Truckee Man Disappears From Davenport Beach

(editor’s note: an earlier report suggested the disappearance to be at Bonny Doon Beach. This article has been updated to reflect Davenport Beach as the location.)

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY - Authorities are looking for a 54-year-old man last seen at Davenport Beach on Saturday afternoon, a Santa Cruz County sheriff’s spokesman said Tuesday.

Peter Koci, a Truckee resident, had arrived at Davenport Beach around 10 a.m. Saturday to gather sea glass with a friend, sheriff’s Sgt. Roy Morales said. Koci asked his friend directions to a bathroom and was last seen walking south along the beach around 1 p.m.

When Koci didn’t return, the friend notified authorities. Deputies were dispatched around 1:30 p.m., according to Morales.

Koci is described as a Caucasian man standing about 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighing nearly 200 pounds, with gray hair. He was last seen wearing blue and gray board shorts.

Koci was visiting from the Truckee area and planned to meet a friend at Davenport Beach around 5 p.m. Saturday, but never showed up.

The 54-year-old doesn’t suffer from any medical conditions that put him at risk, according to sheriff’s officials.

Also on Saturday, deputies responded to a report of a human body seen in the ocean, but their search turned up nothing.

On Sunday, a sheriff’s office air unit flew over beaches, tide pools and cliffs between Scott Creek and Laguna Creek Beach, but were unable to find Koci, sheriff’s officials said.

Personnel from CalFire and the state Department of Parks and Recreation are assisting deputies in the search, Morales said.

Anyone with information on Koci’s whereabouts is asked to call the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office at (831) 471-1121.

-Bay City News Service; images of Peter Koci via Santa Cruz County SO; additional images from SCCSO Sheriff’s Office Air Support Unit Sunday search for the missing man between Scott Creek and Laguna Beach.