Body Recovered from Baker Lake Identified as Missing Camper

Baker Lake, WA – The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of a body being found floating  in Baker Lake around Noon on Thursday, June 29th, 2017.

According to the Bellingham Herald, the Whatcom County Coroners Office Identified the body as that of 43-year old Jose David Gonzalez Arroyo, of Lynnwood.

Jose had been reported missing after he did not return after walking away   from a campground in  Horseshoe Cove at Baker Lake around 11:20 p.m. on June 15th, 2017.   His wife, Courtenay Burnett said he had been talking and drinking with family and friends, in the campground  where four years earlier they had married.  She said she had went to sleep earlier than Jose while he stayed up. When she woke up in the middle of the night  and he was not there she  believed he had slept somewhere else and she went back to sleep.  When she awoke again in the morning  and he was not around, she looked for him. When she could not find him, she contacted authorities and a Search and Rescue (SAR) mission was launched.

SAR teams searched the area around Baker Lake and Horseshoe cove with the assistance of a U.S. Border Patrol Helicopter but did not find Mr. Arroyo.  Extended Family and friends spent the next two weeks posting his information on social media and scouring the area for him. They searched  roads, bathrooms, the surrounding campgrounds and the lake for signs of Jose.  Their search efforts came to an end when the Sheriff’s Office was notified of a body floating in the lake, about 2 miles North of the Baker Lake Dam around noon on Thursday.

It is unclear how Jose  ended up in the lake but authorities said it is possible he slipped and fell into the lake. They noted he was not a strong swimmer and did not usually take walks in the woods.

An autopsy confirmed his identity Friday, and  Dr. Gary Goldfogel, the Whatcom County medical examiner told the Bellingham Herald that there were no signs of foul play and  evidence suggests that he  drowned.

Friends set up an online Gofundme account for  Jose David Gonzalez Arroyo . Their goal is  to help the family cover search costs and funeral expenses.