By Khalida Sarwari
The body of a Mountain View man reported missing on Tuesday was found this morning on a beach near Mendocino Bay, a U.S. Coast Guard spokesman said.
Donnie Foster, 56, was reported missing to the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office by his family on Tuesday.
His body was found along with his blue 7-foot whitewater kayak in the Big River area around 8:30 a.m., according to Coast Guard spokesman Petty Officer Erik Swanson.
Deputies believe Foster’s body washed up onto the beach with the ocean tide.
Three Coast Guard units, along with Mendocino County sheriff’s deputies and Mendocino Volunteer Fire Department personnel, began searching for him at about 7:10 p.m. Tuesday, then resumed searching this morning.
Foster was visiting the Mendocino Coast with his wife for the Thanksgiving holiday, according to the sheriff’s office.
Swanson said it appeared Foster had faced challenging weather conditions.
“We want to urge people to check the weather conditions before they go out,” Swanson said. “Put in a plan, let their family know when they’re going and when they plan to come back.”