Mystery Body IDed as Sailboater

A body found last summer has been identified via DNA as a missing sailor, but the cause of his death as well as the whereabouts of his sailboat and companion remain a mystery.

Last August 8 a badly decomposed body was discovered by a marine biologist working at Simonton Cove on remote San Miguel Island, the westernmost isle in Southern California’s Channel Islands archipelago. The decomposition was so advanced that coroners could not determine the exact cause of death, but they found no evidence to indicate foul play. Last week it was announced that the US Department of Justice had determined through DNA testing that the mysterious corpse was that of Richard Martin Smith, 63, of Sacramento. Smith, his sister Monique Krewedl, 57, and dog Chloe were last seen on May 24, 2014, leaving Ventura County’s Channel Islands Marina aboard the 34-ft sloop Xiao Xiang. According to Smith’s daughter, he had recently purchased the boat with his life savings.

Last June family members filed missing-person reports after communications from Smith and Krewedl ceased and the boat became overdue to arrive in the Bay Area. Despite search efforts by the Coast Guard and a lengthy investigation by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, no clues as to the whereabouts of Krewedl, the dog or the sloop have been found. If you have info, please contact Sacramento detectives at (916) 874-5115.