Autopsy to determine whether body is that of missing Mason County kayaker

ALLYN, Wash. (AP) — An autopsy scheduled Monday morning could determine whether a body found floating in Case Inlet is that of a missing kayaker.

Mason County Coroner Wes Stockwell says it may be the body of a 31-year-old man who was reported missing in the waters of North Bay near Allyn in early January.

A kayaker found the body Friday morning floating near Stretch Island, near Stretch Point State Park.

The Coast Guard previously said Andrew Aldrich was last seen in his kayak — without a life vest — just before midnight Jan. 3. He reportedly planned to paddle 300 yards to his car from a vessel anchored near Case Inlet.

Coast Guard crews found an empty kayak in North Bay the next morning but a Coast Guard search failed to find Aldrich.