By Khalida Sarwari
The Santa Cruz County coroner’s office has identified 64-year-old Dennis Wittrup as the man who police believe accidentally drowned in the Santa Cruz Harbor.
A resident spotted Wittrup’s body from the docks on Monday morning, police Capt. Steve Clark said.
It appeared Wittrup had been in the water for about eight hours, he said.
There was no indication of foul play, Clark said.
Clark said Wittrup had been living on a boat in the harbor for the past year but also had a home in Santa Cruz County.
It’s likely he fell overboard from his boat into the water, which was extremely cold, Clark said.
There were hand marks along the side of his boat, and it appears Wittrup had tried to catch himself, Clark said.
The body had traveled through the harbor a good distance, he said.
The man’s cell phone was found on the dock by the boat.
The coroner’s office will determine whether Wittrup was intoxicated at the time of his death, Clark said.