By Khalida Sarwari
A man’s body found at Big Basin Redwoods State Park Thursday afternoon has been identified as Jonathan Frank, a missing Pennsylvania man who was the subject of a search by Santa Cruz County sheriff’s deputies.
Frank, 57, was found about 100 feet into a densely wooded area near Berry Creek Falls at the park at about 1 p.m. Thursday, sheriff’s Sgt. Dan Campos said.
It appears Frank died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Campos said. A firearm was found nearby.
A search team found Frank on the second day of their search, which was initiated after park rangers reported finding a black Kia station wagon on Tuesday.
The Kia had been parked in a day-use area of the park since Saturday and detectives later traced the car to Frank.
Deputies found ammunition inside the car and discovered that Frank had a gun registered to him in Pennsylvania that he had purchased this year, Campos said.
Frank’s wife, Judy, from whom he was separated, told detectives he had been “despondent” over losing his business, Campos said.
A search team comprised of 40 people, including deputies, began looking for Frank on Wednesday. That day, they found a cell phone battery about five miles into the forest, which was later determined to be the same brand as Frank’s cell phone.
The search effort involved participation from sheriff’s deputies, along with a sheriff’s search and rescue team, California State Park rangers, the Santa Clara County sheriff’s search and rescue team, Santa Cruz regional 911 dispatchers and the American Red Cross.