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The California Highway Patrol is investigating the death of a San Ramon man this week after he was reported missing over the weekend during a motorcycle excursion then found dead.
The Modoc County Sheriff’s Office issued a notice Wednesday that the identity of a body found in the south fork of the Pit River four miles south of Alturas was that of San Ramon resident William Knight, 73, who was reported missing by SRPD on Sunday.
Knight was last in contact with his family last week during a motorcycle trip, at which point he said he was in Lakeview, Oregon, near the California border and approximately 400 miles from San Ramon.
“Mr. Knight’s son reported his father went on a motorcycle trip to Idaho and had not been heard from since May 30, 2024,” an SRPD spokesperson told Embarcadero Media Thursday.
Modoc County police began a search of the Alturas area approximately 350 miles from San Ramon on Monday, where Knight’s cellphone was last pinged at the request of SRPD.
Local law enforcement in Alturas were aided in the search that extended through Tuesday afternoon by SRPD, CHP, and Knight’s family, with his body ultimately being discovered later that day after a driver south of Alturas called 911 upon discovering a body in a river off of Highway 395.
Upon responding to the scene, police also located Knight’s motorcycle and proceeded to notify his family.
CHP investigators determined that at some point between May 30 and Tuesday, Knight drifted to the right on his motorcycle for unknown reasons, ultimately going off the road before the motorcycle was overturned into the river and Knight was thrown off. It is unknown if drugs or alcohol were a factor, according to a press release from CHP.
The CHP investigation was ongoing as of Thursday afternoon.
