Body belongs to male, 50-ish, gray-and-black beard

The body recovered in Rosario Strait by the ferry Sealth has been described as a white male, possibly in his 50s, dark hair, male-pattern baldness, gray and black beard about 1.5 inches long, and wearing sweat pants with the word “Sweats” on them.

That’s according to Sheriff Bill Cumming and County Coroner Randy Gaylord, who made a cursory review of the body before turning it over for transport to the Snohomish County medical examiner in Everett.

Crew members of the Sealth — making its 9:35 a.m. run from Anacortes to Friday Harbor — retrieved the body in Rosario Strait near Thatcher Pass.

Ferry passengers Kevin and Glenda Little, visiting the San Juans for their honeymoon, spotted the body and alerted crew members.

The ferry was stopped and crew members retrieved the body in a small boat. They loaded it onto a litter, covered it with plastic and a blanket, and loaded it onto the passenger deck. The incident was reported to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The Sealth arrived in Friday Harbor at 10:30 a.m.

“There was no identification,” Cumming said of the body. “It had been in the water long enough for it to have been moved around by the tides. There had been significant (deterioration).”

Cumming said the medical examiner may be able to get fingerprints from the body. “It will take some advanced techniques,” Cumming said. “We’ll begin our investigation into who the person is. It remains our case because the recovery was within our jurisdiction.”

The body never left the ferry. An Evans Funeral Home vehicle was on the ferry, and at Gaylord’s request transported the body to Everett.

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