Missing clammer, 54, found dead in Netarts Bay

A 54-year-old man from New Mexico was reported missing while clamming in Netarts Bay in Tillamook County, and his body was found partially in the water on Saturday evening by a group of crabbers.

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Tillamook County Sheriff's deputies recovered the body of a 54-year-old man from New Mexico after he was reported missing while clamming in Netarts Bay on Thursday, April 4.

A search began after a woman told authorities she had been with the man on a sandbar in the upper part of the bay near Whiskey Creek Road when the pair misjudged the incoming tide and decided to swim to safety.

“The woman made it to shore and turned around to look for the man, but could not see him. The last time she saw him he had water up to his neck. The man was also wearing waders. She immediately called 911,” according to the Tillamook County Sheriff’s Office.

A search team looked for the man through Friday until they heard from a group of crabbers who said they saw a dead man partially in the water Saturday evening.

Officials said they found the man “lying prone in the sand …wearing waist-high waders, a zippered jacket, and yellow gloves.”

The exact cause of his death has yet to be determined.

Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops.