News: Orcas Island death believed suicide
June 17, 2008 · Updated 11:34 AM
The body of Scott Alexander, 44, of Orcas Island, was located May 7 near Diamond Lake on Orcas Island.
Alexander had been reported missing last week after a note was received by his parents on April 29. The notes contents seemed to indicate suicidal intentions, according to San Juan County Undersheriff Jon Zerby.
A search involving several canine teams from King, Snohomish and San Juan County as well as the fire departments and Emergency Medical Technicians from Lopez, Orcas and San Juan islands was conducted for two days in the area with no results. It was suspended April 30 at 6 p.m.
A private search was conducted without success prior to May 7. But it was resumed that date after searchers evaluated leads and discovered tracks. 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 about 3:15 p.m., Anderson's body 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 wound to the chest form a small caliber rifle, Zerby said.
Coroner Randy Gaylord went to the scene. The body will be held for autopsy.
Although the investigation remains open, the death is being treated as a suicide at this point, Zerby said.
Comment on this story.
So keep your comments:
- Civil
- Smart
- On-topic
- Free of profanity
We ask that all participants own their words by logging in with their Facebook account. It's a simple process that will take seconds and helps keep our comments free of trolls, cranks, and “drive-by” commenters. We reserve the right to remove comments from anyone using screen names, pseudonyms or false identities. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.
