The search for a missing man in Port Orchard has ended in tragedy after police recovered his deceased body, according to a Feb. 25 release from the Port Orchard Police Department.

37-year-old Garrett Briggs had last been seen Jan. 29 after reportedly telling friends he was going under the Blackjack Creek Bridge on Lund Avenue. He was reported missing the following day, according to initial reports, and a public cry for help in the search was sounded in early February.

“I know my son,” said Briggs’ mother Jeanne, who called his venture to the bridge an odd thing for him. “He calls me every day, and for him to go off the radar like he did was not my son.”

POPD officers saw to the end of that search when they responded to a wooded area underneath the bridge Feb. 24 after a community member had found clothing possibly connected to the disappearance. A search of the area led to the discovery of the deceased body of Briggs. South Kitsap Fire and Rescue was called in to assist with the recovery.

The cause of death is unknown, but officials said they do not believe foul play was involved nor do they believe there to be an active threat to the public.

While not the end Jeanne had wanted for the search for her son, the body’s discovery has provided some level of closure for her and other family members. “All I’ve been asking the whole time is that I just want to find my son’s body and put it to rest,” she said.