SONOMA COUNTY, CA — A body found in an unincorporated area of Santa Rosa was confirmed to be that of missing Santa Rosa man Lawrence “Larry” Atchison, the Santa Rosa Police Department said Tuesday.
Atchison was reported missing Feb. 27 after he walked away from his home in the area of Leafwood Circle in Bennett Valley.
He was 65 years old and was considered at-risk missing because he suffered from dementia and did not know how to navigate his way around the city or how to return home.
Find out what's happening in Petalumawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Over several weeks and with the assistance of Sonoma County Search and Rescue, several other volunteer organizations, helicopters, search dogs, Atchison’s family and friends, and community volunteers, the Santa Rosa Police Department searched the neighborhoods, waterways, parks, and trails, Santa Rosa police Sgt. Christopher Mahurin said in a news release.
On Tuesday, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office officially confirmed that a body found on a rural trail about 2 miles from where Atchison lived and was last seen, was his.
Find out what's happening in Petalumawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
At 2:24 p.m. Monday, March 27, a woman walking on a rural trail in the 4500 block of Fawn Hollow Lane in unincorporated Bennett Valley saw a man’s body lying on the ground and believed he was dead, Mahurin said.
The woman contacted the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies immediately responded and confirmed the man was dead. They also noticed the clothing description matched Atchison’s.
Detectives from the Santa Rosa Police Department’s Violent Crime Team responded to the scene and do not believe there was any foul play involved in the death, Mahurin said.
As to when Atchison died, the police department is waiting to hear back from the medical examiner with that information.
Mahurin said the area where his body was found was part of the general area searched with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Team.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
Click Here: nrl jerseys 2020