A 39-year-old Tacoma woman drowned last month near Ocean Shores in Grays Harbor County after her vehicle was overcome by waves while she drove on the beach, according to the county coroner.
The Grays Harbor Coroner’s Office identified the woman as Itzel Perez in a Facebook post. The Sheriff’s Office said she was found Nov. 20 north of Damon Road, an access road to the beach.
Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched to the beach at about 8:30 a.m. for a report of a person found face down.
Coroner George Kelley described Perez’s death as a tragic accident and said in the post that his office extends condolences to her family. Efforts to reach Perez’s relatives by phone were not successful Monday.
In a public Facebook post, the woman’s sister said Perez’s life was not defined by its tragic end but by the “beautiful, kind, and vibrant way she lived it.” According to Perez’s Facebook account, she attended Sammamish High School in Bellevue and went to college at the University of Washington.
The Sheriff’s Office said investigators have not found any link between Perez’s death and the death of another Tacoma woman found in the same area Oct. 22, Annie Michelle Fears. Kelley said Monday that her case is ongoing and a cause and manner of death has not yet been established.
© 2025 The News Tribune (Tacoma, Wash.). Visit www.TheNewsTribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
