80-year-old man found dead in creek

An 80-year-old Soquel man reported missing Wednesday was found dead in a creek bed near Santa Cruz Thursday, Santa Cruz County sheriff’s officials said.

Ray Moore’s wife last saw him before bed at around 10 p.m. on Tuesday, sheriff’s Sgt. Chris Clark said.

When Moore’s wife woke up at 6 a.m. Wednesday, she found that he and his truck were missing. When he still had not returned by noon, she reported him missing to the sheriff’s office, Clark said.

Sheriff’s officials looked up Moore’s license plate number and found that California Highway Patrol officers had had his truck towed at around 3 a.m. on Wednesday from Soquel San Jose and Amaya Ridge roads.

Sheriff’s officials and a search and rescue team in dry suits found Moore’s body in a remote, wooded area less than a mile south of where his truck had been, down an embankment by Hester Creek, Clark said.

Sheriff’s officials are primarily considering Moore’s death an accident, but autopsy results are pending.