Human torso washes ashore at Dungeness Spit

SEATTLE – Beachgoers found unidentified human remains washed ashore at Dungeness Spit on Friday afternoon, according to the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriff’s Office is working with local agencies as well as the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration to determine whether the female torso is connected to the Whidbey Island floatplane crash earlier this month, Detective Sgt. Eric Munger said Monday.

Deputies were called to the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge and worked with U.S. Fish and Wildlife rangers to close the beach Friday and Saturday where the remains were found. The Sheriff’s Office used a drone to scour miles, but no other remains were found, according to a news release.

There is no clear indication the remains belong to one of the 10 people who died in the Sept. 4 crash, said Munger, adding that no foul play is suspected.

A coroner examined the human remains and later released them to a local funeral home, the Sheriff’s Office said. The autopsy results are pending. No other details were immediately available.

Officials have located the body of 29-year-old Gabby Hanna from the deadly crash in Mutiny Bay. Efforts to recover the plane wreckage will begin Sept. 26, according to NTSB, which released a preliminary report Friday describing details of the flight and plane.

The crash killed Spokane activist Sandy Williams, founder of the Black Lens newspaper.