||| FROM SHERIFF ERIC PETER, SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE |||
It is with a heavy heart that I give this update on the tragic events that have transpired over the past 24 hrs.
On 4/22/2024, around 3 pm the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office received a call regarding a body floating in the water against the rocks in Grandma’s Cove on the southwest side of San Juan Island. Deputies responded on land to the location and spotted the body in the water. The Sheriff’s boat was launched and the deceased body of one male was recovered from the water and turned over to the Coroner’s Office.
On 4/23/2024, around 6:30 am, the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office received a call regarding a body floating in the water in “Middle Channel”, south of Cattle Point at the southern most point of San Juan Island and west of Iceberg Point, which is west of the southern point of Lopez Island. The Sheriff’s boat was launched and the deceased body of one male was recovered from the water and turned over to the Coroner’s Office.
The identity of the persons recovered has yet to be determined and out of respect for the family/families, the Sheriff’s Office will not speculate as to whether these are the missing Canadian Kayakers.
These have been a very sad two days, and on behalf of all of us at the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office, our deepest condolences go out to the family/families of these two men.
About San Juan County’s Sheriff’s Office
San Juan County’s Sheriff’s Office is committed to protecting the lives, property, and rights of all residents and visitors, as well as to maintain order and reduce crime through education, prevention, and enforcement of the law. The Sheriff’s Office is located at 96 Second Street, Friday Harbor, WA 98250. For more information about San Juan County’s Sheriff’s Office, visit https://www.sanjuanco.com/344/Sheriff.
I appreciate the new sense of compassion and humanity coming from the Sheriff’s office. It speaks well of our new sheriff. I suspect that it is a difficult task to balance normal human emotions and the often unpleasant and/or tragic nature of the tasks assigned to the department. And yet, what an absolutely essential aspect of policing it is.