JAGO BAY — Lake County Sheriff”s deputies responded by land and water to Jago Bay Community Beach Saturday morning following a report of a possible drowning. Sheriff”s detectives responded to the scene as well, due to the “obscure circumstances” of the victim”s death.
Although foul play is not suspected at this time, the exact cause of the victim”s death is pending further investigation.
The victim has been identified as Joel Christian Hansen, 52. According to Sheriff”s Captain James Bauman, the terrain surrounding Jago Bay Community Beach was inaccessible by mortuary personnel.
Hansen”s body was transported via Sheriff”s Marine Patrol to Thompson Harbor at Redbud Park in Clearlake where it was released to the mortuary.
According to a press release form Lake County Sheriff”s Office of the incident, when deputies arrived they were led to the beach where Hansen”s body was laying face-down at the edge of the water.
Lake County Fire Protection District personnel were already on scene and had determined the victim to be deceased.
Stephanie Dressler, identified as Hansen”s fiance?, reportedly told deputies that she and the victim had gone to the beach around 1 p.m. the previous afternoon. She said that when she left two hours later, she had been unable to find Hansen. Dressler reportedly told deputies that she had not been concerned and assumed her fianc? had gone out on a boat with a friend. “The following morning she awoke and Hansen had still not returned to their summer home,” the report states.
Dressler reportedly began asking friends and relatives in the area if they had seen Hansen. According to the report, she soon learned that she had apparently been the last person to see Hansen alive the previous day.
Dressler and the others began looking for Hansen and when a relative went down to the beach, she reportedly found Hansen face-down in the water. The victim”s body was pulled ashore by the relative and when others responded to her yells for help, the call to 911 was made.
The report states that Hansen”s friend from the east bay area told deputies that he and the Hansen family were longtime owners of the vacation homes along Jago Bay beach. He reportedly told deputies that friends and family of Hansen”s were “partying heavily” the previous night. He went on to tell deputies that in the morning he heard friends and relatives calling for Hansen and a short time later, he heard Hansen”s cousin yelling for help from the beach. The man, whose name was not included in the report summary, reportedly responded to the beach and helped Hansen”s cousin pull the victim”s body from the water.
Bauman”s report states that due to the obscure circumstances of Hansen”s death, sheriff”s detectives were called to the scene. Detectives do not suspect foul play at this time; however, the exact cause of Hansen”s death is pending further investigation.
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com.
