Body found near Sandy Point identified as man who fell into Fraser River 3 months ago

The body of a man found July 22 on Neptune Beach near Sandy Point has been identified as a 47-year-old Richmond, B.C., man who fell into the Fraser River in Canada nearly three months earlier.

The body was identified as Kuljit Singh Bhoparai, according to an email from Whatcom County Medical Examiner Dr. Gary Goldfogel. The cause of death was freshwater drowning, according to Dr. Goldfogel, while the manner of death was accidental.

According to an Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office press release, on April 25 Bhoparai is believed to have fallen off a houseboat that was moored along the Fraser River in the 3400 block of River Road in Ladner, B.C. The Delta, B.C. Police Department, Canadian Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Mounted Police failed to locate Bhoparai after an exhaustive search.

A beachcomber found the body while walking on Neptune Beach last week and contacted the Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriff’s Office put out a bulletin to regional law enforcement agencies, hoping to identify the body using some unique tattoos, then worked with the Delta Police and the Whatcom County Medical Examiner’s Office to positively identify it.

There were no signs of foul play in the investigation, according to the Sheriff’s Office release.

Date of Bhoparai’s fall off houseboat corrected Aug. 1, 2018.

This story was originally published July 31, 2018 at 4:43 PM.