Drakes Beach drowning victim identified as Mill Valley teacher arrested on child sex abuse charges
A man who apparently drowned Wednesday after going into the water at Drakes Beach was identified as the Mill Valley music teacher arrested on child sex abuse charges a day earlier, according to authorities.
The Marin County Sheriff's Office said they received a 9-1-1 call Wednesday afternoon shortly after 2:30 p.m. regarding a surfer who had possibly washed out to sea within the Point Reyes National Seashore at Drakes Beach. The subject was reportedly last seen at 10 a.m. Wednesday. A surfboard that was later determined to belong to the subject washed ashore at Drakes Beach at approximately 1 p.m. The people who located the surfboard contacted authorities after they were unable to locate a subject in the water.
The sheriff's office said their deputies and the MCSO Search and Rescue (SAR) Team as well as multiple agencies responded to the search for the subject, including U.S. National Park Service park rangers at Point Reyes National Seashore, the United States Coast Guard, the Marin County Fire Department, and the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office Helicopter Henry-One were all involved in an exhaustive search by land and sea for the subject.
At around 5:30 p.m., a lifeless body was found floating in the ocean approximately 2.5 miles northwest of the Drakes Beach Parking area. The subject was recovered by U.S. Coast Guard helicopter and was unconscious and unresponsive. The subject was pronounced dead at 5:35 p.m. without resuscitative aid being provided. The subject was transported via helicopter so authorities could begin his death investigation. After recovery, the subject was positively identified as 55-year-old Fairfax resident Darren Smith.
On Tuesday, the Marin County Sheriff's detectives arrested Smith on suspicion of lewd and lascivious acts with a child and continuous sexual abuse of a child.
Authorities said the Mill Valley Unified School District notified them of the allegations and put Smith on administrative leave. Smith was an employee of the district since August 2013. The district website listed Smith as a music teacher. He was booked into the Marin County Jail where he is being held in lieu of $200,000 bail.
Authorities said a forensic postmortem examination with routine toxicology testing will be completed on Friday. The cause and manner of death will be pending the conclusion of the investigations being completed by U.S. National Park Service personnel at the Point Reyes National Seashore and the Marin County Sheriff's Office - Coroner Division.