SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF DEPARTMENT

Missing man's body found

posted 05/08/04
The body of Scott Alexander, 44, of Orcas Island was located Friday, May 7 near Diamond Lake on Orcas Island.

Alexander was reported missing and as a possible suicide last week after a note was received by his parents whose contents seemed to indicate suicidal intentions. A search involving several canine teams from King, Snohomish and San Juan County as well as Orcas, San Juan and Lopez fire departments and EMTs was conducted for two days in the area with no results. The search was suspended at 6 p.m. Friday, April 30, 2004.

A private search was conducted during the next week without success. On May 7, 2004 after evaluating the leads and tracks discovered over the past week, areas of promise were identified and the search was resumed using four dogs and teams from King County and a Dog Team from Orcas Island.

At approximately 3:15 p.m. the body of Scott Alexander was discovered in an area near the road and the lake, not far from where his truck was discovered last week. From all indications death was caused by a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest from a small caliber rifle. Coroner Randall Gaylord went to the scene and the body will be held for autopsy. Although the investigation remains open the death is being treated as a suicide at this point.

Search suspended for missing hiker on Orcas Island

updated 6:40 p.m. posted 04/30/04
Sheriff Bill Cumming suspended the search for a 44-year-old man missing on Orcas Island. Volunteers from Orcas, Lopez and San Juan Island fire departments searched the area around Andrew (known as Diamond) Lake Friday, April 30. The man's car was found. In it was a note indicating an apparant intent to harm himself.

The search began on Thursday, April 29, after the San Juan County Sheriff's Office received a report from the man's relatives. Family members requested assistance, after losing contact with the man three days earlier.

The search was called off at 9 p.m. Thursday and resumed at 6:30 a.m. Friday. Four dogs, including two cadaver dogs, 22 volunteers, five deputies, one boat and one helicopter were involved in the search. Cumming says the lake is on 1,000 acres of DNR property and the terrain is steep. The search was called off Friday evening and will resume only if new information becomes available.

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