Officials Seek Relatives of Dead Man

Authorities are asking the public’s help in locating relatives of a man whose body was found among a thick clump of bamboo reeds on the beach at Surfer’s Knoll in Ventura.

Dennis Michael Ziegler , 57, died about a week ago from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the head, said Craig Stevens, senior deputy coroner at the medical examiner’s office.

Ziegler’s body was spotted about 6 p.m. Tuesday by a man strolling on a stretch of coastline across from Ventura Harbor. Jose Espitia initially thought the body was an inflatable doll, a witness said.

Espitia showed officers the site between the knoll’s parking lot at 1580 Spinnaker Drive and the mouth of the Santa Clara River. Several transients camp in the area, police said.

Police found identification on the body and also inside Ziegler’s 1995 Dodge Ram truck parked at the harbor. It is believed Ziegler worked in the aerospace industry in Ventura County on and off since the 1960s, Stevens said.

Police believe Ziegler had been living in his truck since returning to Ventura from Ogden, Utah, Stevens said. A friend who lives in Utah told police he last saw Ziegler on April 20. The man said Ziegler never mentioned family members.

Ziegler was Caucasian, about 6 feet tall and between 200 and 210 pounds. He had no distinguishing marks but was predominantly bald with a few wisps of gray hair, Stevens said.

Anyone with information on how to contact Ziegler’s family should call Stevens at (805)641-4400.