Community
News Story - Missing Person Craig Clark Recovery
| Nature of Incident: | Body of a Missing Person Located | ||||
| Report Number: | 22-165321 | ||||
| Location: | Ventura River Bottom, 9000 Block of North Ventura Avenue, Casitas Springs |
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| Date & Time: | January 3rd, 2023 @ 1330 hours | ||||
| Unit(s) Responsible: | Sheriff’s Major Crimes Bureau Ojai Valley Station Investigations Sheriff’s Crime Scene Investigation Unit Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Unit Sheriff’s Mounted Volunteers |
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| (S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent |
City of Residence |
Age | |||
| (D) Craig William Clark |
Casitas Springs | 69 | |||
| Narrative: | |||||
| The body of missing person Craig Clark was located in the Ventura River bottom after an extensive search. On 12/14/2022, family members of Mr. Craig Clark reported him as a missing person. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office initiated an investigation into his disappearance. Investigators determined Clark was last seen on 12/09/2022 in the Casitas Springs area. Detectives searched the residence of Clark as well as the areas near Clark’s residence. No evidence of foul play was discovered. Investigators continued an ongoing search effort for Clark. During the course of the search, investigators and volunteers from the Ventura County Search And Rescue Teams reconstructed Mr. Clark’s routines and conducted focused neighborhood canvasses and area searches utilizing extensive resources, including helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, and public alerts. Additionally, investigators obtained video surveillance footage from an area business and buses that serviced the area. A missing person flyer of Clark was distributed. In total, the Ventura County Search and Rescue Teams activated over 40 volunteers and conducted an extensive search of the Casitas Springs area. The resources included members from each of the volunteer search and rescue teams throughout Ventura County, specially trained search and rescue K-9 units, Ventura County Sheriff’s Mounted Volunteers, and detectives with both the Sheriff’s Major Crimes Bureau and Ojai Valley Station. Searches were conducted through rugged terrain, open spaces, and door-to-door through the residential neighborhood of Casitas Springs. On 01/03/2023, investigators searched a focused area of the river bottom among the river, ponds, piles of river debris, and thick vegetation. During the search, the mostly concealed body of a male was located. There was no evidence of foul play at the scene and the positioning of the body was consistent with natural river activity. The body was recovered by an investigator with the Medical Examiner’s Office, with the assistance of the Upper Ojai Valley Search and Rescue Team. The body was subsequently identified by the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office as that of Craig Clark. The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the manner and cause of Clark’s death. |
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| Prepared by: | Detective Robert DeLaCerda | ||||
| News Release Date: | 01/06/2023 | ||||
| Media Follow-Up Contact: | Detective Robert DeLaCerda (805) 384-4724 [email protected] |
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| Approved by: |
Captain Victor Medina |
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Address/Location
Ventura County Sheriff's Office
800 S Victoria Ave
Ventura, CA 93003
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 805-654-9511