Body that washed ashore in Pismo is missing 18-year-old from Grover Beach

The body that washed up in Pismo Beach this week has been identified as an 18-year-old from Grover Beach who went missing about a month ago.

William Casper Jr., 18, of Grover Beach was found on Wednesday afternoon, when a Pismo Beach police sergeant patrolling the beach south of the Addie Street parking lot noticed his body in the tide line.

Police investigated the incident and found Casper’s mother had reported him as missing to the Grover Beach Police Department in early December, according to a Pismo Beach Police Department news release. He was last seen on the evening of Dec. 9 in northern Grover Beach.

Casper’s cause of death remains pending while the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Coroner’s Office awaits toxicology test results.

Grover Beach police are working with Pismo Beach police and the Sheriff Coroner’s Office to determine what led to Casper’s disappearance and death, but there are no indications of foul play or suspicious circumstances.

Casper, also known as Billy, graduated from Liberty Continuation High School in Paso Robles with the class of 2017, according to Principal Nate Maas.

“There’s a lot of sadness on our part, hearing the news,” Maas said.

Casper performed well academically and completed his coursework in 2016, a few months before graduation, Maas said. He described Casper as “happy” and “quiet,” and said he’d greatly improved as a student during his time at Liberty.

“He was a very likeable person,” he said. “He had a very easy way of making friends.”

Casper was unsure of his post-graduation plans, although he’d considered enrolling at Cuesta College, Maas said.

“Our hearts go out to the family,” he said. “... We’re really sorry for them.”

This story was originally published January 12, 2018 at 11:28 AM with the headline "Body that washed ashore in Pismo is missing 18-year-old from Grover Beach."