UPDATED: Jogger Discovers Decomposed Body Near Bodega Bay: Fire Officials

By Bay City News Service:

The badly decomposed body of a man was found Monday morning on the shoreline in the Bodega Bay area, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.

A jogger discovered the body south of Salmon Creek Beach and Sonoma County sheriff’s deputies responded at 8:15 a.m., sheriff’s Sgt. Cecile Focha said.

There has been speculation that the body may be that of Steven Mitchell, a civil attorney who was reported missing by his wife on Feb. 13, Focha said. Mitchell’s car was found in Bodega Bay and he left a note stating he intended to take his life, Focha said.

There is no way to confirm the identity of the body without a forensic exam and tests because the body has been in the water for a period of time, according to Focha. It could take weeks before a positive identity is confirmed, she said.

Mitchell represented Sonoma County in a civil lawsuit filed against the county and sheriff’s office after Deputy Erick Gelhaus fatally shot 13-year-old Andy Lopez on Oct. 22, 2013. Lopez, who was carrying a toy gun that resembled an assault rifle, was shot seven times by Gelhaus on Moorland Avenue southwest of Santa Rosa.