Two canoeists found dead after midnight trip on remote Tomales Bay
Two people died during an overnight canoe outing on Tomales Bay after leaving a campsite shortly before midnight, and authorities are still investigating the circumstances.
Two individuals embarked on an overnight canoe trip in the remote section of Tomales Bay, departing their campsite just before midnight. When they did not reappear the next morning, friends called 911, launching a coordinated search by the U.S. Coast Guard, Marin County Sheriff’s Office, and National Park Service. The Coast Guard found the first canoeist unresponsive in the water and took him to Bodega Bay, where he was pronounced dead.
A short time later, search teams recovered the second victim, identified as 36-year-old Casey Flynn Melia, near Hog Island; National Park Service personnel retrieved his body and it was pronounced dead at Sacramento Landing. The Sonoma County Sheriff-Coroner Bureau is handling the investigation of the first death, while all three agencies are collaborating on the overall case. Post-mortem examinations and routine toxicology for Melia are scheduled for later this week, and the official causes and manners of death remain pending. This incident follows a previous fatal kayaking accident on the same bay earlier in the year.
Why it matters
The deaths highlight safety risks of night paddling in remote waterways and involve multiple law-enforcement agencies.
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