San Miguel Island Body Still Unidentified

Mystery still surrounds the badly decomposed body found on a San Miguel Island beach in August. The person remains unidentified and the cause of his or her death is unclear, but an autopsy showed no indications of foul play. The Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office has sent a tissue sample to the Department of Justice to have the decedent’s DNA entered into the Missing and Unidentified Persons System.

A biologist surveying the beach at Simonton Cove on August 5 discovered the body, and it was recovered by Santa Barbara and Channel Islands National Park officials, along with special agents with the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Simonton Cove sits on the northwest side of the island along a remote stretch of coastline between Cuyler Harbor and Point Bennett.

San Miguel Island, which is owned by the U.S. Navy but managed by The National Park Service, was closed to the public in April amid concerns that unexploded bombs dropped on the island when it was a military test range may pose a risk to hikers and campers.