Body Found on Beach May Be Fisherman
A decomposed body that washed up Tuesday on a beach at Point Mugu Naval Air Station is believed to be a Los Angeles man who disappeared a month ago while fishing in the area, authorities said.
The Ventura County medical examiner’s office hopes to make a positive identification today using dental records and other medical history of Jin Hun Kim, said Craig Stevens, a senior deputy coroner.
A cause of death has not been established and there was no obvious trauma to the body, Stevens said. An autopsy is scheduled today.
Kim, 48, disappeared Feb. 3 while fishing near Mugu Rock off Pacific Coast Highway. Authorities searched for three weeks, believing that Kim may have fallen into the sea. His car was found parked near the rock.
Federal conservancy officials who were patrolling the beach for native birds found the body on the sand near the Mugu Lagoon Sanctuary just north of Mugu Rock.
Some clothing on the body matched what Kim was wearing when he was last seen, authorities said. Because the body was discovered in an environmentally sensitive area, coroner’s officials could not drive to the site. Instead, a sheriff’s helicopter was used to pick up the body after it was placed in a body bag.
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