ranger Mark McCool, who helped recover the body, said it appeared to have been in the water for a long time.
The body is being held by Kosec Funeral Home in Port Townsend.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
