News

UPDATE:

According to a press release from the sheriff's office, deputies recovered a male body from the Van Duzen River, near the south side of the Van Duzen River bank, located "approximately 1000 feet from the mouth of the river." An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 7.

Previously:

The Humboldt County Sheriff's Office confirmed that deputies retrieved a body from the Van Duzen River this afternoon at around 4 p.m. A citizen reported seeing a body in the water of the Eel River near Fortuna at 11:48 this morning, and deputies were dispatched to the Van Duzen Bridge in the Grizzly Bluff area.

Samantha Karges, spokesperson for the sheriff's office, was not able to offer more details this afternoon except to say the "original report of the body being female may be incorrect" and that she was waiting for official word from the deputy coroner.

According to an earlier email from Karges, the body was difficult to find as it was in a "very difficult location for emergency responders to access."

The initial reporting party described the body as having "been deceased for some time."

Editor's note: This post originally stated that the body was found in the Eel River, based on initial reports. It has been corrected to reflect an accurate location.