A body found in Baker Lake on May 5 was identified as 30-year-old Matthew Orth of Seattle, who had been missing since October 2022, the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office confirmed.
Deputies responded to a report of a body in the lake on May 5, and Orth’s body was recovered on May 6. No signs of trauma were found, according to Deb Slater of the sheriff’s office.
On Oct. 26 last year, deputies responded to a possible search and rescue at the Baker River trailhead at Baker Lake following a missing person report from Seattle Police Department.
Search and Rescue volunteers, U.S. Forest Service personnel, law enforcement and a K9 searched the area, but did not find Orth. On Nov. 6 and 8, the team searched the area again to no avail.
Orth was born Nov. 17, 1992, in San Diego, California. After graduating from Burlington High School, he studied mechanical engineering at Iowa State University, according to his obituary. He moved to Seattle to pursue software development.
He enjoyed being outdoors and camping, and was passionate about the environment, his obituary states.
