A teacher in Mill Valley who was arrested on suspicion of sexual abuse of a child this week was found dead in the waters off Drakes Beach at Point Reyes National Seashore on Wednesday evening, according to the Marin County Sheriff's Office.
Just after 2:30 p.m., a caller to 911 reported that a surfer was possibly washed out to sea at Point Reyes. The person was last seen at 10 a.m. and his surfboard washed up at Drakes Beach at about 1 p.m.
First responders from the National Park Service, U.S. Coast Guard, Marin County Fire Department, and the Sonoma and Marin sheriff's offices responded to the area and commenced an "exhaustive" search for the man.
At 5:33 p.m., a lifeless body was located floating in the ocean about 2.5 miles northwest of the Drakes Beach parking area, the Marin County Sheriff's Office said. A Coast Guard helicopter recovered the body, which was exhibiting signs of physiologic death and was therefore declared deceased at 5:35 p.m.
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The man has been identified as Darren Smith, a 55-year-old man from Fairfax who was just arrested Tuesday on suspicion of lewd and lascivious acts with a child and continuous sexual abuse of a child.
The Sheriff's Office said that the Mill Valley Unified School District notified them of the allegations and put Smith on administrative leave. Smith had been employed by the district since August 2013. The district's website lists him as a music teacher.
Smith was booked into the Marin County Jail, where his bail had been set at $200,000 as of Tuesday.
