Authorities Identify Body Found at Sea

A body that was found floating in the ocean off Santa Cruz Island over the weekend was identified Tuesday as 54-year-old Howard Guy Lubin of Dana Point in Orange County.

Sgt. Jim Peterson of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department, which has been handling the investigation, said Lubin was reported missing by his girlfriend Dec. 9. His body, clothed only in jeans and a single boot, was found Dec. 27 by a fisherman who saw Lubin in the waters near the Scorpion anchorage at the southeast end of the island.

Lubin, who was identified by his dental records, apparently committed suicide after taking his boat out from the Dana Point Harbor. A bullet wound was discovered in his head, Peterson said.