Coroner ID’s body found on Surfside Beach, 5 days after similar discovery in Newport

A man whose body was discovered Thursday on Surfside Beach has been identified by officials with the Orange County coroner’s office as an individual with ties to Egypt, a sheriff’s department spokesman confirmed Monday.

Sgt. Scott Steinle said the decedent was 32-year-old Moustafa Osama Gamil, whose current city of residence could not be determined. The coroner’s office contacted the U.S. Consulate General to locate and notify his next of kin, who live in Egypt.

Gamil’s body was found Thursday shortly before 6 p.m. on the shoreline of Surfside Beach adjacent to Surfside Colony by a resident out for an evening stroll, according to a news release issued Friday by the Seal Beach Police Department.

The body of an 86-year-old Newport Beach man, discovered near the Newport Pier on Sept. 10, was identified as S. Lee Short, a sheriff’s spokesman confirmed Monday.

(File Photo)

Police detectives were joined at the scene by lifeguards with the Seal Beach Marine Safety division, the coroner’s office and the Orange County Fire Authority. SBPD spokesman Sgt. Nick Nicholas said Friday the body did not appear to have sustained any apparent signs of trauma.

Steinle said coroner’s officials confirmed Monday there was no clear evidence to indicate Gamil died under suspicious circumstances.

“It appears to be an accidental drowning at this time,” he said, adding that an autopsy was being conducted on the body and would conclude in the next day or two.

Name released on Newport Beach incident

The Surfside Beach incident occurred just five days after the body of another adult male was seen floating in the water near the Newport Beach Pier. Sheriff’s officials identified the remains as belonging to S. Lee Short, 86, of Newport Beach.

Details on that incident were not immediately available Monday. Steinle said the coroner’s office was still investigating the possible cause of death and whether Short’s age may have been a factor.

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