Fourth body recovered from Point Reyes boating accident

POINT REYES — The body of the fourth and final Stanislaus County man involved in a tragic boating accident off the Marin County coast Wednesday was recovered Friday.

At 2:01 p.m., the Sonoma County sheriff's helicopter unit got a call about a body spotted in the surf just off 10 Mile Beach near Point Reyes, flight technical officer Debbie Little said.

The three-person recovery team brought the body to the shore, where rangers with Point Reyes National Seashore took custody.

The site was close to where a 24-foot boat overturned in heavy surf Wednesday, throwing four old friends who grew up in Riverbank into the frigid water.

The bodies of Henry Medrano, 62, of Riverbank, and Melvin Cox, 67, of Imboden, Ark., formerly of Riverbank, were pulled from the water by the Coast Guard on Wednesday.

Ronald Fuentes, 65, of Riverbank, who was piloting the boat, was found washed ashore Thursday morning. The body found Friday appears to be that of Jack Taylor, 62, the boat's owner, who was also from Riverbank.

The men were part of a group of lifelong friends known as the Oakdale Offshore Fishermen who come to Bodega Bay each year to fish and camp.

This story was originally published July 17, 2010 at 12:50 AM with the headline "Fourth body recovered from Point Reyes boating accident."