Body of missing Gold Bar man recovered from Skykomish River

SULTAN, Wash. -- The body of a 71-year-old Gold Bar man who had been missing since June 19 was found in the Skykomish River Thursday, the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office said.

The missing man, Olaf Eriksen, had dementia, the sheriff's office had said.

A fisherman in a boat called 911 after finding the body of a man in the water near the 27600 block of 170th Street SE at about 12:30 p.m, the sheriff's office said.

Eriksen's body was recovered just before 2 p.m.

Eriksen was last seen walking away from his Gold Bar home around 1:30 p.m. on June 19, and personal items of his were found by the Skykomish River at the 800 block of Croft Avenue, the sheriff's office said. The county's Search and Rescue helicopter scoured the river by air and the Marine Unit by water several times before suspending the search.

Cause and manner of death will be determined by the medical examiner's office,