Clallam County Sheriff’s Office reports that the body found in Dungeness on June 1 is believed to be 21-year-old Ty Coone, a Sequim man who went missing on May 13 while fishing in a kayak north of Cline Spit in Dungeness.
Sheriff Brian King said via email on June 3 that his staff is confident it is Coone and they’re awaiting definitive proof from the coroner’s office through dental records.
Coone’s family has been notified.
“While we can’t be 100% until we have confirmation through dental records, our confidence level is high,” King said.
Coone was fishing on the afternoon of May 13 and made a 911 distress call fearing he’d drown.
There was a Small Craft Advisory during his incident with high winds and waves.
During an initial search and rescue operation by the Coast Guard, Sheriff’s Office, and other agencies, Coone’s kayak, life vest and paddle were found.
Family, friends, lighthouse keepers, park staff and Clallam County Fire District 3 personnel continued searching on May 14.
His family held a Sequim memorial service on May 31 at Sequim Community Church. Another local Celebration of Life is set for 7 p.m. Saturday, June 14 at the big barn at 702 Kitchen-Dick Road in Sequim, with music, food and a slideshow.
According to Coone’s mother Michele Scott Duncan, her son was a 2022 Sequim High School graduate planning to pursue a career in repairing quads, motorcycles and small engines. He had recently moved back to Sequim from Arizona after attending school.
He was an avid fisherman, Scott Duncan said, and he was considering becoming a part-time fishing guide.
“He lived every day to the fullest,” she said in a previous interview. “There wasn’t a day that went by that Ty wasn’t doing something. He lived a full life. He never let anything keep him from doing what he loved.”
Coone enjoyed football, wrestling, baseball, skateboarding, and motocross while growing up in Sequim.
Scott Duncan said her son “helped others be lifted from pain and darkness.”
“All walks of life were drawn to Ty and he didn’t just attract one group of people — he loved everyone,” she said.
Scott Duncan plans to commission benches to be made in her son’s honor – a concrete or hardy plank bench for Voice of America Park, and a cedar bench for her home at 41 Fergy Lane in Sequim where family and friends can remember him.
She’ll use donations via Venmo — venmo.com/Michele-Scott-78 (with No. 4799 to contribute) — or via checks sent to her home address for the benches.
Coone’s best friend Bryson Morris also started a gofundme account to help pay for Coone’s burial and headstone at gofundme.com/f/honoring-ty-coones-life-and-legacy.
Original story
Clallam County Sheriff’s Office reports that a body was found in Dungeness on the evening of Sunday, June 1.
Sheriff Brian King said in a phone interview on June 2 that staff are waiting on the coroner to confirm the identity of the body before releasing more information.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
