A body found near Leadbetter Beach in Santa Barbara on Sep. 20 has been identified as 60 year-old Santa Barbara local Christopher Evan Marks.

At approximately 6:30 a.m. on Thursday morning, Santa Barbara police received a call from a Mesa resident reporting that a body had washed up at the base of the stairwell along the 1200 block of Shoreline Drive. When Santa Barbara Police Detectives and the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office arrived at the scene, they initially believed the body to be that of a 30-year-old woman whose body had been affected by sand and other conditions, but authorities identified the deceased as Marks the following day.

Current evidence does not suggest foul play was a factor; however, injuries may indicate that Marks had fallen at some point. An autopsy will be conducted by the Santa Barbara County Coroner’s Office to verify the cause of death.

Marks had ties with the Sweeney Canyon Vineyard in the Santa Ynez Valley, and worked as an attorney in a law firm in Buellton.

— Staff Report