Update: Body of Adult Male Pulled from Vehicle in Cornet Bay

Island County, WA – The Island County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of a vehicle being drive into the water at the Coronet Bay Boat Launch in Oak Harbor just before 12:30 a.m. on March 14th, 2017.

According to a press release from Island County Sheriff’s Office Detective Ed Wallace,  a witness observed a blue 2012 Dodge Challenger parked on the Coronet Bay boat launch and the driver appeared to be talking on the phone. When the driver finished the call he drove his vehicle into the water. A few seconds later the witness reported hearing a “pop.”

When Law Enforcement arrived the vehicle was submerged in approximately 15-feet of water and inaccessible to the Deputies.

Divers were called and responded to the scene. When the vehicle was removed from the water, the body of an adult male was located still seat belted in the driver’s seat. The Driver has been tentatively identified by the Island County Coroners Office as 46-year old Stoney Brunais.

The Island County Sheriff’s Office had posted a request on their Facebook  page on March 10th 2017, for information leading to the whereabouts of Mr. Brunais.  He had a $500,000 warrant out for his arrest for suspicion of two counts of Rape of a Child in the 1st Degree. (Case # 17-1-00059-1)

Detective Wallace said, Positive identification of the driver as well as the cause and manner of death will be released after an autopsy is completed.

Mr. Brunais wife Candice posted the following  on the Skagit Breaking Facebook page “ This is one thing I hate about society, you judge someone you don’t even know. You have no idea about what’s going on, but your hatred remarks and sarcasm is only hurting this family more. I would appreciate it, for once in life, if anyone with negative comments, keep them to yourselves. Fyi – my husband loved me more than anything in this word, I was the love of his life, as he was the love of mine. He’s claimed his innocence since day one, it’s never changed. He would do this out of the love he has for me, and sacrifice himself, to stop my pain. Not because he’s guilty. You all have this so wrong, shame on you! So again, I ask you all to keep you comments to yourself. You have no idea what is going on! People who think you (k)new my husband 15 years ago, he’s not the same man you (k)new, he was better than you can ever imagine. You’ll never know, unless your next. So our family asks for your decency in this time of crisis. I’ll make a formal statement once it’s confirmed to be my husband.”