Body found in San Pablo Bay ID’d as missing Petaluma man

Authorities have found the body of a Petaluma man who hadn’t been seen since Christmas when he went fishing in San Pablo Bay.

Search crews found William Hady Chebib, 32, around 10 a.m. Thursday, 1 mile east of the Hamilton Wetlands, according to the Marin County Sheriff’s Office.

Around 8 a.m. Dec. 25, Chebib departed from Black Point Boat Launch in Novato for a day of recreational fishing near China Camp State Park in San Pablo Bay.

Authorities said he contacted family members around 3:30 p.m. and told them he was returning to shore, but he never arrived.

No one was aboard the fishing boat when it was discovered the next day, adrift near Point San Pablo. That’s just north of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge and several miles south of the boat launch.

Multiple law enforcement agencies launched searches for Chebib before their efforts were suspended on an unspecified date.

A volunteer search group, California Recovery Divers, found him Thursday and brought him to Black Point Boat Launch where paramedics awaited.

Chebib’s cause of death has yet to be determined. An autopsy and toxicology test are expected to be performed Friday, officials said.

Chebib’s Facebook page shows him to be a Petaluma resident from San Rafael, a health insurance benefit advisor, and an avid fisherman.

You can reach Staff Writer Colin Atagi at colin.atagi@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @colin_atagi