By Khalida Sarwari
The Monterey County coroner’s office has determined the death of an autistic man who went missing from Santa Cruz last week was the result of an accidental drowning.
The body of Erik Lippmann, 30, was found about 8 a.m. Thursday at Marina State Beach.
His cause of death was determined to be asphyxia due to drowning, the coroner’s office said. The postmortem examination conducted this morning did not indicate any signs of foul play or traumatic injuries.
Lippmann was reported missing on April 21 after apparently leaving his home in the 1200 block of Seabright Avenue in Santa Cruz at about 2 a.m. that day, according to Santa Cruz police.
A search and rescue team from the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office was sent to the area, but the team did not find him after a search that lasted for a day and a half, police said.
It was not clear how, where, or why Lippmann had entered the water, according to the coroner’s office.