Body of Pilot, 80, Believed Found
SALTON CITY — A body that has washed ashore was believed to be Robert Chatham, an 80-year-old pilot whose plane crashed on Christmas Day, killing him and his wife, authorities said Saturday.
Campers near Salt Creek Beach discovered the body of an elderly man dressed in jeans and a shirt about 1:45 p.m. Friday.
“We’re confident that it is Mr. Chatham, but we don’t have a positive ID yet,” Riverside County sheriff’s Deputy Pete Ortiz said.
An autopsy and comparison with dental records were planned, Deputy Coroner Brad Birdsall said.
Chatham and his wife, Grace, 82, disappeared in their Piper Cherokee on Dec. 25. Authorities believe the Escondido couple crashed on the way back from dinner at Chiriaco Summit, off Interstate 10 in Riverside County.
Grace Chatham’s body was found in the Salton Sea on New Year’s Day, but the couple’s plane remains missing.
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