By Pepper Fisher

PORT ANGELES – We reached out to Clallam County Coroner Mark Nichols Friday to see if we could get an update on the remains of a female that were found on the beach near the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge last Friday.

Speculation persists that it may be the body of one of the victims of the seaplane that crashed into the waters off Whidbey Island on Sunday, September 4, that sunk with the bodies of 10 people aboard. One woman’s body was recovered at the scene. That plane still rests beneath 200 feet of water while officials prepare to mount a tricky recovery operation.

Coroner Nichols responded with the following statement. “We were able to retrieve fingerprints from the remains and have submitted them for comparison through the automated fingerprint identification system (otherwise known as AFIS). At this point, we are waiting to learn whether there is a print match that can be used to confirm identity. My guess is that we should know more by next week.”