Body found in water at Jenner beach identified as Petaluma man

The man was discovered in the surf Saturday by beach-goers who pulled him from the water.|

A body recovered from the water at Sonoma Coast State Park over the weekend was identified Thursday as a Petaluma man.

Timothy James Vivian, 49, was found in the surf Saturday afternoon at Russian Gulch Beach by bystanders who pulled him from the water before first responders could arrive.

He was identified by authorities through fingerprints.

An autopsy was conducted Thursday morning, its results won’t be available until the toxicology results come back in a couple of weeks, said Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Spencer Crum.

Violent crimes detectives are not investigating, Crum said, and the death appears to be either an accident or a suicide.

The case remains under investigation, he said.

It’s unclear just how long the man was in the water, Crum said, but sheriff’s officials estimated it could have been a period of a few days to a week.

No car or other belongings linked to Vivian were found in the area, and in the coming days investigators will be working to piece together just what brought the man to the coast, and how he ended up in the water, Crum said.

It was not clear on Thursday whether Vivian was previously reported missing.

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