SEQUIM — A body found in Dungeness on Sunday is believed to be a kayaker who went missing May 13, the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office said.
Ty Coone, 21, of Sequim went missing last month while he was fishing in a kayak north of Cline Spit.
Sheriff Brian King said via email on Tuesday that his staff is confident it is Coone and they’re awaiting definitive proof from the coroner’s office through dental records.
Coone’s family has been notified.
“While we can’t be 100 percent until we have confirmation through dental records, our confidence level is high,” King said.
Coone made a 911 distress call on the afternoon of May 13, fearing he’d drown. There was a Small Craft Advisory during the incident with high winds and waves.
During an initial search and rescue operation by the U.S. Coast Guard, the Sheriff’s Office and other agencies, Coone’s kayak, life vest and paddle were found.
Family members, friends, lighthouse keepers, park staff and Clallam County Fire District 3 personnel continued searching on May 14.
Coone’s family held a memorial service on Saturday at Sequim Community Church. A Celebration of Life event is set for 7 p.m. June 14 at the big barn at 702 Kitchen-Dick Road in Sequim, with music, food and a slideshow.
Coone was a 2022 Sequim High School graduate who was planning to pursue a career in repairing quads, motorcycles and small engines, said his mother, Michele Scott Duncan. He had recently moved back to Sequim from Arizona after attending school.
He was an avid fisherman, Scott Duncan said, and he was considering becoming a part-time fishing guide.
“He lived every day to the fullest,” she said in a previous interview. “There wasn’t a day that went by that Ty wasn’t doing something. He lived a full life. He never let anything keep him from doing what he loved.”
Coone enjoyed football, wrestling, baseball, skateboarding and motocross while growing up in Sequim.
Scott Duncan said her son “helped others be lifted from pain and darkness.”
“All walks of life were drawn to Ty, and he didn’t just attract one group of people — he loved everyone,” she said.
